Baked Apple Donuts
Why Everyone Loves These Apple Donuts
If you have a beautiful haul of freshly picked apples, this is the first recipe you should make with them! I may not have an orchard nearby, but I make sure get extra apple from the store to make them every fall. These donuts have been our September tradition for many years.
These donuts are soft, moist, and packed with the sweet apples and fall spices in every bite. The texture of baked donuts is cake-like and balances so nicely with juicy apples.
I use a quick, homemade apple pie filling, which is just a thick mixture of cooked apples with butter, flour, and spices. Mixed in the batter, it makes it almost like an apple pie in a donut form.
I’m not lying about how easy they are to make too, especially if you have the apple pie filling made ahead of time. If not, not to worry, it only takes 15 minutes. Altogether, it will take you about 40 minutes to make.
Key Ingredients Tips and Substitutions
Apples – I like to use Gala or Honeycrisp apples are great meaty apples that are also bright and sweet. Honeycrisp apples are actually my favorite ones to use. You can also choose Pink Lady, Braeburn, Fuji, or McIntosh apples.
Brown Sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. The difference between the two is in the amount of molasses added, dark brown sugar containing more, of course.
Low Fat Buttermilk – low fat buttermilk is the best option to create soft and moist texture. I prefer low fat option because I noticed that full fat buttermilk adds too much fat to the batter and the texture never comes out as light and fluffy as with low fat. Note, substitutes never work as well!
Apple Pie Spice – This is used in the dough itself and in apple pie topping. Apple pie spice is a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. You can easily mix your own if it’s not available at the store. To make a batch, I combine 4 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1.5 tsp ground allspice.
Gluten Free Substitution (Flour) – There have been so many advances in gluten free flour, it’s very easy to make these donuts gluten free. Simply use a 1:1 baking all purpose gluten free flour. My personal favorite brands are Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Apple Baked Donuts
Make the apple pie filling first because it will need time to cool down before mixing into the batter.
Peel, core and dice apples. Make sure to dice apples into small pieces so it’s nicely incorporated into the donut batter without big lumps! Melt butter in a sauce pot and mix in sugar, diced apples, flour, and apple pie spice. Mix well, cover and cook over medium-low heat until apples are softened. You do not want to sear the apples, apple pie filling should cook gently until the apples are soft.
Remember to stir every few minutes. Once done, take off heat and let it cool while you prepare the batter.
Prepare the ingredients: for best results, let the eggs warm up to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking. When measuring the flour, make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of the knife to level. When you dunk the cup, you really pack the flour into the cup.
Whisk the wet ingredients in one bowl and then sift in all dry ingredients. Sifting dry ingredients will get rid of any possible clumps and the best way to prevent overmixing the batter is to whisk wet and dry ingredients separately then combine. Fold in the apple pie filling with a spatula. (The mixture should not get much thinner.)
Use a large piping bag and fill it with the batter but make sure it’s not too full, where you can’t close it at the top to hold. Once filled enough, cut the tip off the piping bag, leaving only about 1/2-3/4 inch opening. Squeeze batter gently into the greased donut pan, in the circle motion. Make sure there is an even amount of batter all around.
Expert Tip: To transfer the batter from the mixing bowl into the piping bag easier, place the piping bag into a pint glass and fold it over the rim to open it up!
Bake for 11-12 minutes and let donuts cool on the wire rack, just until the donuts cooled enough to be handled.
Melt butter in a small cup and mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the top of the donut into melted butter and left most of it drip back off, and then dip it into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back on the wire rack and repeat with all donuts. If you wish, you can coal them on both sides with cinnamon sugar.
PRO TIP: It’s best to wait until your donuts are cooled to room temperature to sugar coat them.
Storing Baked Donuts
No matter where you store these donuts, make sure to store inside an air-tight container with a paper towel under them. Choose a cool area that is out of sunlight!
- Room temperature: Homemade donuts don’t have a very long shelf life at room temperature. If you plant to store them on the counter, make sure to place them inside an air-tight container and store them only for 1-2 days.
- Refrigerator: To extend the shelf life, store donuts in the refrigerator, still in an air-tight container. (If you live in a hot or humid environment, or if your donuts have cream filling or dairy toppings, it is always best to refrigerate them.) In the refrigerator, baked donuts should last 5-7 days.
