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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Baked apple cider donuts with a deep, concentrated apple flavor from reduced cider, baked until tender and springy. Brushed with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar for a crisp, cinnamon-sweet finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.25 tsp salt
cider and sweeteners
  • 1 cup apple cider Reduced to 1/2 cup.
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Packed.
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
wet ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup unsalted butter Melted.
  • 0.33 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar coating
  • 4 tbsp melted butter For brushing warm donuts.
  • 0.33 cup sugar For rolling/coating.
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 donut pan

Method
 

Reduce the cider
  1. Bring the apple cider to a simmer over medium heat and reduce until you have 1/2 cup total, then cool completely.
Prep the oven and dry mix
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a donut pan.
  2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients and batter
  1. Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, melted unsalted butter, sour cream, reduced apple cider, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  2. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, then spoon or pipe the batter into the greased donut pan.
Bake and coat
  1. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Brush the warm donuts with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.

Notes

Pro tip: fully cool the reduced apple cider before mixing so the batter stays thick and the donuts bake evenly. Store baked donuts in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; rewarm briefly in the oven or microwave before serving. Freezing is yes—freeze cooled donuts up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lower-fat option, use low-fat sour cream and reduce the melted butter used for the coating by half.