I like round food. Pizza, baked donuts, biscuits. I guess I should clarify, I like round food with flour. Wheat flour if possible. I’ve passed this trait on to Hal (along with my stubbornness). Couldn’t some of my better qualities seep through to her? The good news—meal times are rarely, if ever, a fight, as long as I get food on the table fast enough. In that case, she’s exactly like her dad. Food. Now. You can see how this is a problem for someone who likes to make everything from scratch, especially Baked Apple Cider Donuts.
Which brings me to these Baked Apple Cider Donuts. As I was working on this recipe, recipe after recipe said to reduce your apple cider. Reduce?! There’s no time to reduce for a breakfast recipe these days. I’ve got a maximum of 25 minutes before someone croaks or fills a bowl with cereal. I had to figure out a way to keep it apple-y without adding steps and time. I think this is what Darwin must have meant by survival of the fittest fastest.
Here’s what I did: I dropped the milk from my base recipe to sneak in more cider without compromising the flavor and structure of the donut. Then I added apple cider to the butter bath the donuts take just before getting their cinnamon-sugar coat. This is scientific stuff, my friends.
Speaking of science—my sister was a biology major in college. (She’ll be a Physicians Assistant in a few short months.) Anyway, during one of my visits, she took me to biology lab. Afterward, while still in the lab and within earshot of many, I thanked her for taking me to “Science Class.” She looked at me the same way I look at Kev and Hal when they want food now. Needless to say, I was a design major. I took enough “science classes” to graduate. Let’s not apply Darwin’s theory here, please.
Back to those Baked Apple Cider Donuts—they’re light yet dense in structure, as a cake donut should be. The apple is pronounced without overpowering the cinnamon-sugar coating—the trademark of an apple cider donut (which was solidified after hearing your thoughts here). I skipped going down the reduced apple cider glaze route for fear of getting growled at for an extra-long recipe. I’m glad I did. These couldn’t have turned out better thanks to the advice of Apt. 2B Baking Co. and Edible Perspective. I owe you guys! Peace, love, and fast baked apple cider donuts.
You could also call these Apple Cider Donuts sans guilt. They’re baked and hidden with wheat flour, though no one will know. They come together quickly in the morning and are best when served warm.
Ingredients
Scale
Donut
3 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/3 c. + 2 tbsp. apple cider 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, freshly ground 1/4 c. pure cane sugar 2 tbsp. honey 1 large egg
Topping
3 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/4 c. apple cider 1/3 c. fine sugar* 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F degrees.
Make the donuts. In a small pot, melt the butter along with the cider until the butter is half melted. Set aside to cool and finish melting.
Meanwhile, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Into the cooled butter mixture, whisk in the sugar, honey, and egg until evenly combined. Side note, dip honey measuring utensil in the melted butter first for easy honey removal.
Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Over-mixing will create a tough donut.
Spray donut pan with cooking oil. Add batter to a piping bag and evenly pipe into the pan.
Bake for 7 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute before removing donuts onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make topping. Melt butter and cider. In a flat-bottomed bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar*.
Quickly dip each donut in butter mixture and lightly coat in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place back on cooling rack. Best served same day, slightly warmed. If storing leftovers, lightly cover, if at all. Covering will create a soggy leftover donut by morning.
Notes
*If you don’t have superfine sugar (I don’t stock it), add sugar to a food processor and quickly pulse until fine, not powdery. If you pulse too long, it will turn into powdered sugar. Good to know when you’re in a pinch!
Making the night before? Serve warm the day of. Set oven to broil. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Place donuts on top and bake for about 1-2 minutes.
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Every Saturday morning, I’ve been making one of your recipes, and these just came out of the oven a few minutes ago.
I had to modify for gluten-free for Celiac and used ½ c cassava flour instead of the whole wheat flour and ½ c 1:1 flour (Bob’s Red Mill) for the AP flour. Turned out cakey and fluffy and oh so good! Paired perfectly with my morning latte 🙂 Yum!
So glad I found your recipe. Awesome, wonderful, and easy. Perfect texture! I try to have apple cider reduction on hand throughout the fall. I did not have white whole wheat flour but had Quinoa flour and substituted. The donuts are great with an almost peanut aftertaste like an carnival apple.
I made them! They were awesome!! Do you have a calorie count for these? I’m tracking calories< so I had 1/2 a donut last night. Still dreaming about the other half!
