These gluten-free apple cider donut muffins will take you right back to the apple orchard! They're soft and fluffy, with apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg in every bite. The cinnamon-sugar coating gives them that cider donut crunch, and the muffins bake in about 25 minutes.
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Katie's Recipe Notes
It should be noted that even authentic apple cider donuts aren't super apple-ly in flavor, and to be honest you'll find that here as well. Much of the apple cider donut flavor comes from cinnamon and most notably, nutmeg.
You can bring out as much apple flavor as possible by reducing your apple cider. More on that below.
If you came home from the orchard with a bag of apples, try my gluten-free apple pie or these gluten-free apple pie biscuits. And if you're ready to move on to pumpkin, my gluten-free pumpkin danish is sure to hit the spot.
Ingredients
- Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour: This is the blend I used to test this recipe. I also have a Bob's Red Mill Copycat recipe you can use. Other high quality blends, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or Cup4Cup may also work, but you may see slight variations in the final muffin.
- Apple cider: Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened drink made from freshly pressed raw apples. It's not the same as apple juice. You can find apple cider during the fall months at your local grocery store, apple orchards, or farmer's markets.
- Butter and oil: Butter and oil play distinctly different roles in this recipe and shouldn't be substituted one for the other.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and fat content, which helps make the muffins more tender.
- Cinnamon sugar topping: Brush the warm muffins lightly with melted butter, then coat them in the spiced sugar.
*Refer to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Out of Muffin Liners?
These homemade parchment paper muffin liners are simple to make and cheaper than store-bought!
How to Reduce Apple Cider
Before making this recipe, you'll need to reduce the apple cider, which means simmering it until some of the water evaporates. This concentrates the flavor.
Pour as much apple cider as you'd like to reduce into a saucepan. For this recipe, I recommend starting with 1 cup. That will give you a little extra, so you don't have to be too precise as it cooks.
Bring the cider to a simmer on the stovetop and cook until you're left with about half the amount you started with. A pan with cup markings on the side is helpful, but you can eyeball it if you need to.
Let the cider cool before using it in the recipe.
How to Make the Muffins
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, and remaining dry ingredients.
- Step 2: Then blend the softened butter into the dry ingredients until it is fully incorporated and there are no large clumps of butter remaining.
- Step 3: In a separate measuring cup, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients.
- Step 4: Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and blend until thick and smooth.
- Step 5: Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into each paper-lined muffin cup. Bake according to recipe card below.
- Step 6: Once cooled enough to handle, brush muffin tops with melted butter.
- Step 7: Gently press the buttered top into the cinnamon-sugar, turning the muffin to coat evenly.
Storage
These muffins are best the day they're made, while the cinnamon sugar topping is still crunchy. Store completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. The topping may soften as the muffins sit.
You can freeze the muffins for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly before serving.
If you're making them ahead, wait to add the butter and cinnamon sugar until you're ready to serve.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donut Muffins
Equipment
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
Apple Cider
- 240 grams apple cider
Muffin Batter
- 236 g Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
- 110 g granulated sugar
- 36 g light brown sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 57 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 90 g reduced apple cider (cooled)
- 85 g sour cream
- 54 g avocado or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- 28 g unsalted butter (melted)
- 50 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Reduce the Cider
- Pour 240 grams apple cider into a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
- Cook until the cider is reduced by half, to about ½ cup. Set aside to cool before measuring the amount needed for the batter.
Make the Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 236 g Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour, 110 g granulated sugar, 36 g light brown sugar, 1¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- With an electric mixer, blend the softened 57 g unsalted butter into the dry ingredients until it's evenly distributed and the mixture looks like damp sand. There should be no visible clumps of butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 90 g reduced apple cider, 85 g sour cream, 54 g avocado or vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pour into the flour mixture. Blend until the batter is thick and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Divide the batter evenly amongst the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the center of a muffin reaches 205°F.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool long enough to handle.
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- Melt 28 g unsalted butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, stir together 50 g granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- While the muffins are still warm, lightly brush the tops with melted butter. Then coat the tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Notes
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Estimated Nutrition
* Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should be used as an estimate only. See the nutrition policy for more information.
Kathy says
These are delicious. They taste just like the apple cider donuts we get from our favorite apple orchard!