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Apple Cider Donuts (Baked and Vegan)

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 small donuts or 24 donut holes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour see note for flour substitutions
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground allspice optional
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar or other granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup apple cider

Topping

  • 1/4 cup maple sugar, coconut sugar, or granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a donut pan or mini muffin pan by brushing or spraying it liberally with oil. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl. add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk to combine.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until well blended. Add dry ingredients and stir with a spatula or spoon until just combined and no dry flour remains.
  • To make filling the pan easier, add donut batter to a large resealable plastic bag or piping bag. Make sure to twist the top then carefully snip one corner of the bag. Fill each donut or muffin 3/4 of the way full and smooth the top, if necessary.
  • Bake until cooked through and dry to the touch, about 10 minutes for donuts and 8 minutes for mini muffins. Cool completely inside the pan.
  • Once cooled, remove donuts or mini muffins from pans. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges if the donuts are stuck.
    Finish donuts when you are ready to serve and enjoy. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Dunk the tops of the donuts into the sugar mixture or roll the mini muffins in to coat. If the sugar isn't sticking to the donuts well enough, spray or brush them with a little oil before coating. Best eaten within 30 minutes of dipping in the sugar. Plain donuts can be stored covered at room temperature for 3 days.

Notes

Flour: You should use 2 cups total of whatever flour you choose. If using a gluten-free flour blend and your batter seems very runny, you may need to add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour depending on the brand you are using. The batter shouldn't be thick like cookie dough but it should be more like pancake batter consistency.
Keyword apple cider, baked donuts