Yay, I’m so glad you like them! I don’t add nutritional facts to my recipes but there’s so great tools online that you can plug recipes into. I’ve never tried it, but this looks like a great one.
Devilishly Delicious every time I bake these beautiful donuts! I adore a good Scrumpy recipe. I’ve coincidentally done this with Apple Kombucha.. albeit eliminating the health benefits but the flavour was equally delectable.
Just made these – thank you for great recipe! They worked great and have a good texture. I love the crunchy sugar topping. One question though – I made them all up with the topping yesterday and after a few were eaten, stored the rest for the next day. I started thinking about the apple cider in the butter topping that is not cooked and wondered if they were safe to eat since they are not refrigerated, (technically apple cider should be kept in fridge)… Hope this makes sense. Would the topping be best applied just before eating?
I loooove apple cider donuts and have been looking for a bake-recipe! I want to try these SO badly but only have APF and whole wheat flour at home 🙁 Can I replace the white whole wheat flour 1:1 with the regular whole wheat flour? Or would you recommend I just use APF for the entire recipe?
Hi Melissa: I’ve just found your recipe and am wondering whether I can substitute GF flour for the regular flour. I am GF limited, but LOVE the sound of your recipe. Thank you!
I made theses for Holloween Dinner for my client and her family. I’m a home care CNA. My client is 101 years old! I floured a donut cookie cutter and on parchment paper Cut the dough by placing medium spoonful scooped on to paper that was placeded on a tin cookie sheet also baked the donut holes along Sides. After baking did the apple cider dip and powder sugar& cinnamon. Then popped the donut hole on top in middle covered donut hole with apple butter two almond slivers ( or you could use M&Ms) for eyes and cut small black licorice piece for legs . There you have it a “Apple Cider Spider Donut Treat!? They all loved it!
Hi Christine! Making these tonight. Can I make them tonight, then dip them in the batter in the morning an hour or so before I serve them(lugging them to work with me about2 dozen)
These are amaaaaazing! I subbed out the honey with pure maple syrup and it came out divine! I also added a shot of rumchata to the dipping juice for a little extra somethin’! Brilliant recipe, perfect texture and consistency-Thank You!
Hi Christine! So sorry for the long delay! I think I’ve only made a double batch at a time, but I can imagine it would work to size up. One thing to note, the dough is dense and can dry out quickly. Either cover it or place it immediately in a piping bag (or freezer ziploc bag) to keep it from drying out too much. Let me know how it goes!
I had a little trouble knowing when they were done. Took about 12 min for the first batch (which was still a little uncooked?) and 10 for the second. I browned the butter for the batter and liked that additional depth of flavor. They didn’t match my fall childhood memories but they are a keeper! Thanks!
I’m wondering if the donuts would freeze. Then, reheat and then dunk. I have arthritis in my neck and back and I’m always looking for recipes that make it look like I slaved all day! plus, I never know when my family will actually show up for Christmas brunch.
OMG faux Martha, these are awesome, so soft and melt in your mouth and cider flavor is definitely there. They are quick and will be using this again and again. Want to adapt it for Christmas. Thank you
In all my donut making, I’ve never made them without the wheat. You most definitely can, but you might need to add an extra tablespoon of flour to get the consistency thick enough. The wheat flour absorbs quite a bit!
My 10 year old and I just made these— YUM! Do you think doubling the recipe would be ok, or would that add to some overmixing and tough donuts. There are 6 of us, (although the baby doesn’t eat donuts yet) so we just had enough for us, but In case we have friends over (or we all want seconds) we would need to make more.
So glad you liked them! We made them last week too. Still a favorite! You can definitely double the recipe. I do this often. Because of the pastry bag I use, I typically have to fill it twice. Also, I found it’s best to wash the baking pan in between batches.
Sadly, the batter will dry out. You can actually make the donuts the night before and leave them out on the counter overnight. The dunk in the sugar/cider mixture will keep them moist!
Made these last night and they are DELICIOUS!!! There is a local apple orchard that features a fried apple cider donut and this recipe has them beat. Thanks!!
I made these this morning and they turned out amazing! I used half all-purpose flour and half white lily self-rising flour because it’s what I had on hand. Light, fluffy and the perfect amount of apple cider flavor. Thank you for this recipe!
I would substitute and not omit. I’m not familiar with egg replacements so I can’t properly advise. I think someone has written on another donut recipe that they did a flax egg but I’m not sure how much. Hope this helps!
