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Nothing screams fall like these amazing Baked Apple Cider Donuts topped with a spiced pecan sugar.

I love fall. As soon as it arrives I begin making everything apple and pumpkin. So when my son and I were in the market last week and I saw jugs of apple cider I immediately grabbed one.

I had no idea what I was going to make with the cider but I knew I could use it in my baking. Once I got home and looked up some recipes I thought baked apple donuts would be awesome using the cider.

The issue with only using apple cider in a donut is that the flavor isn’t super strong so there needs to be more apple. I ended up adding applesauce and shredded apple to the batter in order to get that pop of apple flavor.

Ingredients:

flour
baking powder
salt
apple pie spice
butter
eggs
sugar
apple cider
vanilla
applesauce
apples
pecans

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray.
In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and apple pie spice. Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.
Stir in the apple cider and applesauce and mix until the mixture comes together.
Add the butter and sugar mixture to the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Gently fold in the apples.
Place the batter in a zip top baggie or piping bag and cut off the tip.
Pipe into the donut pan filling 2/3-3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until donuts are baked through.
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile place the sugar, apple pie spice, and pecans in a food processor and process until crumbly.
Melt the butter in a shallow bowl.
Dip the top side of the donuts into the butter and then press into the pecan sugar mixture until the top is coate.
Return the donuts to the wire cooling rack to let the excess sugar fall off.

Making these donuts the dough was a little wetter than most donut batter that I make. I was a little concerned but I just hoped that they would turn out.

Luckily I didn’t have anything to worry about. They rose just like they should have and turned out great. They smelled like apples and spices which made me think about fall. I couldn’t wait to try the pecan topping.

I don’t have apple pie spice. Can I use something else?

Yes! You can basically make your own. I just have a jar of it along with my pumpkin spice because I use them so much in the fall. Combine 4 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 1 teaspoon cardamom. Mix together and use what you need.

I’m allergic to nuts. Can I substitute something in place of the pecans?

You can do one of two things. You can simply omit the nuts and top these with a simple spiced sugar mixture. If you want a little more texture you can add 3 Tablespoons of chia seeds or flax seeds and blend them with the sugar and spices to put on top of the donuts.

I like fried donuts. Can I use this recipe and fry them instead?

No you cannot. This recipe is specific to baking and it will not turn out the same if you fry it. If you prefer fried donuts I’d look for an apple cider fried donut recipe.

Making the pecan topping was an experience. I used Millican Pecan pecan pieces since they are already chopped up. I basically put the ingredients in a food processor and it made a clumpy mixture that almost looked like a crumble I would put on muffins. It tasted great so I gave it a try.

It was easy to roll the top of the donuts into the pecan mixture and it stuck on it just fine. The first bit was amazing. It had flavors of cinnamon, apples, and pecans which made for the perfect fall breakfast.

If I’m being honest these donuts are good enough to enjoy for dessert too. I’ve drizzle them with caramel sauce and put a little scoop of cinnamon or vanilla ice cream next to them and serve them at my next fall dinner party for a fun treat!

More Donut Recipes:

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