This old-Fashioned baked apple cider donut holes recipe is made in less than 30 minutes! They are baked in the oven, no frying required. And then instead of a sticky glaze, we are going to just dip in simple cinnamon and sugar. So easy.
After I posted my Apple Cider Donuts, many of my readers messaged me that they didn't have a donut mold, so I took the nearly the exact same recipe and adapted it for a mini muffin tin! Everyone deserves to enjoy a baked apple cider flavor donut during these cool crisp fall days, even if they don't have a donut pan.
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Why this baked apple cider donut holes recipe works
My kids absolutely love it when I make cake donuts. It just feels so much more exciting than muffins or bagels. And I've gotta be honest with you, these little donut holes rarely last more than a day!
Apple donut holes are inexpensive to make, come together in less than 30 minutes and are super fun to serve! And I'm not just talking about on days you go apple picking, either. Don't let the name fool you! These can be enjoyed all fall season long.
If you are absolutely in love with freshly homemade donuts, you need to try my donut recipes for my Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts, my 30-minute Pumpkin Donut Holes, and my Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts! I mean who doesn’t want an excuse to eat chocolate cake first thing in the morning!
Ingredients for apple cider baked donut holes
- all-purpose flour
- white sugar
- brown sugar
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- apple sauce
- avocado oil | or substitute vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil. I recommend using avocado oil for this recipe. It is the most neutral tasting oil and does great for baked goods.
- apple cider vinegar | Instead of using an egg, this recipe used apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar helps the batter of the donut rise. It is acidic and acts just like an egg, but it will not change the flavor of the donut.
- milk
- apples | any sweet and tart variety. I like fuji, gala, honey crisp and granny smith.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and generously coat the mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In another medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: milk, oil, vinegar, and applesauce.
3. Stir the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until very few lumps remain. Fold in the peeled and cubed apple pieces.
4. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan and then turn onto a wire rack.
5. Stir together the cinnamon sugar topping in a shallow, small bowl. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of melted butter on the donuts. While the freshly baked donuts are still warm, dip the tops into the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating well.
6. These are best served fresh! Brace yourself, I'm going to use the "M" word: these donut holes are moist. Really, really, moist. And so pretty. Simply gawgeous. And it looks like I spent a lot more time on it than I did. It seriously took 15 minutes (minus the baking time) to throw together.
Hint: The best way to fill the muffin tin with batter is to use a 1 inch cookie scoop and dollop it into the muffin tin or pipe the donut hols with a pastry bag.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes
Equipment
- mini muffin tin
- Mixing bowl
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup granulate sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and generously coat the mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: milk, oil, vinegar, and applesauce.
- Stir the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until very few lumps remain. Fold in the peeled and cubed apple pieces.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan and then turn onto a wire rack.
- Stir together the cinnamon sugar topping in a shallow, small bowl. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of melted butter on the donuts. While the freshly baked donuts are still warm, dip the tops into the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating well.
- These are best served fresh! Brace yourself, I'm going to use the "M" word: these donut holes are moist. Really, really, moist.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS
Here are a few things that you might want to glance at before making this apple cider donut recipe.- The type of apple - My favorite apples for this recipe are honey crisp (yum!), fuji, and granny smith. Choose the flavor you like and just pick an apple that is firm fleshed so that it holds up to baking.
- Gluten-free donut holes - use gluten free all-purpose flour such as Bobs 1:1. At the time of writing this, I have not personally tried it yet, but I do use GF flour for many of my desserts and it works great.
- Pecans- If you like nuts in your spice cakes, these donut holes are really good with ½ cup of very finely chopped pecan pieces.
STORAGE
You know I hate to say moist, but these donut holes really are the very definition of the word. They have so much liquid in them from the apple and apple sauce that they really begin to get soggy after a day. Homemade donut holes will not keep for more than 1-2 days. Make donuts the day you wish to serve them or store them in an airtight container for up to two days. Doughnuts can also be frozen for up to three months. Be aware that the sugar coating will break down when frozen and thawed, but the flavor will still be just fine. One way to get around this is by not coating them with sugar before freezing. Simply thaw and then apply the cinnamon sugar coating.Nutrition
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Helpful Equipment
I am using a mini muffin tin to give these donuts the classic round shape. I only have one tin that makes 12 at a time, so I have to work in batches. If you have 3 pans, you can all of the donut holes at once!
A few of my other favorite baking tools include a set of nesting measuring cups, measuring spoons, a sturdy whisk and a large bowl for mixing the donut batter.
You can use a paring knife to peel and slice the apple, but if you have a vegetable chopper, it will work great for getting uniform pieces.
Substitutions
Here are a few things that you might want to glance at before making this apple cider donut recipe.
- The type of apple - My favorite apples for this recipe are honey crisp (yum!), fuji, and granny smith. Choose the flavor you like and just pick an apple that is firm fleshed so that it holds up to baking.
- Gluten-free donut holes - use gluten free all-purpose flour such as Bobs 1:1. At the time of writing this, I have not personally tried it yet, but I do use GF flour for many of my desserts and it works great.
- Pecans- If you like nuts in your spice cakes, these donut holes are really good with ½ cup of very finely chopped pecan pieces.
Storage
You know I hate to use 'moist' to describe anything, but these donut holes really are the very definition of the word. They have so much liquid in them from the apple and apple sauce that they really begin to get soggy after a day.
Homemade donut holes will not keep for more than 1-2 days. Make donuts the day you wish to serve them or store them in an airtight container for up to two days.
Doughnuts can also be frozen for up to three months. Be aware that the sugar coating will break down when frozen and thawed, but the flavor will still be just fine. One way to get around this is by not coating them with sugar before freezing. Simply thaw and then apply the cinnamon sugar coating.
Top tip
Do not over mix the batter, or your doughnut holes will be tough. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined so that your donuts are soft.
FAQ
The best time to apply the cinnamon sugar coating is as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Once they are cool enough to touch, brush them with butter and roll in the cinnamon mixture. And just a side note, you might not need the butter to get the sugar to stick. Some of my batches are more naturally sticky than others and I can get away with going straight to the sugar bowl.
Using a fresh apple, apple cider vinegar, apple sauce and cinnamon will achieve the same taste as apple cider or apple juice would. These donuts struggle with being ultra moist, so the texture is better without the added liquid. Besides, the flavor is still apple cider!
I'm so glad you asked! I actually tested this when I was developing this recipe. You can, but it the batter will spread out during baking and look more like a cookie than a donut hole. Which I'm fine with if you are! They can still be dipped in sugar.
Next time you want to impress guests with all the skills you learned at the International Donut Academy (not!), whip out some cake donuts and show off your talents in the kitchen. Whooooo!
If you make this recipe, leave me a comment and tell me how you liked it! It's early October as I'm writing this, and I'll just be over here dreaming of fall! Be sure to pin one of these pictures to your Pinterest so you can easily find this recipe later!
Happy baking!
-Meg
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Pairing
These are my favorite breakfast recipes to serve at a casual brunch!
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