Apple cider donuts are one of those fall things I look forward to every single year. The kind you get at an apple orchard on a crisp October morning, still warm, rolled in cinnamon sugar, eaten standing outside before you even make it back to the car. That specific experience is one of my favorite parts of the season and this baked version captures every single bit of that magic at home without a deep fryer in sight. Twenty minutes, one donut pan, and you have the most perfect fall morning treat waiting for you.
The reduced apple cider is the step that makes these taste so authentically like the real thing. You take a cup of apple cider and simmer it down to half a cup on the stove before it goes in the batter. This concentrates all that crisp, tangy apple flavor and removes the excess moisture at the same time so your donuts bake up tender and perfectly spiced instead of dense and heavy. It takes about ten minutes and it is the step that makes the difference between a donut that tastes like apples and a donut that tastes like an apple orchard. Worth every minute.
The cinnamon sugar coating is the moment these go from a really good baked donut to something that tastes completely authentic. Dip each cooled donut in melted butter and roll it immediately in the cinnamon sugar mixture so every inch gets completely coated. That buttery, crispy, caramelized cinnamon sugar shell is what an apple cider donut is all about and it comes together in about thirty seconds per donut. Do not skip this step and do not be shy with the coating. More is more here.
Eat them warm, eat them at room temperature, eat them with a mug of hot apple cider or a strong cup of coffee. These apple cider donuts are the fall recipe that makes any weekend morning feel like a little celebration and any weekday morning feel like it is worth getting out of bed for. Make a batch this weekend and watch them disappear before they even cool completely.
Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp melted butter or neutral oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 3 Tbs melted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, reduce apple cider by half (1/2 cup) Add nutmeg.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease donut pan.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Stir together until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Pipe or spoon batter into each cavity of the donut pan about â…” full.
- Bake 9–11 minutes until golden and springy.
- Cool completely before coating.
- Combine sugar and cinnamon on a small plate.
- Dip each donut in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
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