These Baked Apple Cider Donuts With Brown Butter Maple Glaze are the perfect treat. They are moist and tender and loaded with great flavor. Between the reduced apple cider and the spices like cinnamon and apple pie spice then topped with that Brown Butter Maple Glaze, they have all the flavors of fall wrapped up in one small bite.
As I sat here typing my last entry to my blog, Baked Apple Cider Donuts my mind started to wander about different ways I could make this donut. Not that the original version wasn’t delicious. I’m just always trying to think of new ways to create something. Well, I must say my mouth started watering thinking about these. Now its the same great Baked Apple Cider Donut but its topped with a deliciously rich Brown Butter Maple Glaze that brings it to a whole new level.
Ingredients For Making Baked Apple Cider Donuts With Brown Butter Maple Glaze
- Apple Cider: I use Trader Joe’s Apple Cider. It is spicy and has great apple flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: I have tried many different flours but always return to King Arthur’s Flour.
- Baking Powder:
- Baking Soda:
- Ground Cinnamon:
- Apple Pie Spice:
- Salt:
- Granulated Sugar:
- Brown Sugar:
- Egg:
- Unsalted Butter:
- Milk:
- Apple Sauce:
- Pure Vanilla Extract: If you can spend a little more, pure vanilla extract is the way to go rather then imitation vanilla extract.
- Maple Syrup:
Tips For Making These Donuts:
- The most important ingredient for making these Apple Cider Donuts is the reduced Apple Cider. Plain Apple Cider will not have the intense apple flavor that your looking for. When Apple Cider is cooked down and reduced, the flavors become more concentrated, giving you that more intense spicy apple flavor.
- For these donuts brown butter is the key. Brown butter is easy to make and brings a rich nuttiness to recipes.
How To Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts With Brown Butter Maple Glaze
Start by reducing your apple cider down to a concentrated syrup. Pour the Apple Cider into a small saucepan and place over medium low heat. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cider has reduced to a 1/4 cup. Pour the reduced cider into a glass bowl to cool.
Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a donut pan with baking spray and set to the side.
To a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt and whisk to combine.
To a separate medium bowl add the melted butter, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, reduced apple cider, apple sauce, milk and pure vanilla extract and whisk together to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold to combine.
Pour batter into a large pastry bag. Cut the tip off the bag and fill each cavity of the prepared donut pan to 3/4 full. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 8 to 9 minutes or until when you lightly press down on a donut, it bounces back. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the Brown Butter Maple Glaze. Add butter to a small saucepan set on medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the butter starts to turn golden and brown bits start to form on the bottom of the pan. Add the maple syrup and whisk until combined. Pour brown butter mixture into a medium mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar and ground cinnamon. Whisk together until smooth and silky.
Remove cooled donuts from their pans and dip each donut on one side in the brown butter glaze. Place dipped donuts on a drying rack to set, then serve.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts With Brown Butter Maple Glaze
Ingredients:
For The Donut:
- 1 1/2 Cups apple cider
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 Teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1/4 Cup apple sauce
- 1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For The Brown Butter Maple Glaze:
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 Cup maple syrup
- 3 – 4 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Start by pouring the apple cider into a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Pour into a glass bowl to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spray two donut pans with cooking spray and set to the side.
- To a large mixing bowl add the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- To a separate medium mixing bowl add the melted butter, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, reduced apple cider, apple sauce and pure vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined,
- Pour batter into a large pastry bag, snip the tip off the bag and fill each cavity of the prepared donut tray to 3/4 full. Place trays in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until when lightly pressed on, the donuts bounce back. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the glaze. To a small saucepan over medium heat add the 4 tablespoons of butter and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until butter becomes golden in color and brown bits start to form at the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the maple syrup until combined. Pour brown butter mixture into a medium sized mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and ground cinnamon and whisk until silky and smooth.
- Remove the cooled donuts from the pans. Dip one side of each donut into the brown butter glaze and place on a cooling rack to set, then serve.
- Enjoy.
