Baked Apple Cider Donuts

If you’re anything like me, fall is your favorite season. I love fall so much that I’ll pretend it’s chilly outside just so I can wear a sweater and some boots, even if it’s 77 degrees. My porch is stacked with pumpkins and I’m ready to start baking all things fall, including apple cider donuts. Yes, that’s right, I baked donuts. And they’re delicious. 

Here’s how to make them:

Step 1: Gather your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Ingredients include: 

1 ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour

1 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

¾ Teaspoon Salt

½ Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Cup of Butter (Room Temperature)

¾ Cup Soft Brown Sugar

¾ Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs (Room Temperature)

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

½ Cup Apple Cider

If you don’t have apple cider, apple juice will also work.

Step 2: Measure out and whisk all your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg) together in a bowl, then set them aside.

Step 3: In a Kitchen Aid or mixing bowl, cream 10 Tablespoons of the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ Cup of the granulated sugar together. I let mine go for about four minutes until it was super soft. Keep the rest of your butter and granulated sugar for later. You’ll need it.

Step 4: Add your eggs, one at a time, making sure one incorporates before adding the other one. I had to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. Once your eggs are nice and mixed in, add the vanilla and mix a little longer.

Step 5: With your mixer (or beaters) on a lower speed, slowly pour in the apple cider. Pro tip: Make sure you pour it in slowly, if you do it too quickly it just sort of sloshes around instead of mixing; nobody wants a sloshy apple cider!

Step 6: Now it’s time to incorporate your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Add them slowly and mix them gently until you have a nice batter. Top Secretly, this batter smelled so delicious, I wanted to scrape the sides of the bowl and lick the spatula, but I controlled myself. I guess that’s not much of a secret now.

Step 7: Not everyone has special donut baking tins (I just barely ordered mine), but if you do have some, grease them with butter. You’ll need two tins (six donuts each) with a total of 12 donuts. If you don’t have special donut tins, you donut (see what I did there) need to worry. Just use a muffin pan. Apple cider muffins will taste just as delicious as baked apple cider donuts.

Step 8: I used a piping bag to fill my donut tins, then smoothed the batter over to make them more even before baking the donuts; there’s definitely less mess this way. Once your tins are about ⅔ full, bake your donuts (or muffins) for about 15 minutes. To make sure they’re fully baked, just poke one with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean. Also, they’ll be a golden pale color and spring back a bit when you touch them.

Step 9: While your donuts are baking, mix together that leftover ¼ Cup of granulated sugar with a Teaspoon of cinnamon and melt the leftover butter. Take your donuts out of the oven and let them cool a few minutes before turning them out.

Step 10: Brush your donuts with the melted butter, then generously dredge them in your sweet cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Step 11: Brew some coffee or pour a glass of milk and enjoy your yummy, fall donuts.