Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

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Delicious donut holes that are loaded with the flavors of apple cider and rolled around in cinnamon sugar. Use this recipe to make donut holes or donuts, either way, they’re super-moist and soft little pillows. They’re baked, not fried, which makes them totally waistline friendly!

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (1)Donutholes, donut holes for everyone!

All my shouting is totally 100% necessary. When there’s apple cider in my donut holes, I’m guaranteed to shout (and let it all out)! And we’re shouting with joy because no hot oil baths were necessary in the making of these apple cider donut holes! That deserves a double donut thumbs fo’ sho.Or you could simply say they were baked. But that’s totally not as fun to say. Or as dramatic.

These pillowy, cute little munchkins are almost good for you (mainly because they’re not fried) but they also can be made with coconut oil instead of butter, have apple sauce + apple cider for a pow-pow apple flavor annnnddd the best part = rolled around in cinnamon sugar goodness.

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2)In a perfect sort of world, no one would have work, we’d all get together on a perfectly crisp fall mornings (because perfectly crisp fall mornings are absolutely the best). We’d sit around being lazy all day andshare a plate full of these cute, little donut holes with big mugs of piping hot french pressed coffee and talk about how easy life is. Sharing a good laugh or two along the way, and definitely not counting the number of donut holes the other was able to tuck away. Good friends don’t count each others consumed donut holes. It’s friendship 101, isn’t it?

How perfect would that be?

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (3)These donut holes are ridiculously easy to make and the batter is mixed together by hand in a matter of minutes! That’s right, no mixer required. Once you’ve mixed the donut batter together just pour it into a mini muffin pan. I used the cutest mini-er than mini muffin pan. It’s availablehereif you’re interested. This super mini pan makes the perfect sized donut holes. It’s totally not required, a regular mini muffin pan works just fine, so don’t sweat it! But if you’re someone who loves donut holes like I do, it’s totally worth it!

You can even make baked donuts (see here for pan) out of these if you prefer them over the donut holes. Simply bake them for 9-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The donut holes are just so poppable so I went with those instead of the donuts.

These donut holes are most definitely the perfect way to start a lazy saturday morning. They’re fall perfect and pair wonderfully with a steaming cup o’joe and belong with a good book. Pajamas are absolutely mandatory and consuming a whole plate is totally acceptable.

Also, the donut holes would be divine dunked in myapple cider caramel sauce. You’re welcome 😉

I’ll just leave you with these little cuties.

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (5)

Yield: 40 donut holes or 16 donuts

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Delicious donut holes that are loaded with the flavors of apple cider and rolled around in cinnamon sugar. Use this recipe to make donut holes or donuts, either way, they're super-moist and soft little pillows. They're baked, not fried, which makes them totally waistline friendly!

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (6)

Ingredients

For the baked apple cider donut hole:

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons apple sauce, naturally sweetened - no sugar added
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

    For the baked apple cider donut holes:

    1. Start by simmering the apple cider with the 2 cloves in a small saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the apple cider reduces down to 1/2 cup. Remove the cloves from the concentrate and pour the apple cider into a container and refrigerate while you prepare the donut batter.
    2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin pan, a super mini muffin pan or a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, and brown sugar, whisk until smooth. Then, add in the apple sauce, vanilla, buttermilk, and the apple cider concentrate.
    4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Its okay if a few small lumps remain.
    5. Pour the batter by the teaspoon into the prepared muffin pans about 3/4s of the way full. Make sure to not overfill. Bake the donut holes for 9-11 minutes. Super mini donut holes take between 8-11 minutes. If making donuts, they will take about 9-12 minutes.

    For the cinnamon sugar coating:

    1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon together. Dip the tops of each donut hole into the melted butter then coat with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with all the donut holes (donuts). Depending on how long you dip the donuts into the butter, you may need more butter and/or more cinnamon sugar.

    Notes

    • Donuts taste best the same day but can be stored up to 2 days if tightly wrapped and kept at room temperature.

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    If you like this recipe, you might also like:

    Pumpkin Old Fashioned Doughnuts

    Strawberry Jelly Donut Holes

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    Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

    FAQs

    What makes a cider donut a cider donut? ›

    Cider doughnuts are cake doughnuts that get their flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg and apple cider used in the batter. They are a harvest tradition in autumn in the northeastern United States and are sometimes sold at cider mills.

