Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Difficulty: Easy
One of the fondest memories I remember growing up was Apple Cider Donuts from our local orchard. It was always a special treat when my parents would bring home a bag full of them for my sister and me to enjoy. The ones from the orchard were deep-fried and dredged in cinnamon sugar, so the outside was crisp and sweet, yet the inside was fluffy and moist. Yummy!
Fall is notorious for everything apples, apple cider, applesauce, apple butter, and so much more. We will not even touch on pumpkin spice (that’s for another blog post). I am always looking for new recipes for Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread, and I ran across this recipe for Baked Apple Cider Donuts, which I adapted from littlespicejar.com. Even though most foods deep-fried are incredibly decadent, I prefer the baked version, and these melt-in-your-mouth donuts will not disappoint. The donuts were nicely crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, with the perfect cinnamon/sugar richness to round out your taste buds, just like I remember, sans all the calories.
So the next time you have a craving for the flavors of Fall, whip up these Baked Apple Cider Donuts for your family but grab some for yourself because they will disappear right before your eyes.
Comment below and let us know if you made this tasty recipe.
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Donut ingredients: (adapted from littlespicejar.com)
2 cups apple cider
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup half and half, mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar)
2 tablespoons Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cinnamon-sugar coating
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preparation
Begin by simmering the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until it reduces down to about 1/2 cup. Pour the apple cider into a small bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the donut batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray a donut pan (we used a silicone donut pan from Wappa) with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, and brown sugar, whisk until smooth. Then, add in the apple butter, vanilla, buttermilk, and concentrated apple cider.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
Either pour the batter by the spoonful (about 3/4s of the way full) into the prepared donut pans (We used Wappa silicone donut pans) or add batter to a large ziplock-type bag and snip off the end with a pair of kitchen scissors for a make-shift pastry bag. If you go this route, you will need to squeeze the batter into the donut pan. In either case, make sure to not overfill.
Bake donuts for 9-12 minutes or until done. Insert a toothpick into a donut and remove. The toothpick should come out clean.
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon together. Dip the tops of each donut into the melted butter then coat with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with all the donuts. For best results, donuts should be eaten the same day but they can be stored for up to 2 days if tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature.
Enjoy!
