Description
These Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts are a perfect autumn treat, featuring a flavorful batter made with reduced apple cider and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Chopped honeycrisp apples add a fresh, juicy burst to every bite. Finished with a luscious cinnamon maple glaze infused with a hint of instant coffee, these doughnuts are moist, tender, and irresistibly sweet, all made in the oven without frying.
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
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 pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 6-cup doughnut pan or a 12-cup muffin pan with melted butter to prevent sticking.
- Reduce apple cider: Pour the apple cider into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until it reduces to about 1/2 cup. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the cooled reduced apple cider, melted butter, eggs, apple butter, vanilla extract, and dark brown sugar until all ingredients are well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Toss the chopped honeycrisp apple with cinnamon sugar, then fold the apples into the batter gently.
- Fill and bake: Divide the doughnut batter evenly into the prepared pan cavities, filling each one 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 in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around edges to release doughnuts and invert the pan to remove them.
- Prepare the cinnamon maple glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook it until it begins to brown slightly and smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the maple syrup, powdered sugar, instant coffee, and cinnamon until the glaze becomes smooth and glossy.
- Glaze the doughnuts: Dip each cooled doughnut into the cinnamon maple glaze or drizzle the glaze over the top. For best flavor and texture, serve the doughnuts warm.
Notes
- If you don’t have a doughnut pan, a 12-cup muffin pan works well as an alternative.
- Allow the reduced apple cider to cool completely before mixing into the batter to avoid cooking the eggs prematurely.
- The instant coffee in the glaze is optional but adds a subtle depth of flavor that complements the spices.
- You can adjust the powdered sugar in the glaze to achieve the desired thickness and sweetness.
- Make sure not to overmix the batter to keep the doughnuts tender and light.
- These doughnuts are best enjoyed fresh and warm but can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.
