Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Last week the Family and I took a trip to Apple Hill.

Among the apples and cider are the delicious Cider Donuts. The fry them upon order so they arrive warm, crispy with cinnamon and sugar, and soft in the middle. You could easily devour 4 of them in 1 sitting... Not that I would know.

Now, if you haven't been to Apple Hill or have no tried Apple Cider donuts... You can now make them at home! It is the ultimate Fall breakfast!

For the Donuts:
(makes around 16 donuts)
1 1/4 cups apple cider
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temp
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Coating:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Place apple cider in a small sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or until cooked down. Place in refrigerator to cool down while you mix the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the apple cider, egg, melted butter, and sugars until combined. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla just until incorporated. Add the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined (it may still be slightly lumpy).
Grease your donut pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pipe dough into the pan 3/4 of the way and cook in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes.

While donuts are cooking, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating and set aside. In a separate bowl, melt the butter.
When the donuts have baked and cooled slightly dunk into melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated. Continue until all donuts are baked and coated.

Enjoy this perfect Fall treat! It has all of the tastes of apple cider packed into the sugary sweet donuts!

*recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction