This recipe is inspired by a recent trip to Carter’s Mountain Orchard. It was the first time visiting as a family, and while I had gone about 15 years ago, I was amazed by the production. Apple cider, apple donuts, apple pie, apple butter – all on offer. There was hardly anyone apple picking! From food trucks to live music, you could tell people were there for the fall festivities. We headed straight to the apple trees, but I didn’t leave without a half gallon of freshly made cider.
I have been focusing on mostly pumpkin recipes of late, so I wanted to switch it up with a different fall flavor profile. These apple cider muffins are something you can sink your teeth into. They aren’t overly sweet, allowing the apple spices to shine through. I have been loving them in the morning and even for an afternoon pick-me-up with some coconut yogurt. Do you know what else I love? The fact that my toddler loves them too! Anything nutritious that I can grab and give him is a winning recipe in my book.
Planning and prep
The way to incorporate apple cider into this recipe without watering it down is to reduce it for about 10 to 15 minutes. While I prep all of my other ingredients, I pour some apple cider in a saucepan and let it simmer. By the time I am ready to bake, it is ready to go. Then like most of my other gluten-free baked goods, you will want to let the batter rest for about 15 minutes before transferring it to the muffin tin. The directions denote as much, but fill each muffin liner pretty much to the tippy top. Since these muffins are egg-free, filling the batter to the top, combined with letting the batter rest, will help ensure a better rise and shape. Let the muffins slightly cool – about 30 minutes to 1 hour – and these muffins are ready to be enjoyed!
Apple Cider Muffins {Gluten-Free, Vegan}
Equipment
- muffin tin
- Mixing bowls
- saucepan
- Hand beater or stand mixer
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider juice reduced to 1/2 cup (see directions)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk of choice coconut, oat, almond
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups Healthified homemade gluten-free flour blend or 1:1 baking flour see note
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- Place the apple cider juice in a small saucepan and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until reduced by half. Measure out ½ cup and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- To the medium size bowl with the apple cider, add the applesauce, dairy-free milk, coconut oil, ground flax and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined and creamy and set aside.
- In another large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry mixture. Beat until a muffin batter is formed. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes
- Transfer the batter to the cups of the muffin tin, filling each one all of the way to the top. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or the internal temperature reaches at least 180 degrees F (between 180-200 degrees).Allow the muffins to slightly cool in the muffin tin (10 minutes), before transferring to a cooling rack for about an hour.
Notes
