Go Back
–+ servings
Apple Cinnamon Donuts | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | Brighten up your day with a batch of these fantastic #donuts. #AppleCinnamonDonuts include both #applesauce & #apples & they're rolled in melted butter and dredged in a #cinnamon-sugar mixture. Terrific for a weekend, company or #holiday #breakfast. You'll be swooning from the first bite! #HolidayBreakfast

Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Teresa Ambra
Brighten up your day with a batch of these fantastic Apple Cinnamon Donuts. These luscious donuts include both applesauce & apples & they're rolled in melted butter and dredged in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Terrific for a weekend, company or holiday breakfast. You'll be swooning from the first bite!
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 19
Calories 243 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 20-tin donut pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 whisk
  • 2 small bowls
  • 1 fork
  • 1 sharp knife to peel and dice apples

Ingredients
  

DONUTS:

  • 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup salted butter melted (1/2 stick)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk
  • 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract TABLESPOON NOT teaspoon
  • 1 cup apple peeled, and diced or grated (I used Gala apples)

CINNAMON-SUGAR COATING:

  • 3/4 cup salted butter melted (1 1/2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

DONUTS:

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • Prepare donut tins by spraying well with cooking spray.
  • Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
  • Stir well and set aside.
  • In a separate microwaveable bowl, melt butter.
  • Add applesauce, buttermilk, vanilla and diced apple.
  • Whisk well to combine.
  • Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir just until moistened.
  • Transfer ingredients to a zip lock bag (without the “stand and fill” bottom).
  • Cut off a corner and pipe the donut dough into the donut tins a little over ¾ full.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 9-10 minutes or until donuts test done with a toothpick.
  • Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
  • Dip top of donuts in butter.
  • Swirl in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  • Turn donut over and coat the bottom with butter.
  • Place donuts right-side-up in cinnamon-sugar mixture and swirl lightly in mixture.
  • Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top of the top part of the donuts. (I just used my fingers to do this).
  • Turn donut over.
  • Sprinkle the bottom of the donut with more cinnamon-sugar.
  • Do this a total of four times (for the top and four times for the bottom), until the mixture adheres well and the donuts are really well covered with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  • Place on wire racks to cool completely. 

CINNAMON-SUGAR COATING:

  • Melt butter in a microwaveable bowl; set aside.
  • Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
  • Dip top of donuts in butter.
  • Remove donut to cinnamon-sugar mixture and dredge and swirl the butter-covered top into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  • Turn donuts over and dip the bottom in butter.
  • Then put the bottom of the donut in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  • Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top.
  • Turn donut over and coat the bottom. 
  • Repeat the process about three more times.
  • Each time more cinnamon-sugar will adhere to the donuts.
  • Gently shake off any excess cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  • Place donuts on wire rack to cool completely.
  • Serve.

Notes

NOTE: It takes about four times of dipping the donuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture (on each side) to get a thick coating of the cinnamon-sugar on the outside of the donuts. I used my fingers and sprinkled the mixture from the bowl on tops and bottoms of donuts. I also gently tapped the sugar mixture with my fingertips into the donuts to try to get the cinnamon-sugar mixture to adhere. Finally, on the last coat, I sprinkled a lot of cinnamon-sugar on top and then gently shook the donut to remove excess sugar (letting it fall back down into the bowl to avoid a mess).
 
NOTE: This recipe uses NO eggs.
 
NOTE: The donuts are usually done in 9 minutes; but because they seemed a little more fragile at that point, I usually baked them 10 minutes instead.
 
NOTE: I purchase the 20-tin donut pans at Jo-Anns Fabric and Crafts.
 
Recipe adapted from The Baking ChocolaTess.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple cinnamon donuts, apples, breakfast, brunch, cinnamon, donuts
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!