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Easy Apple Cider Honey Muffins — the coziest way to welcome the weekend and the fall season! These soft, warmly spiced muffins are made with boiled-down spiced apple cider (for extra apple flavor), raw honey, apple butter, brown sugar, and a mix of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. They’re baked until perfectly fluffy, then dipped in sweet cinnamon sugar for that irresistible finish.
I promised no pumpkin until October — and I’m sticking to it! There are still so many apple recipes I’m excited to share first. The weather this week has me fully in fall baking mode. Around here, it feels like mid-to-late October: chilly, colorful, and perfect for cozy baking days.
These muffins disappeared the second I baked them. I made a few with chocolate chips just for my sister and little brother, Oslo — they’re obsessed! They’re easy enough to make with kids, and Oslo loves adding the chocolate chips. They pack beautifully for school lunches, and they’re great for a fall gathering.
While Asher and Oslo are team chocolate chip, my mom and I love them with toasted, chopped pecans. They feel perfectly autumn, and add a lovely crunch.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- apple cider – I love a spiced apple cider, no added sugar
- salted butter
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- honey – I recommend a thicker raw honey
- apple butter – use my homemade, it’s the best
- dark brown sugar
- all-purpose flour, you can use whole wheat too
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- all-spice
- cloves
- salt
- honeycrisp apples
- toasted pecans or chocolate chips – optional
And for the Topping
- melted butter
- cinnamon
- granulated sugar
Tools for Success
For these muffins, you’ll just need the basics — a standard 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper liners, a good mixing bowl, and a small pot to boil the cider and concentrate all that cozy apple flavor.
Steps
Step 1: boil the cider
I love using spiced cider — no sugar added! Boil the cider on the stove until it’s reduced to about 1 cup. This concentrates the flavor and makes each muffin especially delicious with lots of cozy apple flavor.
Step 2: make the batter
Mix the browned butter with the eggs, honey, apple butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
Stir in the chopped apples. I like to cut mine thinly with a mandolin, then chop them for little apple bits in every bite.
Step 3: bake the muffins
Fill the muffin cups almost to the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops are deeply golden and your kitchen smells incredible.
Step 4: add the topping
This next step is a yummy addition. Melt a bit more butter and brush the tops — and sides, if you’d like — of each muffin.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, then dip each warm muffin to coat. It’s like a cozy apple cider doughnut in muffin form!
These muffins aren’t too sweet — just perfectly spiced and moist with a subtle honey sweetness. Such a great fall treat to bake all season long (and even through the holidays).
Looking for more apple recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Salted Maple Apple Tarte Tatin with Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds
Cinnamon Spiced Apple Fritters with Vanilla Coffee Glaze
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Lastly, if you make these Easy Apple Cider Honey Muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Apple Cider Honey Muffins
Servings: 12 Muffins
Calories Per Serving: 204 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey, preferably raw
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 honeycrisp apple, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or chocolate chips (optional)
Topping
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 12-14 muffin tins with paper liners.2. Bring the apple cider to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup. Remove from the heat. Let cool.3. In a bowl, stir together the boiled cider, melted/browned butter, eggs, honey, apple butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and salt, mix until just combined. Stir in the apples. If desired, add the nuts/chocolate.4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, until just set. 5. Mix the cinnamon and sugar. Brush the tops of each muffin with melted butter and dip each in the cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 26, 2025
Made these this morning with my girls and they were gobbled up!
Hey Emilia,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your notes! I’m glad it was enjoyed:) Happy Wednesday!
These look really yummy and perfect for the kids in the fall. How do I get mine to have rounded tops though. Yours are so very flat, it is because you bake at elevation and use a recipe meant for sea level? If I am close to sea level will mine be rounded like a normal muffin?
Hi Kelsie,
Thanks so much! I don’t advise adjusting the recipe. They will be great and you should have a nice rounded muffin. Mine come out pretty round and perfect! Maybe the photo is just making them look flat?
Promise they will be delicious! I hope you enjoy them!
I don’t have ground cloves on hand. Would cardamom be an okay substitute? Or omit the cloves instead. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
Sure, cardamom would also be yummy! Let me know if you give these muffins a try!
Not a lot of flavor unfortunately.
Hi Heather,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy these muffins, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with!
Hello, you say melted butter to Farrah, but you say browned butter in your demo video. Which is it? Please respond back
Hey Meg,
Melted butter is just great with this recipe, if you want to take the time to brown the butter that is just fine too. I hope you love this recipe!