Oh My!!! I just made these about an hour ago and let me just say that they are delish!!! I went apple picking at an orchard recently and I ate their apple cider donuts. I was immediately hooked and since I don’t live nearby, I had to find a recipe. I found a fried version but today I didn’t feel like frying so I searched for a baked version. After checking the comments for likes I made these. Very quick to put together and to bake. The taste was just like I was back at the orchard! Forget the fried recipe I found. This is a keeper and on my frequent fall baking rotation! Thanks!
These donuts were the bomb. Light, flavorful, just enough spice. I had leftover dunking butter/cider, so next time I would halve that. This recipe made exactly six regular size donuts in my donut pan. So easy to make. I dispensed with the piping (less cleanup) and used a teaspoon to put the batter into my pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula I used to mix the batter. Next time I may try maple syrup instead of honey to get that “apple pie” flavor, and maybe a few chunks of apple that were cooked a bit? The possibilities are endless 🙂 YUM!
These look delicious, I have a question though. I am allergic to honey, what could I use as a substitute for it? For the person asking about would they still be good the next day… Day old bread & pastry / doughnuts can be warmed in the microwave wrapped I n a paper towel or napkin for 8 seconds & they taste like they were just made, but don’t let them sit too long. Thanks!
I saw these on Buzzfeed and tried them – delicious! Here’s my question: I want to make them (and maybe some of your other recipes) as dessert for Thanksgiving. If I made them the night before, would they still be good for the following evening?
Hey Maggie! I haven’t tried a whole day later before. We’ve made these the night before, stored uncovered, and served the next morning. They’re great that way! I’m not sure what a whole day would do. It may start to dry out. If I make these between now and then, I’ll leave out a donut for 24 hours and see how they do.
Made these today, but substituted a gluten free all purpose flour… AMAZING!!! They are so so good! Just the right amount of flavor, and perfect donut texture! Thank you!!! 🙂
These were simple to make and delicious! I did run out of cinnamon sugar for dunking. Perhaps I had an overly heavy dunking hand? Anyway, it was quickly remedied. Thanks for a tasty fall breakfast! Oh- and I used all white whole wheat flour with great results.
Melissa, I just made these and they’re amazing! I love cider doughnuts, as in, they’re one of my favorite things in the world. I’ve made baked doughnuts before and have been disappointed, but these were perfect in every way! The instructions about not over-mixing, using the piping bag, and the exact measurements. My husband gave me that look he gives when he’s amazed that I was able to recreate a classic. Thank you!! Great post and gorgeous photos.
Tried it out and they were delicious! I didn’t have a doughnut or doughnut hole pan, so I filled greased muffin tins about 1/3 full – still perfect! A few tips: I used a pastry brush to sweep the butter/cider mixture on them, so they wouldn’t soak in too much. I also added 1/4 tsp salt to the cinnamon sugar topping, which was a nice added flavor.
I made these today and loved them!! Not sure I love all the sugar I needed to add though. I may try making them when I have more time so I can reduce the apple cider and see if then they have enough flavor that I can skip the topping. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
I have what may be a stupid question (forgive me in advance), but since this yields more of a batter than a dough, there would be no way to make these without a donut pan? Just wondering 🙂 They look great!
Hey Ade, not stupid at all. Without some sort of pan with a contained shape, I’m afraid you’ll have a runny mess. I’ve made “donut holes” in a mini muffin pan before until I bought all the donut pans I could buy 🙂 It worked great. I’m not sure how it would work in a regular muffin tin though since it will be so thick/dense. The edges may cook too fast.
Hi Melissa – I tried those donuts. The taste and texture of them is brilliant- what i found very strong in smell and taste was the vinegar. I will definitely bake them again minus the vinegar.
Hey Lara! Thanks for the feedback. Out of curiosity, what type of vinegar did you use? I wonder if that has an effect. I’d love to hear how the vinegar-less donuts turn out too!
MELISSA- Are we to use apple cider vinegar? I don’t bake much, but I was assuming we would use apple cider-the drinkable kind! Please clarify which to use. Can’t wait to try this recipe- my mouth is watering
Hi Leigh! I typically grab apple cider but any will do! Its main purpose is to curdle the milk. You could use buttermilk, but I’ve found that some buttermilks are thicker than others, so it produced different results every time which drove me a little batty. Let me know if any other questions come up!
