The autumnal equinox may still be over a week away, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s officially fall (read: time for the annual onslaught of all things apple, spiced, and a little seasonally cliché).
Bust out your sweater weather gear (and maybe a nice, forgiving pair of stretchy pants), because… you guys. I just did a really bad thing in the spirit of fall. And it involves sparkling cider.
It’s no secret that I’d do just about anything for a cider doughnut fix, but hey, we’ve already been there, done that. So the logical next course of action was to make something cider doughnut inspired, spike it with something fancy, and finish it off with the proverbial “icing on top.”
I’m logical–most of the time–, so that’s exactly what I did: I made two-bite, cinnamon chip-studded mini muffins, infused them with a cup of sparkling apple cider, and paired ’em up with two-ingredient sparkling cider icing for dipping. I like to think of them as the modern day DunkARoo, with a seasonally appropriate lean.
Did I mention that you can make them in under 30 minutes? Because you can.
Did I also mention that they’re indubitably my favorite Kailley’s Kitchen recipe to date? Because they are.
Sparkling Cider Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup sparkling apple cider
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup sparkling cider
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Spray mini muffin pans with nonstick spray, set aside
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
- In a second bowl, whisk together brown sugar, sparkling cider, egg, vanilla, and melted butter
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix gently with a wooden spoon until ingredients are just incorporated. Batter should be light and fluffy
- Spoon batter into the wells of the muffin pan (about 2/3 full) and bake for 8-10 minutes
- While muffins are baking, combine cinnamon and granulated sugar in a small bowl
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and set aside to cool slightly
- Remove muffins from oven and turn out onto a wire cooling rack
- Roll muffins in melted butter, then transfer to cinnamon and sugar; coat evenly
- Let muffins continue to cool slightly on rack
- Whisk together powdered sugar and sparkling cider until smooth and pour into a small bowl or ramekin for serving
- Muffins are best served warm
- To reheat, place muffins back in oven for 1-2 minutes at 400°F
Kelly @ Mostly Homemade Mom says
I absolutely love cider donuts, these sound like such a great version!
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Thanks so much, Kelly!!
dina says
definitely getting me in the mood for fall!
Amanda says
These look amazing! And perfect for Fall. I bet they make for awesome camping trip snacks or for chilly Sunday morning breakfasts. 🙂
Amanda
cozycaravan.com