Apple Cider Muffins
/Summary: This is autumn in muffin form. Absolutely delicious and addicting, these muffins make a great breakfast or snack. They freeze well too, so make a double batch!
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 stick salted butter
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 Ginger Gold apple (or something similar), washed, cored, peeled or unpeeled (I rarely peel my apples), thinly sliced and then chopped into smaller chunks
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit degrees, and grease or fill with liners one 12-cup or two 6-cup muffin tins.
Into a 1-quart saucepan placed over medium heat, put your butter and let brown. Once it's fully melted, smells nutty and the foam has begun to subside, remove from heat and let cool some.
In the meantime, into another small pot set over medium-high heat, pour the apple cider. Let it cook at a nice boil until it's reduced by half. So, you want no more than 1/4 cup left. When you're there, carefully add your chopped apples to the pot, turned the heat off and let the apples soak in the cider until you're ready for them.
In small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. When the brown butter has cooled some, whisk it into this mixture.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Using a slotted spoon, add the cider apples and then pour into the batter about half of the reduced cider. Stir gently until everything is just combined.
Fill muffin tins or liners; bake for 17 minutes, until muffins are golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible.
