These baked applesauce donuts are coated with cinnamon sugar and so incredibly good! One of my favorite apple desserts of all-time.
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Pin ItHow to Make Applesauce Donuts
- Make the dry mix: Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix the batter: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the two kinds of sugar until it is creamy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce, and milk and beat until combined. Add the dry mix and beat until smooth.
- Bake the donuts: Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and pipe it into the donut cavities. Bake the applesauce donuts for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and they are set. Remove from the oven and let the donut pan cool for five minutes. Gently remove the donuts from the pan.
- Make the coating: Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Brush each applesauce donut with melted butter and coat it with the spiced sugar.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
To Store: If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly or put them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for up to three days. Make sure they’re completely cool to prevent sweating.
To Freeze: You can also freeze them for up to three months for longer storage. When you’re ready to enjoy them, let them thaw at room temperature for an hour or two, or pop them in the microwave for a quick warm-up.
Recipe Variations
Gluten-free applesauce donuts: Replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum. Make sure the baking powder is also gluten-free.
Vegan applesauce donuts: Swap the egg with a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce and use plant-based milk. Replace the dairy butter with coconut oil or margarine in both the dough and the coating.
Sugar-free applesauce donuts: Use erythritol as a sugar substitute for the granulated and brown sugars in the dough and coating.
Pumpkin spice applesauce donuts: Add half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the donut dough mixture, and replace a third of a cup of applesauce with pumpkin puree.
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Pin ItApplesauce Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tbsp milk
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease a 6-hole donut pan with extra butter. Set aside.
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce and milk and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut cavities.
- Bake for 18- 22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and donuts are set.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Gently remove the donuts from the pan.
- To make the coating, in a small bowl combine combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Brush each donuts with melted butter and coat in spiced sugar.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter: Mix your batter just enough to combine the ingredients. Mixing the batter too much can cause gluten development, leading to tough donuts. Make sure to mix the wet and dry mixtures separately before combining them to avoid this.
- Properly prepare your donut pan: Grease your donut pan well and consider dusting it with flour to prevent the donuts from sticking. This will also make it easier to remove the donuts after baking.
- Cool before removing: Allow the donuts to cool slightly in the pan before putting them onto a cooling rack. This helps prevent breaking and helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick better.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