- Heat them up: To freshen up cold donuts, you can easily heating them up for a few seconds in a microwave! Just a few seconds to warm them up though, you don’t need any more.
Can I Freeze These Apple Donuts?
Yes, technically you can freeze them for 2-3 months but note that it will change the texture of the donuts.
- It’s best to freeze these donuts without the sugar coating. Cool baked donuts first and place them onto a parchment paper covered cutting board side by side. Freeze for about 2 hours. (Set the timer!?
- Once frozen, stack them with a square of parchment paper in between each donut and place them into a large freezer zip-top bag. Get as much air out as you can, label, and back in the freezer.
- To thaw, you can simply that individual or all donuts on the counter for about 30-40 minutes. Coat them in cinnamon sugar after thawing.
Can I Use Canned Apple Pie Filling?
This is a very common question with my apple pie type recipes. I do not usually recommend using canned apple pie filling because it is a completely different texture and size of apple pieces. The amount of liquids, thickness, and consistency often varies brand to brand. The apple texture in the canned filling is also very different than if you work with fresh, homemade apple filling. It’s also often much sweeter.
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Baked Apple Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
For Apple Pie Filling:
- 1 1/4 cup diced gala apples about 2-3 medium apples
- 1 ½ tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
For Donuts:
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup low fat buttermilk
- 3 tbsp salted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
For Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling:
- Peel, core and dice apples.
- Heat up a sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and sugar, mix well. Add diced apples and mix. Sprinkle in flour and apple pie spice. Mix well, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until apples are softened.
- Make sure to stir every few minutes. Take off heat and let it cool down so it's not scalding hot when you mix it into the batter.
Donuts:
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a donut pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla together until smooth.
- Sift in all dry ingredients and whisk until all incorporated.
- Add apple pie filling mixture and mix well using a spatula. (The mixture should not get much thinner.)
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag. (You may have to use a large piping bag or do it in two batches.)PRO TIP: To transfer the batter from the mixing bowl into the piping bag easier, place the piping bag into a pint glass and fold it over the rim to open it up!
- Cut the tip off both piping bags, leaving only about 3/4 inch opening.
- Squeeze batter into the donut cups of the pan, in the circle motion, filling each cup almost all the way full. Make sure there is an even amount of batter all around.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes and let donuts cool on the wire rack, just until the donuts cooled enough to be handled.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- Melt butter in one little cup and mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Brush the top of the donut with a some butter and then dip it into the cinnamon sugar mixture, cover it evenly. Place back on the wire rack and repeat with all donuts.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Some More Easy Donut Recipes To Try
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in September 2017.
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Taste the best! Tis the season… my neighbor now makes them all the time !
Thank you! I am so happy you guys like the recipe! 🙂
These donuts were excellent. They’re soft and delicate and the apple pie spice perfectly compliments the apples without being overpowering. Be sure to use the cinnamon sugar topping as I feel it’s definitely necessary. I made these as written and will make them again. I reviewed them on my YouTube channel, The Real Deal Recipe Reviews, where I always try to make recipes as written and give honest reviews. These are a winner!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! 😊 I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Apple Pie Donuts and that the apple pie spice balance hit just the right note! The cinnamon sugar topping really does add that extra special touch, doesn’t it? 🍎🍩 I’m honored that you featured them on *The Real Deal Recipe Reviews*—I’ll be sure to check out your video! Thanks again for giving these a try and sharing your experience!
Tried this recipe today. They are easy to make and taste so good. Will make them again and share some with my neighbors. In my retirement community. Many thanks! 🤗
I am so glad you liked it, Mae!
I used apples from our trees (called State Fair) and this recipe to delicious. My husband and I ate all 12 within 24 hours. I can only make these once in a while because of that. We have no self control when it comes to these donuts.
I am so glad you liked the donuts, Pamela! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Made according to recipe except had closer to 2 cups of apples. These donuts were da bom!
Glad you liked them, Patty!
have you ever tried an alternate flour with these? wondering about whole wheat or cassava…trying to limit my white flour intake.
Wheat will work just fine using the same amount as you would regular flour, the texture and flavor will be different though. As for the cassava flour, I have never used it but read that it is a little thicker it tends to absorb more liquid so the batter might be a different consestency you would have to experiment with it.