Omg, these were amazing!! Did I question cooking the cider down, and toasting the pecans, plus browning the butter even though I love it? Yes, yes I did. HOWEVER, those steps make these muffins next level.
They were sooooooo moist and full of flavor. I used Ceylon cinnamon, and ground all the spices fresh.
I normally have to make recipes several times before they make it in my tried & true cookbook but these earned an instant add and instant follow. Can’t wait to see what else you have cooking up.
Hey there,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad it was a winner!
Would apple sauce work as a substitute for apple butter?
Hi Rachel,
Yes, a thick apple sauce should work well for you. I hope you love these muffins!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet. I don’t have any apple butter on hand, but I have homemade apple sauce. Could I use that instead? If so, would I use the same amount?
Hi Liam,
Yes, an equal amount of apple sauce should work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Teghan! I’m confused. You’ve mentioned many times that you live at a high elevation. I live at sea level. So, what changes do I need to make to your baking recipes for them to work for me? Do you write your recipes for elevation or sea level? I’m kind of thinking you must create them for your elevation, but then its confusing because sometimes things look deflated, over/under baked, raw in the middle, etc. so it seems you’re using recipes that were created for non-elevation. Does that make sense? Do you have someone else creating your recipes for you? And do I use your recipes as written? Or do I need to adjust for my lack of elevation? I just don’t want flat muffins! Thanks so much. xoxo
Hey Lizzie, Hope you have had a nice weekend! I create my recipes for sea level and do not adjust for the elevation. We have team members making these recipes whom live at sea level.
Hope you enjoy the muffins!!! Have a wonderful week! Happy fall!
I’m new here so sorry if you already covered this. I’m also at high elevation (Utah). I get that this is the sea-level version, but is there any way you could share the measurements/oven temperatures/cooking times that worked for you in CO? That would be so helpful! Thank you!!
Hi Rose,
You can follow this recipe as written without any issues:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try!
Next time I will omit chocolate chips, I didn’t feel like they paired well with apple cider flavor.
Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback, Jill! Have a great weekend!
I just finished making these muffins and they look delicious and my house smells wonderful. I browned the butter after reading that part and used mini chocolate chips because that’s what was handy. I am taking them to a social event this evening and I’m sure there won’t be any leftovers. Thank you for another tasty recipe!
Yay!! Thanks so much, Jean! So glad to hear these muffins turned out well for you, thanks for giving them a try!
Hello! I have regular honey, but not the raw kind. Will regular work? What is the difference? Is there a special benefit to raw honey that would be worth going out to get some for this recipe? Want to make sure I’m doing it right. Thanks!!
Hi Sara,
You can use the honey that you have on hand, raw honey is just my personal preference. Please let me know if you give these muffins a try!
Are we supposed to brown the butter or just melt it? It says “melted” in the ingredients but then “melted/browned” in the instructions
Hi Farrah,
It is just melted butter for these muffins. Please let me know if you give them a try! Have a great Friday!
Why do you recommend using raw honey in a baking recipe? Once you heat raw honey above 104F it looses all of its beneficial properties!
Hi Kelli,
Thanks so much for sharing this feedback. It’s really just a personal preference, please feel free to use any honey that you enjoy!
I live in the mountains, if I want a nice fluffy muffin top what altitude adjustments should I make?
Hi Frances,
You can follow this recipe as written without any adjustments. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Fall!
If I don’t want my muffin tops to be flat like yours in the pictures what adjustments should I make?
Hey Frances, I don’t advise adjusting the recipe honestly. They will be great and you should have a nice rounded muffin. Mine come out pretty round and perfect! Maybe the photo is just making them look flat?
Promise they will be delicious! I hope you enjoy them! Have a wonderful fall weekend!
Thanks for the replies, I think I’ll go ahead and look for a recipe that’s going to work at my altitude, I don’t want to spend time and money for a disappointing end result.
In other recipes, bakers initially set the oven at 425 degrees and bake muffins for 5 min at that temp then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees and continue baking for time stated in recipe. I haven’t made this specific recipe but do live at elevation and the method above has yielded more rounded muffin tops. I just monitor remaining bake time carefully after reducing oven temp. Hope this helps
Hi do you toss the apple in the cinnamon sugar mix that is reserved for the topping?
Hi Cheryl,
You are just going to add the apples to the batter in step 3 and then brush the tops of the muffins with cinnamon sugar in step 5. Let me know if you give the recipe a try!