These Baked Apple Cider Donut Bites are the perfect fall comfort food. Baked with apple cider and fall spices, they are warm bites of heaven. Fluffy, moist, and delicious, these donut bites are sure to be a fall favorite.
Baked Apple Cider Donut Bites
If you love going to fall festivals or apple picking just so you can grab a container of fresh apple cider donuts, then this is the recipe for you. Now, you don’t have to wait for the fall festival to come around. You can have that delicious taste of fall right at home in minutes.
We love fall recipes here at KidFriendlyThingsToDo, so I have lots to share with you. I actually didn’t realize how many recipes I have cataloged for fall and in particular fall apple recipes. You might want to check out my recipe for Apple Pie Cheesecake, Easy Caramel Apple Hand Pies, or Easy to make Spiced Apple Hand Pies
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Why I love this recipe:
- it’s fall comfort packed in little bite-sized pieces of fluffy baked goodness
- they are homemade which makes them even better
- they are baked and not fried – but you won’t be able to tell from the taste of them
- baking them adds a little layer of making a fried donut into a healthier baked donut which is always a plus p
- placed into an air-tight container, these donut bites make a delicious fall gift or hostess gift to give out at your fall party
Ingredients:
If you are ready to make this recipe for fall donut bites then, let’s make sure you have the supplies you need…
- apple cider – This used to be only available in the fall, but now you can find it all year long at your grocery store. If it is not fall time, you can most likely find it in the juice aisle. If it is fall, then it’s probably in the produce department or in the refrigerator
- all-purpose flour – this is used as a thickening agent for mixing ingredients together and provides gluten which adds elasticity
- baking powder – baking powder will help the dough rise and expand
- allspice – this is a very easy spice to find in the baking aisle of your grocery store, and is filled with the flavors of most fall desserts.
- ground cloves – ground cloves are dark brown and can be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store
- salt – just plain old table salt will work perfectly for this recipe
- sour cream – use whole sour cream for ultimate moisture
- buttermilk – this will help make your doughnut tender and also provides moisture. It is a staple in this apple cider doughnut recipe
- brown sugar – is always a staple when baking fall desserts
- large egg – eggs are always great for helping recipes to rise
- vanilla extract – I always use pure vanilla extract but you can use imitation too
- unsalted butter – you’ll melt this to use in rolling the donuts and then add cinnamon sugar to the finished apple cider doughnuts
- granulated sugar – the sugar will be combined with cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar
- ground cinnamon – used in the recipe and to make cinnamon sugar
How do you make these Apple Cider Donut Bites?
- preheat the oven
- butter (24-count) mini muffin tins by dipping a paper towel into softened butter and then wiping it onto the muffin tins
- cook down the apple cider to half of the liquid – it will get a little bit thicker and will most likely have some spices that have separated at the bottom
- in a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt
- in a separate bowl, mix the cooled apple cider, sour cream, buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, and butter which has been melted and slightly cooled
- add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined
- ladle batter into a zip-tight bag and snip one corner
- pipe the batter into 24 mini muffin tin cavities
- bake for 12-15 minutes
- cool slightly
- Dip into melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar until fully coated. You may have to redip the donuts and then roll them again to achieve the ultimate sugary deliciousness
Expert Tips and Tricks:
- I used a mini muffin tin to get a small muffin that is shaped like a donut hole
- to butter, the muffin tin cavities, grab some butter on the tip of a paper towel and then transfer the butter into the muffin tin by wiping the inside of the cavities with the butter from the paper towel
- you’ll want to fill the muffin tin to about 2/3 of the way up
- use a fork to turn donut bites around in the butter and in the cinnamon sugar
FAQs
Make Ahead and Storage:
Sure. Even though they are best served warm and recently baked, they can stay fresh for a few days. Store them covered at room temperature
They resemble round donut holes, but they are really baked in mini muffin tines so they don’t have an exact round shape. However, you can buy a baking pan specifically for making doughnut holes.
Yes! You can use a doughnut baking pan to make full-sized doughnuts.
Storing: These donut bites should be left out at room temperature but covered or placed in an airtight container for a few days
More Apple Recipes for Fall
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Baked Apple Cider Donut Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1&1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1&1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1&1/2 tsp. allspice
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup sour cream – full fat
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. butter unsalted – melted and cooled slightly
cinnamon sugar coating
- 6 Tbsp. butter unsalted – melted
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- butter (24-count) mini muffin tins – using a paper towel, dip it into softened butter and use it to coat tin cavities
- cook down the apple cider to half of the liquid – it will get a little bit thicker and will most likely have some spices that have separated at the bottom
- remove cider from heat and let cool down
- in a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt
- in a separate bowl, mix the cooled apple cider, sour cream, buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, and the butter which has been melted and slightly cooled
- add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined
- ladle batter into a zip-tight bag and snip one corner
- pipe the batter into 24 mini muffin tin cavities
- bake for 12-15 minutes
- cool slightly
- using a fork to turn mini muffins, dip them into a bowl of melted butter
- use a separate bowl and fork to coat in a bowl of cinnamon sugar
Notes
Can I Make Apple Cider Donut Bites in Advance?
Sure. Even though they are best served warm and recently baked, they can stay fresh for a few days. Store them covered at room temperature Storing: These donut bites should be left out at room temperature but covered or placed in an airtight containerWhy aren’t these Donut Bites perfectly round?
They resemble round donut holes, but they are really baked in mini muffin tines so they don’t have an exact round shape. However, you can buy a baking pan specifically for making doughnut holes.Can I Make doughnuts instead of doughnut bites from this recipe?
Yes! You can use a doughnut baking pan to make full-sized doughnuts.Nutrition
