Bakes Apple Cider Donuts


 

 

Ingredients
For the Baked Apple Cider Donuts:
  • 1 cup apple cider (see instructions below)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons yogurt (I used whole milk yogurt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Pinch cloves
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Remaining reduced cider (see instructions below), about 2 tbsp
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
For the Baked Apple Cider Donuts:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6-cup donut pans (or one, you'll just have to re-use it for the last couple donuts).
  2. In a small saucepan, heat the apple cider over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a simmer.  Continue to simmer, stirring every minute or two, until it is reduced by about half, around 10 minutes.  Take off the heat, whisk in the butter until it is melted and combined, and set mixture aside for a few minutes to cool.  It will be a little syrupy in texture.  You need 1/2 cup of this reduced cider for the donuts, and a couple tablespoons for the glaze.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the reduced cider/butter mixture, sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla until well-combined. 

  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients - flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

  5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir to combine with a large spoon or spatula. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, with no big patches of flour. Do not over mix - if you do, the donuts will be tough, and no one wants that.
  6. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities, or pipe them in by filling a gallon-sized bag with the batter, then snipping off a corner for a makeshift pastry bag. Fill each cavity about 2/3 of the way full, or else your donuts won't have holes in the middle! The recipe yields 8 donuts, so if you only have one donut pan, you'll have to bake the first 6 and then the other 2 afterwards.
  7. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until risen and browned on the edges (mine were done at 10). Set aside to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack set over parchment paper or a baking sheet. Bake the remaining two donuts now if you only have one pan.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
  1. While the donuts are baking, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the reduced cider with 3 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl (big enough to dip the donuts in).  Whisk together sugar and cinnamon in another similar sized bowl.

  2. One by one, dip one side of the warm donuts (you should be able to handle them easily) into the butter/cider mixture, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Make sure to coat the donuts with as much cinnamon sugar as desired!