Healthier Apple Cider Donuts

As someone who lives in New England, I know that there is nothing like a warm apple cider donut, especially after apple picking! When you walk into the farm store, the butter, warm apple cider, and cinnamon smell is just so comforting. These baked apple cider donuts are just as good as those, but with a healthier twist that you won’t even notice! Baking these donuts is so much easier, cleaner, and safer than deep frying. They are so soft and tender with that amazing cinnamon sugar topping. You can also make these donuts with a muffin tin! However you make them, I’m sure you’ll love them too!

Why I love these donuts:

I love this recipe for many reasons. For one, these apple cider donuts are baked, not fried, which makes the whole process so much easier and cleaner. Also, these donuts are just so delicious! They are slightly dense and super tender. The cinnamon sugar coating on the outside gives these donuts the perfect crunch (and makes them extra photogenic)!

Keep reading and I’ll share some of my favorite tips and tricks to make these donuts extra delicious!

Different types of donuts:

There are two main types of donuts: yeast donuts and cake donuts. Yeast donuts are made with a yeasted dough, and they’re super light and airy. Cake donuts have a denser and more cake-like texture (they’re sometimes called old-fashioned donuts). This recipe for healthier apple cider donuts leans towards the cake donut side. They have a cakey, almost muffin-like crumb, and they’re perfectly rich and tender. They are the perfect cozy fall treat!

Tips for making these healthier apple cider donuts:

These apple cider donuts are made with less butter and less sugar than traditional ones. Since the donut batter is not that sweet, the cinnamon sugar on top is essential.

This recipe is made with whole wheat flour and all purpose flour, but if you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can replace it with equal amounts of all purpose flour. If you would like to use some almond flour in this recipe, I recommend trying 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and 3/4 cup all purpose flour.

Nutmeg is a super important secret ingredient! This spice gives these donuts that classic donut flavor that is so nostalgic.

Having room temperature ingredients is important in this recipe because it allows the donuts to really puff up in the oven. Having room temperature butter also makes creaming it so much easier.

Lastly, if you have a little extra time, I really recommend reducing your apple cider to concentrate the flavor. This results in super flavorful apple cider donuts. Simply simmer 1 cup of apple cider until it has reduced by half. Then let it cool slightly before using this reduced apple cider in place of the normal apple cider.

If you liked these healthier apple cider donuts, you might also like…

• Airfryer apple fritters
• Cinnamon apple bread
• Healthy apple muffins

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Healthier Baked Apple Cider Donuts (or muffins)

Classic New England apple cider donuts but with a healthier twist! They are baked and can be made as donuts or muffins!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Keyword: apple, apple cider, donuts, fall, muffins

Servings: 12 donuts or muffins

Author: Half the Sugar Baker

Ingredients

For the donut batter:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or sub all purpose flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup apple cider room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

For the topping:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease 12 donut molds or a muffin tin.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix well after each addition until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape the bowl when necessary.
• Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Then add in the apple cider and applesauce while mixing on low speed. Scrape the bowl well to make sure all the ingredients are mixed together.
• Spoon the batter into the donut or muffin tin and fill them around 2/3 of the way up. This can also be done with a piping bag. Bake for 12-15 minutes if making donuts or 15-20 minutes if making muffins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (My muffins took around 18 minutes)
• While the donuts bake, in a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup of sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar topping. In a separate small bowl, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.
• When done baking, let the donuts cool in the tin for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the donuts from the tin and brush on the melted butter. Then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar while still warm. Serve warm. If there are leftovers, store them in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven when ready to serve.