Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Name: Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 24 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup white granulated sugar; 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon apple spice; 1 egg; ¾ cup milk; ⅓ cup butter (softened); 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 stick butter (melted); ½ cup white granulated sugar; ¼ teaspoon apple spice; ½ teaspoon cinnamon

24 minutes

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By: Julie Blanner9 Comments
Updated: 11/16/22

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This is an easy apple cider donut holes recipe that will give you your fall fix without a donut pan! These little guys are a mix of a baked donut and a mini muffin, making it an apple cider recipe that simply melts-in-your-mouth.

With a hint of homemade apple cider flavor, these apple cider donut holes are simply delicious. They are perfect for fall and beyond!

apple cider donut holes with apple cider in a glass with text overlay

Each fall I look forward to going to apple orchards and pumpkin patches for lots of fall fun and of course, apple cider donuts! I tweaked one of my favorite recipes (meltaway mini muffins) to recreate this fall favorite without the fuss.

These Apple Cider Donut Holes are quick, easy, bite-sized goodness and eliminate the need for a donut pan! For the ultimate fall experience, dip them in caramel sauce!

I love baking with apples in the fall! In fact, I have a complete Apple Recipe Guide filled to the brim with the most incredible apple recipes. It’s totally free – don’t skip it!

Don’t forget to pin and save this recipe for later. You can use the drop down Table of Contents menu to navigate this post.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love these Apple Cider Donut Holes

No donut pan required
So easy to make
Pantry ingredients (+ milk, butter, egg)
Perfect for fall!

If you love these cute little donut holes for fall, don’t miss these adorable Christmas Donuts!

apple cider donut holes with apple cider in a glass

Ingredients for Apple Cider Donut Holes

Flour – The start of any homemade baking recipe, I like to use unbleached, all-purpose flour. My favorite brands are Pillsbury or Gold’s Medal.
Sugar – Granulated white sugar is both for the mini donut dough and the sweet cinnamon-sugar coating.
Baking Powder – Use a double-acting baking powder. This is what gives these baked donut muffins their lift.
Cinnamon – A sweet, warming spice that sings all things fall.
Apple Spice – Referred to as Apple Pie Spice in the grocery store, you can purchase a small container or make your own! Keep reading for the homemade recipe. If you can’t find Apple Pie spice, simply replace it with Pumpkin Pie spice for the sweet, warm flavors of Fall.
Egg – One egg is all you need to help bind the dough together.
Milk – I prefer whole milk for all of my baking recipes, but you can substitute 2%, 1%, or even almond milk, if that is all you have on hand.
Butter – Salted is best here since there’s no additional salt in this recipe. For the dough, you want your butter softened to room temperature to make it easier for the ingredients to come together. For the topping, make sure to melt the butter and cool slightly before rolling each mini apple cider donut hole so that the cinnamon sugar coating can stick. Learn how to soften butter quickly right here.
Vanilla Extract – A luxurious, sweet flavor you just can’t get from sugar. Pure vanilla extract is the good stuff.

Apple Spice Ingredients

It’s so much fun to make your own homemade spice blend if you have all the ingredients on hand. Simply combine:

4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Ginger

Apple cider donuts with a glass of apple cider to the side.

How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients as directed, and then gradually mix in dry ingredients until moist.
Grease mini muffin pan (don’t use liners) and fill each just over 2/3 full.
Bake 14 minutes and allow to cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
Roll mini donut holes in butter, followed by the sugar mixture, serve warm, and enjoy!

Tips

Don’t overfill the muffin tins. Smaller muffins tend to bake better and offer the best sugar-topping-to-muffin ratio. Fill with muffin batter to 2/3 to compensate for rise.
Don’t over bake your apple cider donut holes. This will keep them melt-in-your-mouth tender!
Serve warm or warm them to enjoy.

Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories are in an apple cider donut hole?

The beauty of making mini apple cider donut hole muffins makes them lower in calories. A single apple cider donut hole is only 92 calories. So go ahead and eat two, ehem, or more!

Are apple cider donuts baked or fried?

They can be made both ways! It depends on the local resource where you’re buying them. Our favorite local apple orchard bakes them, and they are so delicious!

baked apple cider mini donuts on a white plate

How to Store

Cinnamon Muffins are best served warm, right out of the oven after being dipped in cinnamon sugar. However, you can still enjoy them a day or two later.

Room temperature – Store these apple cider donut holes at room temperature for up to two days, in an airtight container.
Refrigerator – Store these in the refrigerator for up to three days, and warm through before serving.
Freezer – If you are going to freeze, don’t coat them in sugar. Bake and cool completely. Simply place them in a plastic-freezer storage bag, seal tight, label, date, and store in your freezer for up to one month.

When ready to serve after freezing, place in a baking dish and reheat in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Prepare the melted butter and cinnamon sugar topping. When completely warmed through, roll in butter and sugar coating.