Apple Cider Donut Holes

After a week of Gift Guides, I am hungry!!  I thought you might be too, so today I am serving up Apple Cider Donut Holes.  YUMMY! They are light, moist (my least favorite word, but it works here because they really are…) and delicious.  They can be made as donuts, but why do that when you can make small, pop in your mouth treats??!!  The best news is they are BAKED, no oil, no major calories, just morsels of goodness.  Did I mention the cinnamon sugar topping?  A little crunch of sugar mingled with cinnamon… add a side of coffee…divine.  I am going to munch away and then start decorating our Christmas tree.  Make a batch and let me know what you think!

Print Recipe

Apple Cider Donut Holes

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: Apple Cider, Apple Cider Donut Holes, Baked Donut Holes, Breakfast, Donuts, Easy

Servings: 24

Author: Ridgely

Ingredients

• 2 cups Apple Cider not spiced
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 apple quartered
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
• ⅔ cups light brown sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk I used light
• 2 tablespoons applesauce no sugar added
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Simmer the apple cider, cloves, cinnamon stick and one apple quartered in a small saucepan until the liquid reduces to ½ cup. Once reduced strain out the apple, cloves and cinnamon. This takes a fair amount of time and you will need to refrigerate the liquid while you make the batter. (I did this step the night before)
• Pre-Heat the oven to 350 ℉ and place the racks in the middle of the oven. Spray mini muffin tins ( I used two) or donut pan with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients (Flour through Salt) to combine
• In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine the egg, butter, brown sugar, buttermilk, applesauce, vanilla and cooled reduced apple cider.
• Lightly mix in the dry ingredients. It will be slightly lumpy.
• Using a ice cream scoop, fill the muffin or donut tins ¾ ’s full.
• Cook for 9-11 minutes
• While the donuts cook, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in one bowl and put the melted butter in another bowl - both bowls need to be big enough to roll the donuts.
• remove the donuts from the oven when a wood stick comes out clean. Cool the donuts on a wire rack.
• Roll the donuts in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar topping.

Notes

Reduce the Apple Cider the night before if you plan on making them for breakfast.

photographs by Ridgely