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Best Easy Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar

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These baked apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar coating are quick, easy, and packed with concentrated apple flavor. They’re baked, not fried, and feature a crackly cinnamon sugar crust that makes them irresistible.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup apple cider (unfiltered, refrigerated kind works best for flavor)
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus a little extra if the batter seems too wet)
  • ¼ cup whole wheat flour (adds structure and a hint of nuttiness)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have it)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (or make your own with milk + ½ tablespoon lemon juice)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (for coating)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar (for coating)
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (for coating)

Instructions

  1. Reduce the apple cider. Pour the apple cider into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to about ¼ cup. This takes about 12-15 minutes. You’re looking for a syrupy consistency—it should coat the back of a spoon. Set it aside to cool while you prep the rest.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your donut pan generously with baking spray. Don’t skimp here—trust me.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Make sure everything is evenly distributed. I like to use my fingers to break up any brown sugar lumps.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and the cooled reduced apple cider. It should look smooth and slightly thick.
  5. Combine wet and dry. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. A few lumps are totally fine. Overmixing will make the donuts tough, so stop as soon as you don’t see any more dry flour. The batter will be thick—almost like a muffin batter.
  6. Fill the donut pan. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling them about ¾ full. Don’t overfill, or the donuts will lose their hole. If you don’t have a bag, you can spoon the batter in—just be careful not to make a mess.
  7. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the donuts are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Mine are usually perfect at 11 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
  8. Make the coating. While the donuts are cooling, melt the butter for the coating in a small bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
  9. Coat the donuts. While the donuts are still warm (but not hot enough to burn your fingers), use a pastry brush to coat each one with melted butter on all sides. Immediately roll the buttered donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Place it back on the cooling rack.
  10. Repeat. Work through all the donuts one at a time. The butter helps the sugar stick, so don’t skip that step. If the donuts cool completely before you coat them, the butter won’t soak in as well and the sugar won’t stick as nicely.

Notes

Don’t overmix the batter. Use room temperature ingredients. Grease the pan thoroughly. Work quickly with the coating while donuts are warm. Double the batch if needed. For best results, coat donuts right before serving if making ahead.

Nutrition

Keywords: baked apple cider donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts, easy donut recipe, fall donuts, baked donuts, apple cider donuts

Find it online: https://twinkletaste.com/best-easy-baked-apple-cider-donuts-recipe-with-cinnamon-sugar/