Which question – these don’t call for vinegar or milk or buttermilk right??? I’ve just been reading through the comments and am a bit confused because I don’t see those ingredients listed above. Thanks! 🍩 🍎❤️
Gorgeous. I don’t know if I’ve ever had baked donuts, but am intrigued about making them at home. Also, oh yeah, it’s apple cider season! CA is on its own timeline with autumn, so thank you for the reminder!!
if the fast multitaskers survive, then i’ll be just fine… especially if i can have these perfect donuts, sugar-coating and all. i’ll need to convert them to a gluten-free version ASAP.
These were delicious!! I never know what to do with a gallon of apple cider, so this was a great excuse to use some of it up. My only question is: mine didn’t seem to rise as much as yours, and the only difference was that I used half white whole wheat flour and half bread flour (I didn’t have any other AP flour). Was that the cause?
I am a legit science person and I say survival of the fastest is DEFINITELY a thing! As in how fast can I get these in my belly? And how fast can I eat an entire batch once they’re made? That’s my kind of survival.
mmmm … i hear ya about the 25 minutes thing. nothing like a little person tugging on your shirt to make you speed up in the kitchen! love the sound of these! anything with a sugar cinnamon coating is A-1 PLUS over here!!! (though i am a glaze-drinker, so i would’ve loved that too!) xo
I’ve been really wanting to make apple cider donuts, but haven’t found any recipes that have really called to me. Until now!! This is exactly the kind of donut I’ve been looking for! Can’t wait to make these over the weekend 🙂
Love your solution to avoid reducing the cider. I’ve held out for a long time on buying a donut pan, but I think I am finally going to go out and buy one this weekend so that I can make these! Beautiful.
This counts as diet food…compared to fried. Kinda 🙂 Did you ever read Bringing up Bebe? The french do that too. I’ve started it with Hal as well. Hope you are doing well!
Hi Melissa,
Right when i was looking for something new and healthy and easy snack i found this!!!
The recipe sounds really easy. Have been putting off buying a doughnut tray, will get one soon and try this.
Can we do it completely wholewheat flour? and any way to sneak in applesauce without compromising texture? Please let me know.
Every Saturday morning, I’ve been making one of your recipes, and these just came out of the oven a few minutes ago.
I had to modify for gluten-free for Celiac and used ½ c cassava flour instead of the whole wheat flour and ½ c 1:1 flour (Bob’s Red Mill) for the AP flour. Turned out cakey and fluffy and oh so good! Paired perfectly with my morning latte 🙂 Yum!
So glad I found your recipe. Awesome, wonderful, and easy. Perfect texture!
I try to have apple cider reduction on hand throughout the fall. I did not have white whole wheat flour but had Quinoa flour and substituted. The donuts are great with an almost peanut aftertaste like an carnival apple.
I look forward to making your other baked donuts!
Whoa, quinoa flour?! That sounds like a delicious, nutty combo. I like your style!
I made them! They were awesome!! Do you have a calorie count for these? I’m tracking calories< so I had 1/2 a donut last night. Still dreaming about the other half!
Yay, I’m so glad you like them! I don’t add nutritional facts to my recipes but there’s so great tools online that you can plug recipes into. I’ve never tried it, but this looks like a great one.
Devilishly Delicious every time I bake these beautiful donuts! I adore a good Scrumpy recipe. I’ve coincidentally done this with Apple Kombucha.. albeit eliminating the health benefits but the flavour was equally delectable.
Just made these – thank you for great recipe! They worked great and have a good texture. I love the crunchy sugar topping. One question though – I made them all up with the topping yesterday and after a few were eaten, stored the rest for the next day. I started thinking about the apple cider in the butter topping that is not cooked and wondered if they were safe to eat since they are not refrigerated, (technically apple cider should be kept in fridge)… Hope this makes sense. Would the topping be best applied just before eating?
No need to worry about leaving them out at room temp. They’ll go stale before they go bad.
Can I use apple cider vinegar
Yep!
Thanks!!!!
Great and easy to follow. My boys loved them. At 45 years old I finally learned how to make cider donuts!
Thank you!!!
Mark
Thank YOU for writing. This made my week! So glad you guys enjoyed them!
I loooove apple cider donuts and have been looking for a bake-recipe! I want to try these SO badly but only have APF and whole wheat flour at home 🙁 Can I replace the white whole wheat flour 1:1 with the regular whole wheat flour? Or would you recommend I just use APF for the entire recipe?
I would do less whole wheat flour to all purpose just because it’s so dense!
