Sourdough Apple Cider Donut Muffins

I love an apple cider donut. Truly, they are one of my favorite baked goods. I remember growing up in the Midwest and going to apple orchards to pick apples and finish the day with a warm apple cider donut. There is something so nostalgic about an apple cider donut to me, a bite of one brings me right back to my childhood and those crisp fall days in the Chicago suburbs. If you’ve ever made donuts, you know that they can be a bit more time consuming to make on a regular weekday. They require prepping the dough and heating the oil for frying. But these sourdough apple cider donut muffins have all the flavors of a classic apple cider donut but baked into muffin form. I can whip them up on a weekday which is perfect because they are best enjoyed warm and fresh. In our family of seven, this batch of 24 mini muffins only lasts one morning.

Ingredients for Sourdough Apple Cider Donut Muffins

• Milk: I use whole milk in this recipe and while I haven’t tested any other options, I do think they would work!
• Melted butter: There is melted butter both in the muffin batter and for dipping the warm muffins into before coating in cinnamon sugar.
• Oil: I use a neutral oil here like canola or vegetable, but avocado oil will also work.
• Sourdough discard: There are so many recipes out there for sourdough discard and I love using them! Sourdough discard not only adds the health benefits to your muffins of fermented foods, but it adds such a great tangy flavor.
• Applesauce: I use homemade unsweetened applesauce in this recipe, but a store-bought unsweetened applesauce also works.
• Greek yogurt: There isn’t a lot of yogurt in this recipe but it does give a small protein boost and a richness to the muffins as well.
• Egg: I haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes, but using a flax egg in baked goods makes them a bit more dense so for best results I recommend using a regular egg.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar goes in both the muffins and in the cinnamon sugar topping.
• Vanilla extract: You need that hint in vanilla in your muffins!
• Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is used in this recipe.
• Baking powder and baking soda: A little bit of both are used as leavening agents here.
• Salt: The salt helps enhance the sweetness here.
• Nutmeg: Cinnamon is a must here, but the nutmeg is what give you that signature apple cider donut flavor.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon goes in both the donut muffin itself and in the cinnamon sugar topping.

How to Make Apple Cider Donut Muffins

• Use a large bowl to whisk together all your wet ingredients: milk, melted butter, oil, applesauce, yogurt, egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. If you have time, let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes but if not you can bake them right away.
• Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and evenly distribute the batter and bake. After baking, melt the butter in a small bowl and in a second small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Dip the warm muffins into the butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. These sourdough apple cider donut muffins are best enjoyed warm so serve immediately and try not to eat them all at once!

One bite of these muffins takes me straight to my childhood. My kids absolutely devoured them and ate the entire batch in one morning. They’re great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack on a fall day or any time of year. Since I’ve been baking sourdough bread for about 6 years now, I always have sourdough discard in my refrigerator and I love finding ways to use it!