Baked Apple Cider Donuts
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Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 14
 
Ingredients
  • Donuts:
  • 1 and ¼ cups apple cider
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg, room temperature*
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Topping:
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Simmer apple cider over low-medium heat in a small saucepan on the stove for 15-20 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, spices, and/or orange slices for flavor if desired. In this step you are reducing the apple cider for a stronger flavor. You will need ½ cup from this reduced cider. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator as you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  3. Toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, and ½ cup of concentrated apple cider.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and very gently mix together with a whisk. Be very gentle as over-mixing will develop the gluten and result in a tough textured donut. Whisk until all ingredients are *just combined.* Some small lumps may remain, but not many.
  5. To fill the donut pan up with batter, simple spoon the batter into a large zipped-top bag, cut off one bottom corner and pipe the batter into the pan. Fill each crevice ⅔ of the way full. (Any more than that and the donuts will puff up and you will lose the hole in the center.) Bake the donuts for 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The donuts will take the same amount of time.
  6. Mix sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush each donut with the melted butter and toss it in the sugar mixture.
Recipe by Culinary Mamas at https://culinarymamas.com/baked-apple-cider-donuts/