Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts for a weeknight

Baked apple cinnamon donuts are simple to make at home, and your house will smell amazing as they bake! Perfect fall breakfast or treat.

This post was originally published on September 28, 2012. It was updated with new photos, updated (and totally upgraded!) recipe, and additional helpful cooking instructions to help you make the best homemade donuts ever!

Donuts are all tasty, but there's something extra special about donuts that are full of aromatic fall spices.

We've been making homemade donuts for years, and this is a recipe that We've had since 2012. It was definitely time for an upgrade!

This updated recipe is baked instead of fried. And honestly? We LOVE baked donuts. They're so fluffy and We definitely don't miss all the calories and fat missing compared to fried donuts.

[feast_advanced_jump_to]

🌟 What makes this a winning donut recipe

This donut recipe is packed with some of the season's most tasty spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice… and then some applesauce to help celebrate the season's star fruit. Your house will smell AMAZING while these are baking!

We've included some of the spices in the batter. Then the donuts are finished with a warm hug of a sugar spice mix.

These donuts are perfect with your morning coffee!

🍏 Ingredient notes

First: please don't be intimidated by the ingredient list. Many of the ingredients are used in both the batter and the sugar spice mix. You will essentially be creating three separate bowls of ingredients, but mixing two of them together for the batter.

Ingredients for outer coating

For the cinnamon sugar coating, you'll need:

• granulated sugar
• cinnamon
• cloves
• nutmeg
• salt

Wet Ingredients for Donut Batter

For the wet ingredients for the batter, you'll need:

• large eggs
• brown sugar
• melted butter
• milk
• applesauce
• vanilla (not pictured)

Dry Ingredients for Donut Batter

Finally, for the dry ingredients of the donut batter, you'll need:

• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• all-spice
• cinnamon
• nutmeg

Once you've measured and gathered your ingredients, it's time to make the donuts!

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two donut pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced sugar coating. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients for the batter.

Then in a stand mixer, or a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, milk, and melted butter.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.

Using a spoon or a cookie/ice cream scoop, spoon enough batter into each donut space. Fill with a little bit of room at the top, because these will rise.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 17 minutes, simply until the tops of the donuts are golden brown.

When the donuts have a few minutes left in the bake time, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside next to the bowl of cinnamon sugar spice mix.

When the apple cinnamon donuts are done baking, remove them from the oven. Brush each donut with melted butter then immediately dip into the cinnamon sugar spice coating mix. Place on a cooling rack while you continue to butter and coat the remaining donuts.

Kitchen tools and equipment

To make these tasty donuts at home, you simply need:

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment OR a hand mixer and mixing bowls
• 2 donut pans – these are the donut pans We've had for several years and they come in a pack of two!

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

Can We use the same batter to make fried donuts?

This recipe is developed specifically for baked donuts. If you want fried donuts instead of baked donuts, you'll need to alter the recipe by adding an extra cup of flour.

Can you make donuts without a donut mold?

Yes! It's a little trickier but it can be done if you have a regular muffin pan an aluminum foil. Here's an simple tutorial to follow to make your own donut molds in a muffin pan.

Are baked donuts healthier than fried donuts?

Yes! According to Dunkin Donuts, one of their fried glazed donuts are around 260 calories each. Comparatively, one baked donut has around 160 calories each. The main difference is baked donuts don't require a large amount of oil and fat

More donut recipes

• Simple Air Fryer Donuts
• Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts with Three Glazes
• Tasty Paleo Donuts Recipe

Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 12 donuts These fluffy donuts have tasty fall spices in each bite and are simple to make at home!

Ingredients

• cooking spray

Sugar Spice Mix

• 1-½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Batter: Dry Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Batter: Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup nonfat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Butter for finishing

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced sugar coating. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients for the batter.
• Then in a stand mixer, or a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, milk, vanilla, and melted butter.Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.
• Using a spoon or a cookie/ice cream scoop, spoon enough batter into each donut space. Fill with a little bit of room at the top, because these will rise. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 17 minutes, simply until the tops of the donuts are golden brown.
• When the donuts have a few minutes left in the bake time, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside next to the bowl of cinnamon sugar spice mix.
• When the donuts are done, remove them from the oven. Brush each donut with melted butter then immediately dip into the cinnamon sugar spice coating mix. Place on a cooling rack while you continue to butter and coat the remaining donuts.

Notes

Quantity: This recipe makes 12 to 15 donuts. If you have extra batter after both donut pans are filled, simply set it aside and then fill and bake the remaining 3 donuts in a second batch.

Nutrition

Calories: 352 kcal, Carbohydrates: 69 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 42 mg, Sodium: 282 mg, Potassium: 93 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 44 g, Vitamin A: 231 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 82 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Pin it:

This post was originally published on September 28, 2012. It was updated with new photos, updated recipe, and additional helpful cooking instructions to help you make the best homemade donuts ever!