Hi Melissa: I’ve just found your recipe and am wondering whether I can substitute GF flour for the regular flour. I am GF limited, but LOVE the sound of your recipe. Thank you!
Hi Nancy! I’m not experienced with gluten free flours, but my friend Dolly and Oatmeal just made a GF version of these! Hope this helps!
I made theses for Holloween Dinner for my client and her family. I’m a home care CNA. My client is 101 years old!
I floured a donut cookie cutter and on parchment paper
Cut the dough by placing medium spoonful scooped on to paper that was placeded on a tin cookie sheet also baked the donut holes along
Sides. After baking did the apple cider dip and powder sugar& cinnamon. Then popped the donut hole on top in middle covered donut hole with apple butter two almond slivers ( or you could use M&Ms) for eyes and cut small black licorice piece for legs .
There you have it a “Apple Cider Spider Donut Treat!?
They all loved it!
This is one of the best comments ever. I’m pocketing it forever. ❤️
Hi Christine! Making these tonight. Can I make them tonight, then dip them in the batter in the morning an hour or so before I serve them(lugging them to work with me about2 dozen)
These are amaaaaazing! I subbed out the honey with pure maple syrup and it came out divine! I also added a shot of rumchata to the dipping juice for a little extra somethin’! Brilliant recipe, perfect texture and consistency-Thank You!
Can this recipe be made in a large batch? Like maybe x4? Thank you!
Hi Christine! So sorry for the long delay! I think I’ve only made a double batch at a time, but I can imagine it would work to size up. One thing to note, the dough is dense and can dry out quickly. Either cover it or place it immediately in a piping bag (or freezer ziploc bag) to keep it from drying out too much. Let me know how it goes!
I had a little trouble knowing when they were done. Took about 12 min for the first batch (which was still a little uncooked?) and 10 for the second. I browned the butter for the batter and liked that additional depth of flavor. They didn’t match my fall childhood memories but they are a keeper! Thanks!
I’m wondering if the donuts would freeze. Then, reheat and then dunk. I have arthritis in my neck and back and I’m always looking for recipes that make it look like I slaved all day! plus, I never know when my family will actually show up for Christmas brunch.
I’m a little late here. I apologize! I’ve never tried freezing them so I can’t speak confidently to this. Let me know if you try it out!
OMG faux Martha, these are awesome, so soft and melt in your mouth and cider flavor is definitely there. They are quick and will be using this again and again. Want to adapt it for Christmas. Thank you
These look delicious, I can’t wait to try them. Can the recipe made with only All Purpose flour, instead of some whole wheat flour?
In all my donut making, I’ve never made them without the wheat. You most definitely can, but you might need to add an extra tablespoon of flour to get the consistency thick enough. The wheat flour absorbs quite a bit!
My 10 year old and I just made these— YUM! Do you think doubling the recipe would be ok, or would that add to some overmixing and tough donuts. There are 6 of us, (although the baby doesn’t eat donuts yet) so we just had enough for us, but In case we have friends over (or we all want seconds) we would need to make more.
So glad you liked them! We made them last week too. Still a favorite! You can definitely double the recipe. I do this often. Because of the pastry bag I use, I typically have to fill it twice. Also, I found it’s best to wash the baking pan in between batches.
Made them twice, very easy and loved by all. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
If I made the batter the night before could I bake the next morning? would that work? Or would the batter dry out? Thanks!
Sadly, the batter will dry out. You can actually make the donuts the night before and leave them out on the counter overnight. The dunk in the sugar/cider mixture will keep them moist!
Made these last night and they are DELICIOUS!!! There is a local apple orchard that features a fried apple cider donut and this recipe has them beat. Thanks!!
I made these this morning and they turned out amazing! I used half all-purpose flour and half white lily self-rising flour because it’s what I had on hand. Light, fluffy and the perfect amount of apple cider flavor. Thank you for this recipe!
Can I omit the egg or what can I substitute the egg with? My daughter has an egg allergy. Thanks!
I would substitute and not omit. I’m not familiar with egg replacements so I can’t properly advise. I think someone has written on another donut recipe that they did a flax egg but I’m not sure how much. Hope this helps!
applesauce replaces egg!
Oh My!!! I just made these about an hour ago and let me just say that they are delish!!! I went apple picking at an orchard recently and I ate their apple cider donuts. I was immediately hooked and since I don’t live nearby, I had to find a recipe. I found a fried version but today I didn’t feel like frying so I searched for a baked version. After checking the comments for likes I made these. Very quick to put together and to bake. The taste was just like I was back at the orchard! Forget the fried recipe I found. This is a keeper and on my frequent fall baking rotation! Thanks!
