Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Cider Donuts

Light, spongy baked doughnuts with concentrated apple cider, real apple pieces, and warm fall spices.

These yummy donuts make you want to grab a sweater and a cute bag and head off to the apple orchard to grab a bunch of apples, and while you are there get some cider too. These have been a huge hit for my family and friends and I am so excited to share them you. Now, these aren’t the sweet doughnuts you can grab at a stand full of sugar, and there is nothing wrong with that kind either. I created these with zero refined sugar and zero flour. The sweetness comes from the apple cider concentrate and the apple pieces floating inside each donut, along with some maple syrup.

If you try these I would love to hear what you and your family think of them! My son, loved that one side was dusted in sugar, cinnamon spices as well. You don’t have to coat them all, I like having a variety some with and some without the sugar.

Jonnell Whitson, NTP

Apple Cider Donuts

Light, spongy baked donuts with concentrated apple cider, real apple pieces, and warm fall spices.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Apple Cider Reduction Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups Apple Cider reduced
• 1 1/2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Arrowroot/Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 large egg
• 1/2 cup reduced and cooled Apple Cider
• 1/4 cup finely grated apple lightly squeezed
• 2 tbsp Pure Maple syrup
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Method

 

1. Place 1½ cups apple cider in a small saucepan. Simmer uncovered until reduced to ½ cup. Allow to cool before using.

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-cavity doughnut pan.

   Combine dry ingredients.In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, arrowroot, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice and salt.

   In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cooled cider reduction, maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the finely grated apple.

   Combine the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix just until combined. Do not over mix the batter.

   Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly as the almond flour and flax absorb the moisture. The finished batter should be soft and spoonable, not runny.

   Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full. Depending on the size of your pan, you may get 8–12 doughnuts.

   Bake at 350°F for 15-20minutes, checking around 15 minutes. The doughnuts should be set and gently spring back when touched.

   Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield may vary depending on the size and depth of your doughnut pan. I used a Pampered Chef Pan and got 12 smaller doughnuts from my pan, depending on your pan you may get less.

Notes

 

Optional Cinnamon-Sugar Finish

These are delicious plain, but for a more traditional apple-cider doughnut finish:

Mix the sugar, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt. Lightly brush the doughnuts with melted butter and dip each doughnut into the sugar mixture.

2 Tablespoons of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of apple pie spice, a dash of salt. Combine and then dip the doughnuts into the mixture. 

Tip: The cinnamon-sugar version is sweeter, while the plain doughnut really lets the apple, cider and warm spices shine.

A Recipe Note

These aren’t meant to be a heavy, bakery-style cake doughnut. They’re light, spongy and tender, with concentrated apple cider flavor and little pieces of real apple throughout—perfect alongside coffee or tea on a crisp fall morning