Beautifully Baked Bite-Size Donuts

When I think of apple cider donuts, I think of trips to Wallingford’s Orchard to pick apples and grab a perfectly hot and sticky-sweet donut for the road (or for the walk home to my old house). As good as Wallingford’s are, sometimes you need something homemade, not fried, and readily at hand, not a drive away. Recipe taken from The Friendly Fig, these Mini Apple Cider Donuts are delectably delicious, and they’re bite-size — even better!  They’re sure to delight and be an instant crowd pleaser. Just be sure to enjoy them fresh out of the oven for the full effect.

Ingredients (makes 18-20 donut “holes” or about 6 large donuts).

• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 ½ t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• 1/8 t ginger
• 1/3 c agave nectar
• 1/4 c apple cider
• 1/3 c no sugar added applesauce
• 1 T coconut oil, melted
• 1 t vanilla extract
• Cinnamon sugar to toss donuts in (optional)

Directions.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease mini muffin pan, cake ball pan or regular donut pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour through spices). Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients (agave through vanilla). Mix well and then add to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon until ingredients fully combine and a sticky batter forms.
4. Spoon or drop batter in pan of choice and fill about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to allow the donuts to rise.
5. Bake for 7-10 min or until donuts are just firm.
6. In a brown paper bag, place cinnamon sugar. (I cut the straps off a J. Crew paper shopping bag and used that. Be creative if you won’t have exactly a brown paper bag!)
7. Once donuts are still hot out of the oven, but cool enough to touch, drop donuts in bag to coat with cinnamon sugar. You can toss just “dip” them into the cinnamon sugar to cover the top.
8. Eat hot (they’re the best then) and enjoy!

Friendly Tip: if you use the same pan between batches, don’t forget to re-grease! I forgot (of course), but with the help of a handy butter knife to loosen the edges between the pan and donut, no donut holes were lost in the baking.

Suggested Pairings.

• Almond Milk Hot Chocolate
• Almond Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Vanilla Almond Milk Iced

Recipe adapted from The Friendly Fig‘s “Vegan Apple Cider Donuts.”  Apple Cider locally bought at Wallingford’s Orchard.

Apple Cider Mini Donuts shown with half tossed in cinnamon sugar and half plain.