Baked Apple Cider Donuts

I feel like I’ve been neglecting you this fall, and I’m sorry for that.  I hope these donuts make up for it.

Just like the seasons of the year, I think there are different seasons of one’s life.  There are seasons of happiness and joy, seasons of grief and hardship, seasons of study and seasons of play, seasons of work and seasons of relaxation (we hope).  These seasons can be months or years long, or just a few days at a time.

For me, recently, I’ve been in a season of work and busyness.  I’ve been very busy at my job, very busy socially with college football season and friends, and very busy behind the scenes here creating new recipes.  I’m not sure I really like the word “busy” and the glorification we give it these days, but it’s the only one I can use for this moment.  Sometimes being really busy gives me energy and makes me more efficient, but sometimes if one part of my life falls too out of balance in one direction, everything else has to give.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

25 minutes

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups apple cider (reduced to 3/4 cup)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 2 eggs

Topping

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Before you begin, you will need to reduce the apple cider. Pour apple cider in a small saucepan a simmer on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the cider reduces down to 3/4 cup. Once it is reduced, set it aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir until completely combined. Pour in the buttermilk and apple cider and mix until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix or donuts will be tough.
5. Pour the batter into a ziploc bag and snip off one corner. This makes it much easier to pour into the donut wells. Pour batter into prepared pan about 3/4 to the top of each well. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until the tops are firm and spring back slightly when you touch them. Do not over bake or you will have dry donuts.
6. When done, remove donuts from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove them carefully and place on a wire rack to cool until they are warm to the touch so you are able to handle them. While they are cooling, get your butter + cinnamon sugar topping ready.
7. In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Set aside.
8. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
9. Once donuts are cool enough to be handled, dip the tops into the melted butter and then quickly into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat for the entire batch of donuts.
10. These Apple Cider Donuts are best served fresh the same day, but will stay soft for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container. If they get a bit firm, you can reheat in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up and they are good as new.

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