Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Baked apple cider donuts are fun and easy to make. And they simply smell and taste like the fall of our childhood.

Saturday was Mister Man’s birthday, and we’re lucky that his school still allows us to send in birthday treats. And homemade treats at that. This year, he requested that I make apple cider donuts.

Apparently when I made them a couple weeks ago, they were a huge hit. I’ve made fried apple cider donuts before – and the last time I made donuts, I wasn’t up for the time and fuss of frying. So I decided to bake them instead. Best decision ever.

I have mini donut pans, which worked great, but I also used mini muffin pans to make donut “holes” because this makes something in the neighborhood of 80 little donuts. If you don’t have the mini donut pans, the muffin pans worked great.

Needless to say, this now 11 year old boy was thrilled with his birthday treat. And I’m glad it worked out as well as his Minecraft Cake Squares from last year.

I can only imagine what next year will bring, although he’ll be in sixth grade then so no more treats go into school. I’m sort of sad about that. And that fact that Mister Man doesn’t look 11 years old. He looks way older to me.

Best way to add batter to the donut pans

I got smart this time around when I was putting the batter into the pans. The first time, I used a spoon and tried to be really careful about not putting too much in, not getting batter onto the wrong part of the pan, etc.

It was time consuming. And a little messy, too.

A much better idea? Once the batter is mixed, place it in a large zip top bag and seal the bag. Cut off a tiny corner – smaller than you would think – and pipe the batter into the pans. That worked so much better, and I had so much more control of how much batter I used and where it went.

Can I make dairy free donuts?

And yes, you absolutely can make these dairy free.

In place of the butter, use the same amount of coconut oil. For the buttermilk, I use my old trick of mayonnaise. It has the perfect tang and texture.

Fill a measuring cup to over 1/3 cup but not much beyond. Add mayonnaise until it reaches 1/2 cup in total, then whisk to combine.

With those two easy substitutions, you have a perfect dairy free donut!

How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts

In a small saucepan, bring your apple cider to a boil. You want to reduce the cider to about 1/2 cup, which will take 15 to 20 minutes, while you’re working on other parts of the recipe.

Just let it boil by itself.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease mini donut pans and/or mini muffin tins to accommodate approximately 80 small donuts and donut holes.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugars. Whisk together to ensure they’re fluffy and not compacted.

This will help prevent some lumps later, although lumps will disappear during baking and not be an issue.

Prep your cinnamon sugar for rolling in another bowl and set aside until after the donuts are made.

Melt your butter and place it in another bowl with your egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Whisk well until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Check on your apple cider. If it has reduced to less than 1/2 cup, go ahead and add additional cider until it reaches 1/2 cup total.

The idea is to concentrate the flavor, so if you have reduced it to less than a half cup, that’s fine. The more apple cider flavor, the better! Add it to your wet ingredients and whisk again.

Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and gently whisk just until combined. You will have some lumps remaining, but that is fine.

You do not want to overmix this, or your donuts will become tough.

Set your plastic zip top bag into a small bowl for stability and roll the top outside the edge of the bowl to give you a wide opening. Pour the batter into the plastic bag then seal the plastic bag.

Cut off a smaller hole than you think you’ll need.

Pipe the batter into each donut spot in the pans and/or muffins. You want to fill them about 2/3 full for the donut pans and a little less for the mini muffin pans.

If you have any spillage outside the donut cavity, carefully clean it before baking.

Bake your donuts in your 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown and springy to the touch.

Let cool for just a few minutes, then begin to pull them out. I find that using a thin tool like a fondue fork to carefully loosen them then pop them out works the best.

As you remove each donut hole or mini donut, immediately roll it in your cinnamon sugar, then set onto a plate. The cinnamon sugar will stick to all the sides that were touching the pan, which means the tops won’t be covered in sugar, but they simply become the bottom and don’t need the extra sugar.

Serve immediately. If not serving immediately, store on your counter in an airtight container for up to two days though they are most definitely best eaten the day they are made.

Save this baked apple cider donuts recipe to make again!

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

An easy donut recipe that uses mini muffin pans to make holes. Healthier than frying donuts and much less messy too, these little bombs of apple goodness are as fun to make as they are to eat!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 80 mini donuts

Calories: 32kcal

Author: Michelle

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Ingredients

For the donuts:

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the cinnamon sugar topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring your apple cider to a boil. You want to reduce the cider to about 1/2 cup, which will take 15 to 20 minutes, while you're working on other parts of the recipe. Just let it boil by itself.
  1 1/2 cups apple cider
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease mini donut pans and/or mini muffin tins to accommodate approximately 80 small donuts and donut holes.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugars. Whisk together to ensure they're fluffy and not compacted. This will help prevent some lumps later, although lumps will disappear during baking and not be an issue.
  2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Prep your cinnamon sugar for rolling in another bowl and set aside until after the donuts are made.
• Melt your butter and place it in another bowl with your egg, buttermilk, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated.
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• Check on your apple cider. If it has reduced to less than 1/2 cup, go ahead and add additional cider until it reaches 1/2 cup total. The idea is to concentrate the flavor, so if you have reduced it to less than a half cup, that's fine. The more apple cider flavor, the better! Add it to your wet ingredients and whisk again.
• Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and gently whisk just until combined. You will have some lumps remaining, but that is fine. You do not want to overmix this, or your donuts will become tough.
• Set your plastic zip top bag into a small bowl for stability and roll the top outside the edge of the bowl to give you a wide opening. Pour the batter into the plastic bag then seal the plastic bag. Cut off a smaller hole than you think you'll need.
• Pipe the batter into each donut spot in the pans and/or muffins. You want to fill them about 2/3 full for the donut pans and a little less for the mini muffin pans. If you have any spillage outside the donut cavity, carefully clean it before baking.
• Bake your donuts in your 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown and springy to the touch.
• Let cool for just a few minutes, then begin to pull them out. I find that using a thin tool like a fondue fork to carefully loosen them then pop them out works the best. As you remove each donut hole or mini donut, immediately roll it in your cinnamon sugar, then set onto a plate. The cinnamon sugar will stick to all the sides that were touching the pan, which means the tops won't be covered in sugar, but they simply become the bottom and don't need the extra sugar.
• Serve immediately. If not serving immediately, store on your counter in an airtight container for up to two days though they are most definitely best eaten the day they are made.

Equipment

Nonstick Mini Donut Pan

Reusable Pastry Bags

Mini Muffin Tin

Notes

• You can make this recipe dairy-free. In place of the butter, use the same amount of coconut oil. For the buttermilk, I use my old trick of mayonnaise. It has the perfect tang and texture. Fill a measuring cup to over 1/3 cup but not much beyond. Add mayonnaise until it reaches 1/2 cup in total, then whisk to combine.
• For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1mini donut | Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 51mg | Sugar: 4g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

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