These donuts were the bomb. Light, flavorful, just enough spice. I had leftover dunking butter/cider, so next time I would halve that. This recipe made exactly six regular size donuts in my donut pan. So easy to make. I dispensed with the piping (less cleanup) and used a teaspoon to put the batter into my pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula I used to mix the batter. Next time I may try maple syrup instead of honey to get that “apple pie” flavor, and maybe a few chunks of apple that were cooked a bit? The possibilities are endless 🙂 YUM!
These look delicious, I have a question though. I am allergic to honey, what could I use as a substitute for it?
For the person asking about would they still be good the next day… Day old bread & pastry / doughnuts can be warmed in the microwave wrapped I n a paper towel or napkin for 8 seconds & they taste like they were just made, but don’t let them sit too long.
Thanks!
I’m not sure what an equal replacement would be without testing. Maybe maple syrup? Let me know if you try it. Love the reheat tip too!
You can sub out agave nectar for any honey in a recipe 🙂
Thanks!
I saw these on Buzzfeed and tried them – delicious! Here’s my question: I want to make them (and maybe some of your other recipes) as dessert for Thanksgiving. If I made them the night before, would they still be good for the following evening?
Hey Maggie! I haven’t tried a whole day later before. We’ve made these the night before, stored uncovered, and served the next morning. They’re great that way! I’m not sure what a whole day would do. It may start to dry out. If I make these between now and then, I’ll leave out a donut for 24 hours and see how they do.
Will the recipe work using a mini bundt cake pan instead of a donut pan?
If you only fill 1/4 of the way full it might work. I’ve never tested it so I can’t say for certain. Let me know if you end up going that route!
Made these today, but substituted a gluten free all purpose flour… AMAZING!!! They are so so good! Just the right amount of flavor, and perfect donut texture! Thank you!!! 🙂
These were simple to make and delicious! I did run out of cinnamon sugar for dunking. Perhaps I had an overly heavy dunking hand? Anyway, it was quickly remedied. Thanks for a tasty fall breakfast! Oh- and I used all white whole wheat flour with great results.
Melissa, I just made these and they’re amazing! I love cider doughnuts, as in, they’re one of my favorite things in the world. I’ve made baked doughnuts before and have been disappointed, but these were perfect in every way! The instructions about not over-mixing, using the piping bag, and the exact measurements. My husband gave me that look he gives when he’s amazed that I was able to recreate a classic. Thank you!! Great post and gorgeous photos.
Yessss! You made my year!
I replaced the wheat flour with almond meal because it was what I had and I needed donuts now–worked great! Yummy recipe.
Tried it out and they were delicious! I didn’t have a doughnut or doughnut hole pan, so I filled greased muffin tins about 1/3 full – still perfect! A few tips: I used a pastry brush to sweep the butter/cider mixture on them, so they wouldn’t soak in too much. I also added 1/4 tsp salt to the cinnamon sugar topping, which was a nice added flavor.
Extra salt. You are my kind! Thanks for reporting back. Hopefully this will help others baking in a muffin pan. xoxo
Is it possible to make these if you don’t own a donut pan?
You can make “donut holes” in a mini muffin pan. Check out this post for cooking times.
I made these today and loved them!! Not sure I love all the sugar I needed to add though. I may try making them when I have more time so I can reduce the apple cider and see if then they have enough flavor that I can skip the topping. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
I have made many baked donuts, but these are beyond delicious!!!! Seriously the best I’ve tasted…and the whole family agreed!
This note made my week!
I have what may be a stupid question (forgive me in advance), but since this yields more of a batter than a dough, there would be no way to make these without a donut pan? Just wondering 🙂 They look great!
Hey Ade, not stupid at all. Without some sort of pan with a contained shape, I’m afraid you’ll have a runny mess. I’ve made “donut holes” in a mini muffin pan before until I bought all the donut pans I could buy 🙂 It worked great. I’m not sure how it would work in a regular muffin tin though since it will be so thick/dense. The edges may cook too fast.
Hi Melissa – I tried those donuts. The taste and texture of them is brilliant- what i found very strong in smell and taste was the vinegar. I will definitely bake them again minus the vinegar.
