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–+ servings
Baked apple cider donut holes on a cooling rack and in a white bowl.

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Old-Fashioned baked apple cider donut holes are 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. Makes about 36 donut holes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Cooling time 5 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 378 kcal

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
 

  1. 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.

Notes

Hint: The best way to fill the muffin tin with batter is to use two spoons or a 1 inch cookie scoop and dollop it into the muffin tin or pipe the donut hols with a pastry bag. 
 

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

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 2gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 135IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
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