Apple Donuts, a year-round favorite, are especially popular at my house as the temperatures cool and summer gives way to fall. Soft pillowy inside, sweet crunchy outside, these delicious Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Donuts are made with applesauce and go perfectly with your morning cup of coffee or fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Apple Donuts
Simple, homemade, delicious apple donuts. To be honest with you guys, which I am, I can think of few things better.
It’s funny, donuts are one of those delicious treats that are so easily forgotten. At least for me. This makes no sense since donuts, especially these baked apple donuts, are definitely not forgettable. Take one bite of these soft, fluffy apply pillows and you’ll be hooked.
The hardest part will be eating just one!
Ingredients in these Apple Donuts
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Buttermilk
- Applesauce
- Apple
Nope, these are not healthy or skinny donuts, but they are baked rather than fried so that’s something pretty huge!
Right? Right?
Equipment needed to make Baked Apple Donuts
Now, there are a few things that are pretty important when making these delicious, fantastic, fall-flavored donuts. Don’t worry, this recipe doesn’t require a $500 blender. phew!
- Donut baking pan. We’re baking these apple donuts rather than frying, remember? Come to think of it, I don’t know the first thing about frying my own donuts…and now that I have admitted it out loud, I have to learn how.
- Cheese grater. Nothing fancy, my friends. If it works for the cheese it will work for the apples.
- Large zip-lock bag. Because trying to spoon the batter for the apple donuts into the apple tin is way harder than one may expect.
You will also need things like measuring cups and a large mixing bowl, but that’s a rule in baking right? Must have a measuring cup and mixing bowl. Oh, and a spatula…
Which reminds me, I am definitely missing my some of my teaspoons.
How to make apple donuts
- Preheat oven, grease donut pan, and grate apple. Set everything aside.
- Prepare the batter.
- Transfer the batter for the apple donuts to a large ziplock bag and seal, removing all air. Snip off a small corner of the bag.
- Gently squeeze batter into the cavities of the donut hole pan.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- As the donuts bake, melt the butter in one bowl and mix together the cinnamon and the sugar in another.
- Remove donuts from pan, brush with melted butter and coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Try to eat just one. literally impossible.
One important thing to note about these donuts (and all donuts) is that they taste best when eaten just after baking. Ideally when they’re still warm, but definitely within the first 12-24 hours. If you don’t expect to finish all 18 donuts on the same day, my advice is to keep the batter stored in the refrigerator and bake the remaining donuts the next day.
If you do bake them all in one go, store any leftovers in a sealed container for maximum freshness!
For more apple recipes check out,
- Homemade Applesauce Recipe
- Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Fried Apples Recipe (How to Make Fried Apples)
- Apple Balsamic Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Marinated Salmon Apple Salad
- Herbed Apple and Pumpernickel Stuffing
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THESE CINNAMON SUGAR BAKED APPLE DONUTS AND SURPRISE YOUR FAMILY FOR BREAKFAST OR DESSERT ANY TIME YOU WANT TO MAKE DELICIOUS APPLE DONUTS.
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Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Donuts
Ingredients
For the Apple Doughnuts
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter (melted and cooled)
- 2 large eggs
- 0.75 cup granulated sugar
- .5 tsp nutmeg
- 0.5 cups buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1.5 cups apple (peeled, cored, and grated)
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 4 tbsp salted butter (melted, plus more as needed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Set aside these dry ingredients.
- In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, granulated sugar, buttermilk, nutmeg, and applesauce. Mix until just combined.
- Stir in the grated apples, then stir in the dry ingredients from step 2, and transfer batter to a large ziplock bag. squeeze out all air and snip one corner creating a small hole. Spray donut hole pan with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray.
- Squeeze batter into the cavities of the donut hole pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 12-14 minutes.
- As the donuts are baking combine the sugar with the ground cinnamon and melt approximately 4 tablespoons butter in a small dish.
- When donuts have finished baking, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before brushing with the melted butter and coating in the cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
Video
Jessica's Notes
- Store any leftover donuts in a zip-lock bag or container with a tight-fitting lid. Best when enjoyed within 24 hours.
- Recipe lightly adapted from The Cake Blog.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
What are the best kind of apples to use for baking these?
Great question Sara, any kind of apple will work with this recipe, so I would suggest your favorite kind of apple 😀
I am making these very soon. How many apples did you use for the 1 1\2 cup grated apples? Thanks!
Great question Beverly! It really depends on the size of the apples. Again depending on the size of the apples, at least 2 apples should net about 1.5 cups, but you should probably have at least 3 to be safe 🙂
The video shows vanilla being added but it is not in the ingredient list, should it be?
Thanks Cindy, I updated it to reflect that 🙂
Thanks Cindy, I updated it to reflect that. 🙂
I tried this because cinnamon is one of my favorite spices. Turned out great!
Every member of the family loved these light flavorful donuts.
Can you make these as muffins?? Having a hard time finding a donut pan, and the foil option I see online (to create your own) has terrible reviews. Your recipe sounds A-Mazing. Thanks!
Hi Laura,
I have not tried to make these as muffins before, but they might be dense. If you are in the US, here is the pan I use which is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O9nJyY
This turned out great!
I I refilled the donut pans and tops are not brown.
I ended up spooning because I suck with the piping bag.
I guess it takes some time to learn.
They taste good though.
I’ve never been enticed to make a baked doughnut recipe before, but these look amazing!!
It likes like you used a donut pan not a donut “hole” pan. Will this make a difference in the baking time
Hi Cathy,
For a donut hole pan, I am guessing maybe a minute or two less… but I have not tried it before.
Hi! I’m thinking about making these this weekend. I didn’t see when to add the dry ingredients? Maybe I missed it?
Thanks!
Shauna
Hi Shauna,
Good catch! I added more details to the recipe to reflect the dry ingredients mixing with wet ingredients!
So did you add the nutmeg or not and if you did when did you add it?
Hi Emma,
Thanks for catching that – I updated the recipe to show adding the nutmeg in step 3 with the granulated sugar.
These were very good. Like most donuts they will keep in the freezer if individually wrapped in foil & stored in a ziplock bag. Just set a couple out on the counter to thaw overnight. (still wrapped in foil). The recipe needs to be corrected. It lists nutmeg in the ingredients but the instructions never tell you to add it.
This was soooo good!