Apple Cider Baked Donuts

At the beginning of fall, I pull out all of my fall recipes, especially these delicious apple cider baked donuts. Right around the middle of September is when my daughter starts to ask for these donuts. This is the time when the stores around here start putting out the apple cider. This is my cue to rustle through my cabinets for my donut pans and gather all the ingredients to make these tasty treats.

These are easy to make and so much lighter than the fried version. They are soft, pillowy, and have that wonderful crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. Serve these for breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon dessert. Either way, they are wonderful.

Let’s get going.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C. Apple Cider – homemade or store-bought
2 C. Flour – all-purpose
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Kosher salt or 1/4 Tsp fine salt
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Grated Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Ground Ginger
2 Eggs – Room temperature
1 Tsp. Vanilla
4 Tbsp. Butter – melted

TOPPING:

4 Tbsp. Butter – melted
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan, add the apple cider and turn the heat to medium. Simmer the apple cider for about 10 minutes or until the liquid reduces to 3/4 Cup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Lightly grease a donut pan and set aside. This makes about 14-15 donuts.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure the baking powder and baking soda are well combined into the flour so no lumpy bits are left.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and the reduced apple cider.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together using a rubber spatula until just combined and no more flour bits are on the bottom of the bowl.
6. Add the batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, or you can simply spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Pipe or spoon the batter into the prepared pan about 2/3 of the way up the pan.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the donuts are golden and springy when touched. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
8. In the meantime, melt 4 tbsp of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.
9. After 5 minutes, remove the donuts from the pan and place them on a wire rack.
10. Brush the tops of the donuts with the melted butter and dip the tops of the donuts into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back onto the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter/donuts.

NOTES:

• Serve this as a breakfast with coffee or tea of choice.
• Serve as a late afternoon dessert.
• These donuts should be baked just long enough that they are just done. If they cook longer than that, they will not be pillowy soft and fluffy. Check them at the 10-minute mark. Gently touch the tops of the donuts. They should be firm but springy when touched. Immediately remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Any longer and they will be a pain to get out of the pan. You may need to use a butter knife or a cake spatula to help remove them from the pan if they do not release easily.
• Do not let these cool completely before brushing the butter on top and dipping them into the cinnamon sugar. This helps the cinnamon sugar stick to the donuts. After this, you can let them cool completely.
• These keep well on a covered cake plate for up to 5 days. Or you can put them in a covered dish in the fridge for up to 1 week. They never last that long in this house.
• Be prepared to make these a lot, so keep apple cider on hand, or you can make your own.
• If you want a more apple cider flavor, you can add 2 cups of cider to your saucepan and simmer it down to 3/4 cup. I simmer for 10 minutes and then measure it out in a glass measuring cup. If I need to simmer longer, I just add it back to the pan and continue to simmer, then test again after 5 minutes. When you reach 3/4 cup of reduced cider, let it sit for about 15 minutes or so. This just helps to not cook the eggs in the batter.