Baked Apple Cider Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Soft, baked donuts coated in warm cinnamon sugar. Made with reduced apple cider for big fall flavor. Easy, old-fashioned, and ready to eat in less than an hour.
Servings 12 donuts
Ingredients
Apple cider donuts:
- 1 cup fresh apple cider
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple pie spice mix
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ⅓ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated apple optional, for extra moisture and apple flavor
Cinnamon sugar coating:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, simmer 1 cup fresh apple cider over medium heat until it reduces to about ⅓ cup, roughly 15–20 min. Let cool.
- In a small pan, brown ¼ cup unsalted butter. Melt it over medium heat until it bubbles, foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn it towards the end! Let it cool until warm.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a regular donut pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons apple pie spice mix until evenly colored. Discard impurities.
- In a medium bowl, whisk (don’t beat) the brown butter, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar, 1 large egg, concentrated apple cider, ⅓ cup buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir in 1 tablespoon grated apple if using.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix; batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe into donut cavities, filling about ⅔ full. You can also use two spoons, but it’s usually messier and more irregular.
- Bake 10–12 minutes or until donuts spring back when touched and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake them.
- Make the sugar coating by mixing ½ cup white granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl that can easily accommodate a whole donut.
- Let the donuts cool slightly on a wire rack, and, while still warm, brush them with ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, and toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Notes
Adjust the spice flavor to your liking. I love my apple spice mix linked in the recipe card, as I love nutmeg and allspice for apple recipes. But only ground cinnamon works just fine. Remember that the apple cider has spices.
Donut pans: they're perfect to get that round shape. Make regular or mini donuts. For the latter, the baking time will be less, so watch them closely.
