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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Baked apple cider donuts bake up fluffy with a warm spice aroma and a persimmon-toned sweetness from reduced apple cider. These oven-baked donuts get a crackly cinnamon sugar shell by brushing with melted butter and rolling while warm.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple cider
  • 1 cup apple cider Reduce to 1/2 cup, then cool before mixing.
Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.3333333333 cup sugar
Wet ingredients
  • 1 egg
  • 0.3333333333 cup melted butter Measure 1/3 cup for batter and have extra for coating.
  • 0.5 cup milk
  • 0.6666666667 cup melted butter, for coating Use for brushing warm donuts before coating.
Coating
  • 0.75 cup cinnamon sugar For coating.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Reduce and cool the apple cider
  1. Simmer the apple cider until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let it cool to warm so it doesn’t scramble the egg.
Preheat and prep the pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a donut pan, setting it on a sheet pan for easy handling.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined with no visible clumps.
Mix the wet ingredients
  1. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, egg, 1/3 cup melted butter, milk, and reduced cider until smooth and glossy.
Combine and fill the pan
  1. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then pipe the batter into the donut pan cavities.
Bake
  1. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the centers spring back lightly and the edges look set.
Coat while warm
  1. Brush the warm donuts with the remaining melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to form a crackly coating as they cool.

Notes

Pro tip: Pipe the batter into the pan using a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off for mess-free filling. Store cooled donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; for best texture, re-warm briefly in a 300°F oven for 3-4 minutes. Freeze unfrosted or uncoated donuts (skip the cinnamon sugar until thawed) for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and coat before serving. For a lighter option, use 1% milk and replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce (expect a slightly less rich crumb).