Baked Apple Butter Donuts
These baked apple butter donuts have a concentrated apple flavor, cozy fall spices, and no cider reduction is required. Just mix, bake, and let your kitchen smell like October!
Equipment
- 2 6-well shallow donut pans
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup apple butter (store-bought or homemade) unsweetened (no added sugar)
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For Coating the Donuts (Cinnamon Sugar Topping)
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease 2 (6-well) donut pans (I use baking spray) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp kosher or fine sea salt, 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and the sugars. Add the buttermilk, apple butter, butter, and vanilla.1 large egg, room temperature, ¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed, ¼ cup white granulated sugar, ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature, ½ cup apple butter (store-bought or homemade), 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, and slightly cooled, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined, or until no flour streaks are visible.
- Spoon the batter into each well of the donut pan, or transfer the batter to a large zip-top bag, snip off one corner, and pipe the batter into the pans. Fill each well about ¾ full, being careful not to overfill.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until the donuts are lightly golden and spring back when gently pressed. Watch them carefully, as they can dry out quickly if overbaked.
- Let the donuts cool in the pans for a few minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Coat the donuts: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Lightly brush each cooled donut with melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar until evenly coated (I usually just coat the tops, but you can coat the whole donut in the sugar if you prefer).¼ cup white granulated sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Notes
- Use a piping bag or make your own. Transfer the batter to a large Ziploc bag, snip off one corner, and pipe it directly into your greased donut pan. It's easier, neater, and saves you from trying to spoon sticky batter into those little donut wells.
- Let them cool before decorating. Give the donuts a few minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent your cinnamon sugar from melting.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition*
Serving: 1 donut | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
*Nutrition information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Actual values may vary based on ingredients, measurements, and substitutions.
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