Apple Cider Mochi Muffins

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APPLE SEASON IS UPON US! I’m sure you have your favorite recipes for apple pies and apple crisps and apple cakes, but I bet your bottom dollar this’ll be a new one for you!

Do take note that these muffins are NOT the consistency you would expect from a muffin from your standard local bakery. They don’t use any wheat flour, just glutinous rice flour, resulting in soft, squishy, chewy apple-flavored “muffins”. They’re also entirely gluten free which makes them a lovely option for holiday parties or gifts for gluten-intolerant friends! (Glutinous rice flour is 100% gluten free)

It took me five test batches to figure out how to the get a discernible apple flavor. To my surprise, the secret ingredient wasn’t the highly potent apple cider concentrate I was convinced would be the key ingredient; rather it’s pulverized apple chips that ring in the fall flavors.

Two final but important notes:

1. Use GLUTINOUS rice flour (or mochiko flour), not regular rice flour. There is a significant difference between the two and you will deeply regret the error if you use regular rice flour.

2. Use fresh pressed apple cider. It is essentially freshly juiced apples and can usually be found at the farmers market in the fall or in the refrigerated section seasonally at grocery stores. DO NOT USE alcoholic apple cider, sparking apple cider, or apple juice from concentrate.

The Recipe

Makes 12-15 muffins

Ingredients

Mochi Muffin Batter

4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter

7 oz (207 ml) heavy whipping cream (🔥Whip It Real Good)

6 oz (177 ml) evaporated milk

3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar or granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

4 oz (120 ml) fresh pressed apple cider or ½ cup apple sauce

2 cups (260 grams) glutinous rice flour or mochiko flour (🔥Rice Picker)

1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder

½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt

nonstick cooking spray, for coating the muffin tins

Apple Cinnamon Sugar Coating

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ cup apple chips

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Make the apple cinnamon sugar coating

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use non-stick cooking spray to coat the insides of your muffin tins (be sure to coat them well) — DO NOT USE PAPER LINERS!

2. Place apple chips in a food processor, then pulse and process until the chips are a fine powder, about 1 minute.

3. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the apple powder, sugar, and cinnamon. Reserve on the side.

Combine the wet ingredients

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter is browned and smells fragrant and nutty.

2. Turn off the heat then immediately add heavy cream, evaporated milk, and sugar. Whisk everything together until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and apple cider, then whisk until everything is completely combined and smooth.

Add the dry ingredients

1. To the saucepan add the glutinous rice flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.

Portion and bake the mochi muffins

1. Fill the muffin tins just under the brim with batter.

2. Bake for 30-38 minutes (🎩Perfect Timing)

Coat the muffins

1. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes, then turn the muffins upside-down to remove from the tins.

2. While the muffins are still warm dredge the muffins in the apple cinnamon sugar mixture (🎩Fun Dip).

Enjoy!

Storage: Cooled muffins keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Hot Tips 🔥

• WHIP IT REAL GOOD — Be sure to use “whipping” cream. Whipping cream can be classified as “heavy” or “light”; heavy =38% fat and light = 30% fat. Either fat percentages will work for this recipe. Any other milk products (cream, half & half, whole milk, etc) have significantly less fat which will result in drier mochi muffins.

• RICE PICKER — It is imperative that you use glutinous rice flour (aka mochiko flour), NOT regular rice flour. Glutinous rice flour gives mochi its characteristic chewiness. If your rice flour does not say “glutinous” or “mochiko” on it, then you should not use it. Glutinous rice flour and mochiko flour can be found at your local asian grocery store and online.

Tricks 🎩

• PERFECT TIMING — A 30 minute bake will produce soft and thin crusts. For thicker crunchier crusts, increase the bake time to 38 minutes; HOWEVER, the crunch will only last for a short period ( ~12 hours). Personally, I dislike the texture of thick crusts that have gone soft, so I suggest crunchy crusts only if you will be devouring them quickly.

• FUN DIP — The sugary coating adheres best when the muffins are warm. HOWEVER, the apple bits will soften over time. So I suggest rolling the muffins in the coating if you are looking for good presentation and expecting to eat them the same day. Otherwise, if presentation isn’t an issue, I prefer to tear the muffins and dip the sticky interior into the coating as we eat them (like Fun Dip!)