Fall-in for Apple Cider Donuts
Yes, fall is upon us. Amazing how a year can go so quickly and yet feel interminable. Jamie came home yesterday from work and pronounced “We need to make something sweet today” to which I replied, “Sounds good to me but NO PUMPKIN”. Pumpkin lattes, desserts, all things pumpkin are popping up everywhere, its way too early if you ask me. Luckily Jamie did not have pumpkin on the brain either.
Our favorite fall fruit is undoubtedly APPLES. As the fall season comes into swing, I dust off the peeler and pie pans knowing that any day now Wes will say, “Are there apples at the farmers market yet? Is it PIE time?” For me, I will invariably think about making apple crisp, homey, delicious and a little easier than making apple pie.
But, none of the usuals made the cut yesterday. Jamie had spied a recipe on NYTcooking for baked Apple Cider Donuts. I was all in. Not a west coast thing, apple cider donuts are a tradition in the northeast and marks the start of the fall harvest season. The donuts are tasty and easy to make providing you have a donut pan (duh, of course, I do), and are a little easier on the waistline than fried donuts. They are tender, with a nice spiciness from the cinnamon in the batter and cinnamon-sugar topping. If you aren’t a gadget freak like yours truly, these can be made in muffin tins. Jamie added diced apples bits to the batter that made them even better, a BOSS tweak.
These are delicious, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea on a brisk autumn day or a warm fall evening, or ANYTIME.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Equipment
- donut tin or muffin tin, regular or mini
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 225 grams
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter 140gm *2 sticks, at room temperature* 10 tablespoons for the batter and 6 tablespoons for the cinnamon sugar coating
- ¾ cup light brown sugar 165gm
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup apple cider 120 ml
- 1 small apple, cored, peeled and diced 1/4 inch Use any kind you like, Jonagold, Fuji, Golden Delicious for sweeter apple or Pippin for a tart apple
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 6-cavity doughnut pans (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. With the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous.
- Spoon the batter into prepared doughnut pans, filling them about 2/3 of the way full (you can also do this using a disposable piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a 1/2-inch opening cut from one corner).
- Bake until evenly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest portion comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. (If you are making muffins, divide batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.)
- While the doughnuts bake, whisk the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl to combine. In a separate small bowl, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.
- Let the doughnuts cool for 5 minutes after baking, then unmold them from the pans, brush with the melted butter and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature.