Baked Apple Cider Donuts
These delicious Baked Apple Cider Donuts are baked in the oven and dusted in cinnamon sugar- they’re the perfect fall treat!
Servings: 12
Calories: 125kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 2 cups flour (I use a mixture of all purpose and white whole wheat flour)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ¾ light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Brush two 6-cavity donut baking pans with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. If making donut holes, use two 24-cup mini muffin pans.
- Heat the apple cider in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until it has reduced to ½ cup, stirring occasionally. This will take about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the reduced cider cool. This step can be done ahead of time and the cider can be refrigerated.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the reduced apple cider, buttermilk, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter together in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (the batter will have some small lumps). Do not overmix.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling the wells about ¾ full. You can make a piping bag by taking a large zipped-top bag and cutting one of the corners off. If making donut holes, spoon or pipe the batter into a mini muffin pan, filling the wells about ½ full.
- Bake donuts in the oven for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and lightly browned. Bake donut holes for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Transfer donuts to a wire rack.
- To make the cinnamon sugar topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl. Brush the tops of the donuts with a little melted butter and then dip them in the cinnamon sugar, coating them well.
- The donuts are best when served immediately. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Be sure to use apple cider in this recipe, not apple cider vinegar.
- When reducing the apple cider, keep an eye on the saucepan. Simmer the cider over medium heat and check it often, stirring it occasionally so that it doesn’t’ scorch. The process takes about 20 minutes so you may want to do this step the night before.
- As with most baking recipes, you should use room temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk.
- Don’t overmix the batter. The batter will have some small lumps in it- that’s ok. You want the donuts to have a delicate crumb and if you mix the batter too much, they will be dense and heavy.
- If you don’t have a donut pan, you can make donut holes instead. Use a 24-cup mini muffin tin and fill the wells about halfway full with the batter.
Nutrition
Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg