My dog, Mannie, has a new thing he loves to do.
But before I tell you what it is, let me remind you that California is in a drought. This means that everyone’s lawns looks dead and depressing – yellow is everywhere and the air is all stale and yellow-y.
Side note: you totally know what I mean by ‘yellow-y’ right? Where the air smells yellow? Or is that totally just me? Don’t answer me if I’m crazy.
So needless to say, our lawn is yellow and dead.
Mannie has taken a liking to scratching his bad and writhing around on the ground in both the house and outside. And since our lawn is far from lush and green, this means alllllll that dead grass business gets all up in his fur every time he does this. Mannie will go from a black dog to a yellow dog in seconds, covered from head and face to toes in dead grass.
It’s a sight to behold indeed.
And it makes vacuuming extra wonderful. *sarcasm
Or it’s a personal fave of mine when he rolls around in the dust. Apparently we have an area in our lawn (or lack thereof) where there’s a huge source of dust because homeboy hops in the house straight up BROWN. He’s like a real life Pig Pen.
So now every time Mannie goes outside, I have to supervise him to prevent him from getting completely and utterly dirty or spend an extra half hour vacuuming the dead grass from our carpets. If only there was a way I could get Mannie to vacuum for me…
Homie needs to get on that housework STAT.
Anywho, a couple days ago I made these amazing Apple Cider Donut Holes while Mannie was frolicking outside. He happened to come in completely clean and untouched by yellow deadness which was cause to celebrate! Hey, I’ll take any reason to eat donuts and celebrate 🙂
These come from my friend Nicole who made them as regular donuts. I tweaked her recipe a touch and made them more my own in poppable, delectable donut holes. They’re fun, easy to make and even easier to eat!
No supervision required.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- ¾ cup apple cider
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 3 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- FOR TOPPING:
- ⅔ cup cinnamon sugar
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Liberally grease a 20-cavity donut hole pan or mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the apple cider, beaten eggs, oil and vanilla and gently mix to combine. Mixture will still be lumpy; this is normal and do not continue to overmix as it'll lead to tough donuts.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, portion batter evenly among the donut hole cavities/muffin tins. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes or until donuts spring back lightly when touched. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then gently flip onto a wire rack.
- Brush the tops and bottoms of the donuts with the melted butter using a pastry brush, then dredge the donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating completely. Serve immediately, or store airtight for up to 2 days.
These donut holes are amazing! Bursting with a subtle hint of apple, and lots of cinnamon and nutmeg, these donut holes are my family’s new favorite! We could not stop eating them one by one 🙂 I know you’ll love them too!
Have a sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Sammie says
I really thought these doughnut holes were fried – they look so good. Fab recipe and how you get some rain very very soon. Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks so much Sammie! These are awesome baked donut holes!
Michele @ Alwayzbakin says
Love your funny doggy story. 😀 And THESE donut holes look fabulous. I think I see them in my future.
thedomesticrebel says
You must give them a try Michele!
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
My kiddos will love these! Poor Manny – haha! I think I would be vacuuming him too!!
thedomesticrebel says
Mannie needs to be vacuumed daily, ha! Make these for your kiddos! Thanks Jamie!
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
*Sorry – I just noticed it’s Mannie not Manny!!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Apple cider donuts are a must this time of year! Your donut holes look perfect!
thedomesticrebel says
A must make for sure! Thanks Jessica!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
I am ALL about cider donuts!
thedomesticrebel says
You and me both!
Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss says
Every fall I have to stop myself from taking home a bag of 6 fried apple cider donuts from the orchard we apple pick at. I always eat at least 4 because they’re SO DANG TASTY. But let’s be real, homemade is always best and mini means you can eat a bunch! I’ll be making these for sure once it starts to feel like fall 🙂 pinned!
thedomesticrebel says
Jessica, I feel you. They have the best donuts at the apple farm where we go, and these are eerily similar, though not fried. I hope you like them, too!
Mir says
Okay, so the drought does sound really bad. It’s just hard not to be jealous of anyone living in California. I mean, you get sunshine all year long. I get so sad this time of year when the leaves start falling and I know temps are going to drop and yeah. Let’s switch climates!
These look incredible. I made apple cider donuts the other day, but mine are all gone now. Want yours!
thedomesticrebel says
And I wanna try yours! Let’s swap climates and donut recipes!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
eee omigosh you poor thing–I despise cleaning. Good thing Mannie is so cute!
and these donut holes are a delish way to celebrate a clean dog!
thedomesticrebel says
It is a good thing he’s so cute! Thanks Kayle!