Hey Lara! Thanks for the feedback. Out of curiosity, what type of vinegar did you use? I wonder if that has an effect. I’d love to hear how the vinegar-less donuts turn out too!
MELISSA-
Are we to use apple cider vinegar? I don’t bake much, but I was assuming we would use apple cider-the drinkable kind! Please clarify which to use. Can’t wait to try this recipe- my mouth is watering
Hi Leigh! I typically grab apple cider but any will do! Its main purpose is to curdle the milk. You could use buttermilk, but I’ve found that some buttermilks are thicker than others, so it produced different results every time which drove me a little batty. Let me know if any other questions come up!
Which question – these don’t call for vinegar or milk or buttermilk right??? I’ve just been reading through the comments and am a bit confused because I don’t see those ingredients listed above. Thanks! 🍩 🍎❤️
*Quick
Fall in a photo 🙂
Holy crap I’d give a kidney for one of these. Two.
Okay 10.
Gorgeous. I don’t know if I’ve ever had baked donuts, but am intrigued about making them at home. Also, oh yeah, it’s apple cider season! CA is on its own timeline with autumn, so thank you for the reminder!!
So in love with these donuts! Pinned 🙂
if the fast multitaskers survive, then i’ll be just fine… especially if i can have these perfect donuts, sugar-coating and all. i’ll need to convert them to a gluten-free version ASAP.
These were delicious!! I never know what to do with a gallon of apple cider, so this was a great excuse to use some of it up. My only question is: mine didn’t seem to rise as much as yours, and the only difference was that I used half white whole wheat flour and half bread flour (I didn’t have any other AP flour). Was that the cause?
I wonder if your BP was fresh enough. It can go bad if left in a too warm evironment for too long.
I am a legit science person and I say survival of the fastest is DEFINITELY a thing! As in how fast can I get these in my belly? And how fast can I eat an entire batch once they’re made? That’s my kind of survival.
These look and sound absolutely delicious!
mmmm … i hear ya about the 25 minutes thing. nothing like a little person tugging on your shirt to make you speed up in the kitchen! love the sound of these! anything with a sugar cinnamon coating is A-1 PLUS over here!!! (though i am a glaze-drinker, so i would’ve loved that too!) xo
Baked apple cider donuts for life! Seriously, these look amazing!
These look wonderful and I bet they taste amazing! I really need to buy a donut pan…
AAhh!!! Putting these are on my Fall to-do list!!! Will report back.
xo
Natalie
I’ve always wanted to try making baked doughnuts but never come across the right recipe– until now. These look perfect and I can’t wait to make them.
these sound heavenly, and a perfect way to ring in canadian thanksgiving!
i like your science, lady! these are absolutely perfect!
I’ve been really wanting to make apple cider donuts, but haven’t found any recipes that have really called to me. Until now!! This is exactly the kind of donut I’ve been looking for! Can’t wait to make these over the weekend 🙂
You’ll have to let me know what you think if you end up making them!
These are some pretty perfect looking donuts.
I need a donut pan STAT!
Three cheers for more donuts! And these look fabulous.
these are so, so gorgeous! i wouldn’t stone you for apple cider glaze!! in fact….i need to know more about it!!!! 😀
I was going to try a powdered sugar glaze with apple cider as the liquid. Though, I wonder if it would need to be reduced to yield the right flavor?
I’m all about survival of the fastest. 😉 These donuts look wonderful!
These are so gorgeous! It’s hard to believe they’re baked, they look fried!
I thought they looked fried too! Wondering if it’s the apple cider/butter dip they took.
These are just perfect, I’ll take a dozen : )
Thank Abby!
Love your solution to avoid reducing the cider. I’ve held out for a long time on buying a donut pan, but I think I am finally going to go out and buy one this weekend so that I can make these! Beautiful.
It’s so worth it. I’m a huge sucker for baked donuts, even more than fried. I think that makes me a weirdo.
Yum, why am I dieting now!?! Matthew wants food fast too so he gets a lot of fruit and cheese while I finish cooking our real dinner.
This counts as diet food…compared to fried. Kinda 🙂 Did you ever read Bringing up Bebe? The french do that too. I’ve started it with Hal as well. Hope you are doing well!
A big yes to these and to faster (Darwin) donuts!
Nom Nom Nom!!
These are beautiful, Melissa! Also, your apple cider butter bath is a thing of genius. Seriously 😉
Thanks Janice! It’s sometimes silly how much thought I put towards a donut, but this time it paid off 🙂