    Can you freeze homemade apple cider doughnuts? ›

    It's best to freeze these donuts before they're coated in cinnamon sugar. To freeze your apple cider donuts, store them in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.

    What is so special about apple cider donuts? ›

    Cider doughnuts are a cake-style variety of doughnut, lightly scented with nutmeg and cider, and sold at orchards and farm stands. The best ones are freshly made on the spot: springy, crumbly, warm.

    How much sugar is in an apple cider donut? ›

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size 1.7 oz (48g), 1 Donut
    Total Carbohydrate 25g8%
    Dietary Fiber 0g0%
    Sugars 14g
    14 more rows

    What are apple cider donuts made of? ›

    Homemade apple cider donuts! This easy recipe includes brown butter, apple butter, and apple pie spices making it the ultimate cider donut. It's packed with flavor, the texture is cakey but decisively donuty as they are fried and coated in spiced sugar.

    How do you keep cider donuts fresh? ›

    Store donuts in a cool, dry place in your pantry, or on the counter away from direct sunlight. Refrigerator: Wrap individual donuts in aluminum foil and place them in an airtight container (avoid plastic resealable bags). Store the container in the refrigerator.

    Can you freeze apple cider in glass jars? ›

    Choose Your Container

    in bottles: these can be either plastic or glass as long as you have a tight-fitting and secure lid to close them with; in an airtight container that is freezer-friendly: this can be a plastic tupperware container or a glass container as long as it is a freezer-safe container.

    What makes apple cider donuts different? ›

    For starters, the TEXTURE. They're so soft and pillowy but remain really moist and tender. This is due to the fact that these donuts are made with oil instead of butter. Apple sauce is also added to further that moist texture.

    How long do apple cider donuts last? ›

    How long do apple cider donuts last? For best flavor, store apple cider donuts in airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Reheat in microwave for 10-15 seconds if desired.

    What is the best apple for cider? ›

    The apple varieties that we generally find in stores and that are used for the making of modern-style ciders include McIntosh, Golden and Red Delicious, Goldrush, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Idared, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Gala, and Fuji.

    What makes cider taste better? ›

    The slower the fermentation the better the cider will taste. It is really important not to exceed 27°C. When the fermentation has finished (the gravity reading on the hydrometer will be the same for a few days and will be under 1000 SG) siphon off the yeast into another clean sterilised container.

    Are Aldi apple cider donuts good? ›

    I liked the flavor but thought the texture was a little dry.

    The doughnuts had a sweet but not overpowering apple-cider flavor. In my opinion, the texture inside was soft but a little too dry. The next time I have one, I'll pair it with hot apple cider or dunk it in coffee.

    Where are Trader Joe's apple cider donuts made? ›

    #TraderJoes Apple Cider Donuts are made for us by a family-owned bakery based in Western Massachusetts, where donut-peddling farmstands dot the landscape.

    Are apple cider donuts good? ›

    I am aghast. While apple cider doughnuts are maybe not the flashiest doughnut — they don't have bacon on top, nor do they look like they're from the Simpsons — they're without a doubt one of the best.

    What has more sugar than a donut? ›

    You may have heard not to eat bananas because they can contain as much or more sugar than a donut. Sure, that may be true, but they also contain soluble fiber to help your body digest sugar more slowly and boost your gut health, and potassium to help keep your blood pressure in check and your heart healthy.

    Are apple cider donuts a New England thing? ›

    CIDER DONUTS have become nearly as synonymous with a New England fall as apples and foliage. Every orchard's cider donuts are different, and every orchard's are the best, according to its devotees, who are often passionate on the subject.

    What makes a donut a donut? ›

    doughnut, a small ring of sweet leavened dough that has been fried or sometimes baked.

    Do apple cider donuts taste like apple cider? ›

    Note that while apple cider donuts include apple cider, they're actually not designed to TASTE very strongly of apple, per several readers. Fittingly, most of these recipes are basically excellent cinnamon sugar cake doughnuts with a hint of apple.

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