The Best Apple Cider Baked Donuts

Apple cider baked donuts are so delicious and filled with some of my favorite flavors of fall in my favorite time of year.  They remind me of fond memories of our yearly trips with our family to the apple orchard on beautiful fall days with the sunshine warm on our shoulders and laughter filling the air. It was so much fun for the whole family.  The memories of bringing home our delicious apples to make canned apples, apple cider, and these baked apple cider donuts. I just love that apple flavor and all of those fall flavors on these homemade donuts.

What You Will Need For Homemade Apple Cider Baked Donuts

• Large bowl 
• Small bowl
• Whisk
• or stand mixer
• doughnut pans
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Metal Cooling rack
• Small saucepan
• Airtight container
• Large Pastry Bag
• Large round tip
• Oven Mitts

Apple Cider Baked Donuts Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups of fresh apple cider or apple juice 
• 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (bromide-free flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground apple pie spice
•  teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan Pink salt
• 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raw sugar or granulated sugar of your choice
• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract or make our homemade vanilla extract for the next time
• Oil for greasing your pan

Topping For Apple Cider Baked Donuts

• 1 cup raw sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted

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Directions For Homemade Apple Cider Donuts

• First you will need to make the apple cider reduction.   This means that you will need a small sauce pan and simmer it on low heat until the water cooks off of the cider reducing the amount down to only 1/2 of a cup remaining.  This will really give you a concentrated apple cider flavor to your donuts.  As you cook down your cider you will want to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not boil away or cook down too much.  Make sure that you are cooking on low.  It will take 15 to 20 minutes to get down to the 1/2 cup needed.
• Turn off the heat on the stove and move the your reduced cider pan to a cold part of the stove and let it sit for about ten minutes to cool. 
• While it is cooling Turn the oven on to 350°F to preheat for baking your donuts.
• Grease donut pan with oil.
• In a smaller mixing bowl or the bowl to your stand mixer measure out the dry ingredients ( flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt.)
• Mix them together until combined and set aside.
• In a small saucepan place the butter and melt in gently.
• When it is done pour it into a smaller mixing bowl to your stand mixer.   
• Add the raw sugar and brown sugar, the milk, vanilla and egg.
• Mix
• A little bit at a time, begin to put add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. 
• Add the reduced apple cider to the batter and mix until it is all well combined and there are no lumps.
• This donut batter is a nice thick one so if it is thick don’t worry. 
• Place your donut pan on a baking sheet on the counter.
• Using a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, put the batter into the openings in the donut pan.  
• You want to fill each donut opening half full to allow for the rising of the dough as it bakes.
• Bake your donuts for 10-11 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
• To test, poke a toothpick into the top of the donut. If the toothpick comes out clean they are done.  
• Pull them out of the oven and allow to sit and cool for a couple of minutes in the pan.
• Grab your wire wire rack and place it on the counter.  Remove the donuts from the pan and place them on the rack to cool.  
• Grease each opening in the donut pan again and squeeze more batter into each hole until they are all half full.  
• For the topping for the donuts:
• Measure the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. 
• Take the slightly cooled donut and dip them front and back in melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  
• For best results, serve hot. Don’t get me wrong, they will still be good later, but there is nothing like warm donuts!  
• Store any that are left in a sealed air-tight container.

These are just the best apple cider donuts!  Serve with cups of apple cider, or even a delicious spicy tea to warm your belly.  These would also be delicious with a maple glaze on top instead of the sugar coating too.  We like them better than fried donuts!

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Apple Cider Baked Donuts

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Delicious and tender apple cider baked donuts cook to a golden brown and dipped in sugar seasoned with cinnamon, and apple pie spice.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of fresh apple cider or apple juice 
• 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (bromide-free flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground apple pie spice
•  teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan Pink salt
• 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raw sugar or granulated sugar of your choice
• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract or make our homemade vanilla extract for the next time
• Oil for greasing your pan
• Topping for donuts
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Directions For Homemade Apple Cider Donuts
First you will need to make the apple cider reduction.   This means that you will need a small sauce pan and simmer it on low heat until the water cooks off of the cider reducing the amount down to only 1/2 of a cup remaining.  This will really give you a concentrated apple cider flavor to your donuts.  As you cook down your cider you will want to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not boil away or cook down too much.  Make sure that you are cooking on low.  It will take 15 to 20 minutes to get down to the 1/2 cup needed.
Turn off the heat on the stove and move the your reduced cider pan to a cold part of the stove and let it sit for about ten minutes to cool. 
While it is cooling Turn the oven on to 350°F to preheat for baking your donuts.
Grease donut pan with oil.
In a smaller mixing bowl or the bowl to your stand mixer measure out the dry ingredients ( flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt.)
Mix them together until combined and set aside.
In a small saucepan place the butter and melt in gently.
When it is done pour it into a smaller mixing bowl to your stand mixer.   
Add the raw sugar and brown sugar, the milk, vanilla and egg.
Mix
A little bit at a time, begin to put add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. 
Add the reduced apple cider to the batter and mix until it is all well combined and there are no lumps.
This donut batter is a nice thick one so if it is thick don't worry. 
Place your donut pan on a baking sheet on the counter.
Using a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, put the batter into the openings in the donut pan.  
You want to fill each donut opening half full to allow for the rising of the dough as it bakes.
Bake your donuts for 10-11 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
To test, poke a toothpick into the top of the donut. If the toothpick comes out clean they are done.  
Pull them out of the oven and allow to sit and cool for a couple of minutes in the pan.
Grab your wire wire rack and place it on the counter.  Remove the donuts from the pan and place them on the rack to cool.  
Grease each opening in the donut pan again and squeeze more batter into each hole until they are all half full.  
For the topping for the donuts:
Measure the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. 
Take the slightly cooled donut and dip them front and back in melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  
For best results, serve hot. Don't get me wrong, they will still be good later, but there is nothing like warm donuts!  
Store any that are left in a sealed air-tight container.

Now that you’ve made your apple cider baked donuts, check out these other recipes

• The Best Homemade Beignet Recipe
• The #1 Best Homemade Apple Fritters Recipe
• Homemade Apple Turnover Recipe
• Organic Blackberry Turnovers
• Delicious Galette

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