Apple Fritter Monkey Bread Muffins

I MEAN….. !!!

Could you BE more desperate to eat these?! Please say that in a Chandler voice.

When it comes to breakfast I generally fall into two strict camps.

1 – The pillar of health.

2 – The carb monster.

This recipe clearly falls into the later, and frankly I don’t feel one ounce of guilt. Because after a week of fresh berries on toast and egg whites with veggies, I am ready to chow down. So when Sunday morning comes around — or Saturday, if Friday was particularly boozy — I am ALL IN on the carby breakfasts, and these apple fritter monkey bread muffins are my new favorite choice.

Since these muffins are baked (not fried) they aren’t technically fritters, but in the WRY world we stretch things a bit, so let’s roll with it. Let’s also roll with the fact that these are ready in just 40 minutes, are made with apple cider AND hard cider, and taste so good you can almost forget that 2016 actually happened.

Like you’ve come to expect even my trashy recipes keep things simple + seasonal, and this one is no exception. It all starts with the classic monkey bread format of canned biscuits, sugar, and cinnamon — Cube ’em, coat ’em, done. Next comes the apple fritter filling, which is a delightful mix of apples, butter, apple cider, and sugar. Sauté this combo until your kitchen smells like a Yankee Candle, then combine the two into cupcake tins, alternating between biscuits and filling.

The final step before baking is to prepare the cider sauce, otherwise known as homemade crack. Hard cider, brown sugar, and butter are the culprits, and if you say you didn’t try it with a spoon, you’re lying. The sauce takes barely 2 minutes to make, and from there simply spoon it over your muffins, then bake! There’ll be extra sauce leftover so you can drizzle it OVER your baked muffins, because gaining weight is easy and fun.

Even the smell of the muffins baking is incredible, so anticipatory drooling should be expected. But the taste?!

THE TASTE.

So amazing.

The best way to describe these flavorbombs — besides, obviously, ohmygodthisisheaven — is half cinnamon bun, half apple fritter, 100% bomb as hell. The apples lend a soft, creamy texture next to the biscuit’s crisped outsides + fluffy insides, and there’s a perfect balance of apple, cinnamon, and sugary flavor too. And it’ll be no surprise that these pair just as well with coffee as they do with champagne, so drink whatever you think is best.

(champagne is obviously the answer)

Since these are quick and fun to make they’re perfect for lazy couples who like to waste their Sundays in pajamas (hi… me) so there’s no excuse not to be making them. And if you’re more into gal-pal brunches, these are awesome for entertaining too — Prep them until just before baking, then keep in the fridge till needed! They freeze really well, so there’s no need to be shy about doubling the recipe.

You’ll probably eat 12 on your own, anyway.

^^^ insane.

Apple Fritter Monkey Bread Muffins

Yield: 9 muffins

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 40 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• MUFFINS:
• 1 can buttermilk biscuits (15oz)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Crisco to grease

• APPLE FRITTER FILLING:
• 1 1/2 tbsps salted butter
• 2 – 3 honeycrisp apples, chopped (should yield 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 tbsps apple cider
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• CIDER SAUCE:
• 6 tbsps salted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsps hard cider

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Thoroughly grease metal cupcake pan with Crisco.
2. To begin, cut the biscuits into four quarters. Combine the quartered biscuits with the sugar and cinnamon in a Ziploc bag, then shake until each piece is evenly coated. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized skillet melt the butter over a medium flame, then stir in the chopped apples, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Allow ingredients to simmer for 10-12 minutes until caramelized, stirring occasionally.
4. When ready, layer 2-3 biscuit pieces into each greased cupcake tin, then spoon in a few teaspoons of caramelized apple. Lastly top each tin with the remaining biscuits.
5. Prepare the sauce. In a small pot melt butter over a medium-low flame, then whisk in the brown sugar and hard cider until smooth. Evenly pour the sauce into each cupcake tin until the muffins are almost submerged, then bake for 15 – 20 minutes until browned and bubbling.* Allow to cool slightly, then eat! Drizzle with leftover cider sauce as desired.

* Some of the cider sauce will bubble over each tin when cooking — that’s okay!! It shouldn’t make too much of a mess (mine was minimal), but since every cupcake pan is different, you can play it safe by lining your oven rack with a sheet of tin foil, then place the cupcake pan on top.

best breakfast ever.

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