Baked Whole Wheat Apple Cider Doughnuts

Changing leaves, pumpkins on porches, and hot apple cider. Is it any wonder that autumn is my favorite time of year? Now that the weather has cooled off I can get back into my routine of sleeping in on Sundays and then baking something more exciting than cinnamon rolls. During the summer there is just no way I can justify turning on the oven and heating up the whole house, but in the fall...it is on! I wake up on Sundays to the sound of Bubba mowing the lawn and I entice him back into the house with the smell of cinnamon. French toast, bread pudding, muffins, baked donuts, scones, whatever I choose he walks into the house with a huge smile on his face.

I adapted this recipe from a blogger in London. I used white whole wheat instead of all-purpose flour and I baked the donuts in mini bundt pans. (Dear Santa, I need a donut pan. I have been a very good girl this year. Love, Sunshine Mom)

You will need:

mini bundt pans or a donut pan (muffin pans will work in a pinch)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped apple
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (the real stuff!)
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
3T oil
cinnamon sugar



I keep my cinnamon sugar ready to go at a moment's notice. You never know when the urge to have a piece of whole wheat cinnamon toast will hit you. Also good for jazzing up the kids' natural applesauce in their lunches.



Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside.



Now for the apple. I used Fuji, but most any apple will do. Granny Smith would be fantastic. I would not recommend using Red Delicious as they can be kind of mealy. It does not matter at all if the apple turns brown, so don't sweat it. Peel...



then chop in medium size pieces.



Use a mini chopper or food processor to finely chop or even puree the apple. I like little bits of apple in the donuts, so I don't puree. I used a large apple so I ended up only using about 3/4 of it. Tink and I split the remaining pieces. (If you absolutely had to you could substitute applesauce, but try to get some of the excess moisture out of it first.)



In a large mixer bowl(I used my KitchenAid with the whisk attachment), whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple, maple syrup, cider, yogurt, and oil. (*note: do not substitute butter for the oil. Using butter will cause the batter to create gluten and you will end up with a cakey donut. Oil keeps the donuts tender and airy like a fried donut.)





Switch to the paddle attachment or a large spoon and add half of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.



Then add the rest of the dry. Don't overmix!



Grease whatever pan you are using. I just used pan spray. Then coat with cinnamon sugar.



Spoon the donut dough into your selected pan. If you are using a mini bundt, be careful not to overfill. I filled my less than half full and made sure not to cover the middle separation so that I would get a real donut shape.



Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes. My mini bundts needed the full 15 minutes. While they are baking, ready a small bowl with cinnamon sugar. (If you don't want to coat them in anything once they are baked, then omit the next few steps. You could also use icing like the original poster did.)



When they are done baking, loosen the edges with a knife and then turn out into your bowl of cinnamon sugar.



Completely coat all sides.



I do not miss the greasy fried donut when I eat these! And they are every bit as tender and light and even more flavorful. There is also a lot less guilt when you think about the yogurt and whole wheat. So eat two! I did...



Pour some apple cider into a champagne flute and treat yourself!



Enjoy!!

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