Baked Apple Cider Donuts
A fall favorite full of warm, cozy flavors for a seasonal breakfast treat or dessert!
Apple Cider is one of my favorite treats to bring home from the apple orchard each year after we go apple picking. Of course we bring home apples, but we also grab some apple fritters, apple cider slushies for the road and a half gallon of fresh apple cider to enjoy at home. I always save some to bake apple cider donuts which makes me sort of surprised that I haven’t shared this recipe after all these years!
So here we are.. Baked Apple Cider Donuts!
They’re so fluffy and moist (if you know me, you know I hate the word ‘moist’ so they must be good for me to be saying it). And of course packed full of cozy fall flavors from the apple cider and warm spices.
There’s just something about sticky fingers from the cinnamon sugar coating after you devour one of these beauties that takes me back to my childhood. I cannot wait to bake these with Emerson when she is old enough to help me in the kitchen. I am looking forward to continuing all my fall baking traditions with her and feel grateful we have been able to do some of our traditions with her in tow even with the current events.
Let’s dive in..
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk or heavy whipping cream
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then spray donut pan with non-stick spray.
- In a small sauce pan, bring apple cider to a boil for about 15-20 minutes. It will reduce. Allow cider to cool or refrigerate until ready to use again. You will use ¾ cup.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well combined.
- In a separate (large) mixing bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Once combined, add eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Stir in heavy whipping cream (or buttermilk), reduced apple cider and flour mixture by alternating and adding ¼ cup or so each at a time. Stir until well combined. Batter will be thick.
- Using a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with cut corner, pipe the donut cavities 2/3 full and bake 15-17 minutes.
- While donuts are baking, prepare the cinnamon sugar coating by melting the butter in a shallow bowl and in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- When donuts have cooled for 5-10 minutes, dip both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then dip again in the cinnamon sugar coating until fully coated.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
