These donuts are very delicious and worth the effort. The only "time" they take is getting that cider reduced. You need to watch it so it doesn't reduce so much it burns. I had one this morning and actually they are just as delicious as yesterday.
Recipe from Sprinkle Some Sugar
I omitted the butter after bake (I did some and found out I didn't need to do this and made one side "wet" so I just coated the top and bottom and side with cinnamon sugar, omitted the nutmeg)
I also used my small food processer and pulsed the sugar and cinnamon before I rolled the donuts at the end, I liked the finer sugar coating for the outside of the donuts but that's optional.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts.
Donuts
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups apple cider reduced to 3/4 cup
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg (I used about an 1/8 teaspoon)
pinch salt
Topping
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (found it wasn't needed)
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ( I omitted )
1/2 cup granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Before you begin, you will need to reduce the apple cider. Pour apple cider in a small saucepan a simmer on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the cider reduces down to 3/4 cup. Once it is reduced, set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir until completely combined. Pour in the buttermilk and apple cider and mix until smooth (I used a whisk for the above, just "mixing" with a spoon didn't do it) . Stir in the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. (I folded the flour in and then gave it a final stir then stopped) Do not over mix or donuts will be tough.
Pour the batter into a ziploc bag and snip off one corner. This makes it much easier to pour into the donut wells. Pour batter into prepared pan about 3/4 to the top of each well. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until the tops are firm and spring back slightly when you touch them. Do not over bake or you will have dry donuts. (15 minutes was the magic number for my oven)
When done, remove donuts from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove them carefully and place on a wire rack to cool until they are warm to the touch so you are able to handle them. While they are cooling, get your butter + cinnamon sugar topping ready.
In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
Once donuts are cool enough to be handled, dip the tops into the melted butter and then quickly into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat for the entire batch of donuts.
These Apple Cider Donuts are best served fresh the same day, but will stay soft for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container. If they get a bit firm, you can reheat in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up and they are good as new.
I ended up with 16 donuts...baked the 12 and baked another 4 after I cooled the pan and resprayed.
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