Description
Enjoy the warm, cozy flavors of autumn with these Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts, featuring tender cake doughnuts infused with spiced apple cider and chunks of honeycrisp apple, all topped with a rich Brown Butter Cinnamon Maple Glaze. Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack, these doughnuts combine traditional fall spices with a luscious maple glaze for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Doughnuts
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 honeycrisp apple, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
Brown Butter Cinnamon Maple Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease a 6-cup doughnut pan or a 12-cup muffin pan with melted butter to ensure the doughnuts will release easily after baking.
- Reduce the apple cider: Bring the apple cider to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove from heat and allow the cider to cool; this concentrated cider will add a deep apple flavor to the doughnuts.
- Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the boiled apple cider, melted butter, eggs, apple butter, vanilla extract, and dark brown sugar. Stir until well incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and kosher salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Add apples and cinnamon sugar: Toss the chopped honeycrisp apple pieces with cinnamon sugar to coat. Gently fold the apple pieces into the batter, evenly distributing the fruit throughout.
- Fill and bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut or muffin pan, filling each cavity about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, or until the doughnuts are just set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and carefully invert the pan to release the doughnuts.
- Prepare the glaze: While the doughnuts bake, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Cook the butter until it browns lightly and emits a toasted aroma—this should take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in maple syrup, powdered sugar, instant coffee, and cinnamon until smooth and glossy.
- Glaze and serve: Dip each warm doughnut into the brown butter cinnamon maple glaze or drizzle the glaze over them. Serve immediately for the best taste and texture, enjoying the warm, spiced flavors that perfectly complement the soft doughnuts.
Notes
- Use room temperature eggs to ensure they incorporate smoothly into the batter.
- If you don’t have apple butter, you can substitute with additional apple cider reduction or unsweetened applesauce.
- Adjust the powdered sugar in the glaze to achieve your desired thickness and sweetness.
- Store any leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Reheat doughnuts gently in a microwave or oven for a few seconds to enjoy them warm again.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 doughnut
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 165mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
