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Easy Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe: Best Cinnamon Sugar

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These easy baked apple cider donuts are soft, tender, and coated in cinnamon sugar. Made with reduced apple cider for intense flavor, they come together in about 30 minutes without any deep-frying or yeast.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (240 ml) apple cider (unfiltered is best)
  • 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk, room temperature (or ¼ cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (for coating)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon (for coating)
  • 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions

  1. Reduce the apple cider: Pour 1 cup apple cider into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ¼ cup. Set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a standard 6-cavity donut pan with non-stick spray or melted butter.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and cooled reduced cider.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined (a few lumps are fine). Do not overmix.
  6. Transfer batter to a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe batter evenly into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
  8. While donuts are still warm, mix ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in another small bowl. Brush each warm donut lightly with melted butter, then dip into cinnamon sugar mixture to coat all sides.

Notes

Don’t skip reducing the cider—it concentrates the apple flavor. Use room temperature ingredients for best texture. Do not overmix the batter. Coat donuts while still warm so the sugar sticks. For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk. For dairy-free, substitute butter with plant-based butter and use dairy-free milk with lemon juice for buttermilk.

Nutrition

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

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