Fall is here and one of my absolute favorite fall treats is an apple cider donut. I’ve set out to try and recipe test a few different apple cider recipes but I could never replicate it, so I finally decided to try another route. These donuts are made without apple cider or apples, but use apple pie spice and they turned out incredible! The donuts are soft, fluffy and packed with all those warm fall flavors. If you’re a fan of these flavors, these are going to be a must make for you this season!
Recipe tips:
Donut pans: This recipe makes 12 donuts so I use 2 donut pans that make 6 a piece. I ordered these off of amazon and they worked great! To ensure they don’t stick I always spray with Baker’s Joy or you can sometimes find a cheaper off brand version at your local grocery store! This stuff works EVERY time and your desserts will slide right out of the pan. Trust me, if you’re baking this is a must use.
Spices: For this recipe I use a mixture of cinnamon and apple pie spice. Apple pie spice is a typically mixture of cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg. You can easily make it at home or they should have it in the spice aisle at the grocery store. Now I like these flavors, they are what make these reminiscent of an apple cider donut, but if you aren’t a fan you can easily omit it and just use cinnamon. On the other hand if you want more of the flavor feel free to amp up the apple pie spice and reduce the cinnamon. It’s all about what you prefer!
Filing the pans: Don’t be tempted to over fill these pans as these donuts do rise! If you overfill them they’ll turn into more muffin tops. I also use the larger side of a small piping tip to punch out the centers to make them look prettier.
This is truly one of my favorite fall treats to bake and you’re going to want to try it! if you end up making the recipe please leave a rating and comment below 🙂
Apple Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 4 tbsp salted butter melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp apple pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup whole milk room temperature
For the topping:
- ½ cup salted butter melted and room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp apple pie spice
Instructions
For the donuts:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray donut pans with nonstick spray. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, both granulated and light brown sugar, vanilla extract, sour cream and egg. Once combined, add in all of the dry ingredients. Whisk until just incorporated. Add in the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Fill a large piping bag with the batter or you can use a spoon to scoop it into each pan. Fill 12 donuts ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes for turning out onto a cookie rack to cool completely.
For the topping:
- Add melted butter to a medium sized bowl. To another medium sized bowl mix together the sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spice. Dunk both sides of the donut into the butter (or use a pastry brush to brush it on) then dunk and cover the whole donut into the sugar mixture. Enjoy!
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