Jess says
I absolutely love this recipe! So much so I added it to my ultimate apple recipe roundup…I hope you will come by and take a look! Have a great week xo http://dreamingofleaving.com/2015/09/21/worlds-best-apple-recipe-roundup/
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks a bunch, Jess!
Nicole Hill says
These look super yummy!! I love all things fall and I really love apple cider donuts ! I made a delicious apple cider bread loaf the other day that came out amazing….it was the perfect donut replacement until I invest in the proper donut cooking tools!! Thank you !!
thedomesticrebel says
That apple cider bread sounds fantastic, Nicole!
Rachel says
Some how my batter looks way too liquidy. Should I add more flour?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Rachel! Hmm… not sure how it could have gotten runnier, but in this case, maybe start by adding an additional 1/2 cup flour!
Rachel says
I used my kitchen aid. I think maybe it over stirred it?
Jo Ann says
I just made these and evidently used a little too much flour… So added more cider.
My happiest change was I brushed half of the batch with butter and then the other half I dipped in more cider before the cinnamon sugar. Best change ever. Made them more moist and more “appley”.
thedomesticrebel says
Jo Ann, love your take on it! Thanks for the tip 🙂
KarenB says
Accidentally clicked on a Wilton donut HOLE pan rather than the donut pan on Amazon. Thus, have been looking for Apple cider donut hole recipes. Thank you! I also live in California, near Sacramento. The drought is still bad, even now that it’s Dec 2016 when I am writing this! We haven’t been up to Apple Hill this year so far, where they have the most amazing apple donuts. Hoping these are just as good. Wondering if it’s better to weigh the ingredients than using the measuring cup? I know sometimes it does make a huge difference. Making these tomorrow. Can’t wait! Also, have you subbed the white sugar for Splenda granular or Stevia before to cut down on the sugar?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Karen! I’m near Sacramento, too 🙂 So, Hi neighbor! This recipe will work as written so you don’t need to weigh the ingredients if you don’t want to. I have not tried substituting a sugar sub before, but I imagine if you used a cup-for-cup conversion of the sugar sub, it should work! Let me know how it goes!
KarenB says
Hiya Neighbor! We always go to Abel Acres at Apple Hill. We are in Sun City Lincoln Hills. So close! So excited I found your site. All of your recipes look delicious! I also am looking for an apple fritter recipe. I had used one in the past and It literally took all day. Lol. So if you have one to share or a favorite one, it would be appreciated! Thanks so much. I will update you on my Splenda useage and let you know how it goes.
KarenB says
Hi neighbor! Is the batter supposed to be like cake batter? Or thicker like cookie or banana bread batter? I have one pan in now, 20 hole pan, but have lots left over. So MAYBE I need to add more flour too?
Rosalyn says
Made these and they are delicious!!! Love anything with apple cider….perfect. ..and I even used my cake pop maker
Molly says
Thinking of making these this weekend for an event!- question….dipping them in butter and then the cinnamon and sugar- does the butter become yucky in there if served a few hours after making them? I’ve made muffins like this before and scared they won’t keep well! Thanks!!! They look amazing!
thedomesticrebel says
Molly, nope, I feel like they keep well!
Jen says
Great and yummy recipe! I definitely had to bake them for more like 20 to 23 mins. In a 24 mini muffin pan at 325. Turned out great though!
Betty King says
I can’t find apple cider anywhere. What can I do? HELP
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Betty! Hm, not even at Trader Joe’s? I know they have some, or most grocery stores should have it in the produce section. I suppose you could use apple juice in a pinch, but cider definitely has a richer flavor.
Sarah says
Can these be frozen for later?
thedomesticrebel says
I have not tried freezing them, but if you try it and it works out, let me know!
liat says
¾ cup apple cider-
is it the Vinegar or just the juice?
thanks in advance
thedomesticrebel says
Juice!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great idea for the weekend or to bring to an early morning sports event.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Have you ever tried adding any apple bits to them?
Charity says
Hi!
Tried making these and I’m a decent baker. My batter wasn’t over mixed and was still very watery. I’ve never made cake doughnuts so I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Do you have any photos of what your batter should look like at the end? Want to make these for my partners birthday!
thedomesticrebel says
Charity, I’m sorry, I don’t have photos of what the batter should look like. It should be thicker, not runny. Another thing you can do is reduce the apple cider. Put it in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until reduced by half or so. The flavor will be more concentrated.