Baked apple cider donuts

Ever since I saw this recipe a week and a half ago, I just HAD to make it.  Despite my statement that the only things I drink with calories are coffee and alcohol, I secretly adore apple cider.  It is, to me, fall in a cup.  Now just because I love it doesn't mean I buy it or drink it often, but this recipe for baked apple cider donuts just screamed out to me.  The combination of my love of apple cider and B's love of donuts make it seem like a good recipe to try.  That, and the fact that I had just bought a donut pan (I don't love donuts, partly due to the fact that they're deep fried).

My goal had been to make these Sunday, the first day of fall, but I neglected to notice apple butter on the ingredient list, and then didn't have a chance to get any for a few days.  So these are a little bit belated for the first day of fall, but seeing as the weather hasn't quite decided if it is summer or fall, I figured I had a little leeway in terms of baking them ;-)

 

 

Two things about this recipe:
1. I have a mini donut pan.  It took so little batter to fill each cavity 1/2-2/3 of the way full, and they baked in 6 minutes.  I got frustrated having to fill those small cavities that I switched to a mini bundt pan for the rest of the "donuts."
2. I sprinkled them with sugar.  They were OK.  So I decided to use cinnamon sugar (a trick I borrowed from my great grandmother's coffee cake recipe.  Even better!!

The one on the left is the one I made in the mini bundt cake
pan.  The one on the right is from the mini donut pan.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
from RecipeGirl (there's even nutritional information on her site, link above)

Ingredients:

Granulated sugar for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Directions:
 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Coat pan with nonstick spray or oil.

Sprinkle with sugar, shaking out excess.  Or make a simple cinnamon sugar, mixing granulated sugar and cinnamon until desired cinnamoniness.

 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, cider, yogurt and oil.

Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Divide half of the batter among the cavities in the prepared pan, spoon about 2 generous Tbsp. of batter into each cavity (This must have been for a regular-sized donut tin, mine barely used one Tbsp; about 2-3Tbsp filled each of my mini bundt pan cavities).  Don’t fill them to the top or your doughnuts will lose their holes when the batter puffs up while baking!

 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes (My mini donuts took 6 minutes, mini bundt "donuts" took 10 minutes), or until the tops spring back when touched lightly.

Loosen edges and turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool.

Clean the pan, re-coat it with spray and sugar.

Repeat with remaining batter.

 

Ice your doughnuts, if desired:

Sift 1 cup powdered sugar and mix w/ 2 ounces light cream cheese, a dash of cinnamon and enough nonfat milk to create a spreading or dipping consistency. (If I made icing, I might try using apple cider instead of milk.  It would be less white, but I think the flavor on an apple cider donut might be extra yummy).

Dip tops of doughnuts into the icing, then set right side up on a rack to let the icing set.