Apple cider muffins with streusel topping are perfect for fall! Made with apple cider and plenty of cinnamon. Cider muffins are the perfect quick breakfast or snack.
Apple cider adds great flavor to recipes! You can use it to make delicious baked cider donuts or cider caramels! You can also make your own boiled cider to keep on hand for baked recipes and hot apple cider whenever you want!
My absolute favorite scents are cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, and clove. It's no wonder that I love baking in the fall. It's better than burning a candle! These cider donuts will fill your home with cinnamon and apple scents.
Why I Love This Recipe
These muffins are made with an apple cider reduction, which adds the best flavor. If you simply poured a cup of apple cider into the muffin batter, you might not even notice the flavor, but if you simmer it down, the flavors concentrate and shine through. I have an entire post on making and bottling your own boiled cider, but for this recipe you can simply make a small batch of it over the stove.
The streusel topping is the same one that I use for our favorite blueberry muffins with streusel topping. Adding it to the muffins is completely optional, but it adds a nice crunch and cinnamon flavor.
What Others Are Saying
Great recipe. I added chopped apples and it was awesome!!! ---Christine
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Recipe Ingredients
- Apple cider: You can use any type of apple cider that you'd like. For my boiled cider I use 100% cider, meaning it has no preservatives. For cider muffins, you can use pasteurized cider since we are not boiling it down to a syrup. We're simply reducing it a bit. You can even make your own instant pot apple cider and then reduce it. I also use a cider reduction in my fried apple cider donuts and baked cider donuts.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg give the muffins delicious flavor.
- Streusel topping: You'll need butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour for the yummy topping.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Cider Muffins With Streusel Topping
Step 1: Simmer cider on the stove until it has reduced to ½ cup.
Step 2: Remove from heat and let cider cool.
Step 3: Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Beat milk, oil, egg and cooled apple cider together in medium bowl.
Step 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients together until mixed.
Step 6: Scoop into a muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake liners or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 7: Combine streusel topping ingredients in a bowl with a fork until coarse crumbs form.
Step 8: Spoon streusel topping over muffins, then bake.
Muffin Recipe FAQs
Technically, no. You could use cider instead of milk in this recipe without simmering it to a reduction. Many recipes call for regular cider, but it will not be as flavorful. I highly recommend taking the time to reduce the cider and allowing it to cool.
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container or cover the pan with plastic to keep fresh for up to 3 days. Muffins also freeze well. Allow frozen muffins to thaw at room temperature.
This recipe yields 8-12 muffins. If you fill them to the top you'll get 8 muffins (bake a minute or two longer), if you fill them ⅔ full you'll get 12 muffins.
My kids prefer homemade muffins to peanut butter and jelly (especially peanut butter muffins), so I wrap them individually for their lunches. Another recipe that is great for lunches is our healthier pumpkin muffins made with applesauce! You can easily make them ahead and freeze them. Pull a few muffins out the night before, and they will be thawed and ready to go in the morning.
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Apple Cider Muffins With Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup apple cider
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- ¼ cup butter (cold) cut into small pieces
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring apple cider to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer until it has reduced to about ½ c. Let cool.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients together in a bowl. Add cider to wet ingredients.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Line a muffin pan with 12 liners or spray with non stick cooking spray.
- Fill muffin tin with batter.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. While oven heats, make the streusel topping.
- Cut ingredients for streusel together using a pastry cutter or fork. Should resemble crumbs. Sprinkle over each muffin cup. About 1 T. per muffin.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Brandy says
These are delicious with or without the streusel topping. Sometimes I make them half whole wheat, half all purpose flour.
Christine Nagin says
Great recipe. I added chopped apples and it was awesome!!!
Brandy says
Ooo, great idea! That sounds amazing!