Capture the feeling and flavor of fall with these rich, moist apple cider muffins. Full of good ingredients, like chopped apples, cinnamon, ground rolled oats, and apple cider, these muffins are as nourishing as they are delicious! They taste kind of like a healthier version of those delicious apple cider doughnuts you can get at your favorite cider mill. Grab one for breakfast or pack one in your lunch and enjoy! And don’t forget how good your kitchen will smell as they are baking!
I adapted this recipe from a blueberry muffin recipe I found years ago in Real Simple Magazine. Over the years I have changed and substituted things, as our tastes and choices have evolved. The original recipe calls for orange juice and blueberries, but since we are currently in the midst of a beautiful fall, I wanted to reflect the season. Adding chopped apples instead of blueberries and the apple cider instead of the orange juice takes these muffins to a new level of deliciousness. And what are baked apples without cinnamon? Of course I had to add cinnamon.
The fall color around here is so beautiful, and I’m not sure we have even reached the peak of the color yet, since there is still quite a bit of green out there. I hope you all have a great weekend, and hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy the glorious colors. My son has two soccer games and we have out-of-town friends and my ex-pat cousin and her sons coming into town, so we will have lots of chances to savor the season. I am so looking forward to all of it! But now I must clean my neglected house! At least it smells really good in here, like apples and cinnamon. These muffins are wonderful. I hope you give them a try! I am sharing a plate over at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Elaine @ foodbod and Michelle @ O Blog Off.
Apple Cider Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 and 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (if you don’t have plain, flavored Greek yogurt works too!)
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup of fresh apple cider
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 cups of apple, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 medium apples)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups.
In a blender or food processor, combine the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse until the oats are finely ground and everything is combined.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, brown sugar, melted butter, apple cider, and egg. Stir until well combined. Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until well incorporated and a batter forms (do not overmix). Fold in the chopped apples.
Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Bake in your 375 degree oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the muffins from the tin. Enjoy!
