Apple cider donuts that taste like apples

Apple cider donuts are one of autumn's best treats. But here's the thing - they don't really taste like apples.

So I set out to make an apple cider donut recipe that actually tastes like apples. After baking a whole bunch of test donuts and getting help from a panel of taste testers, I figured out how to do it!

Jump to:

• Recipe
• Adding more apple flavor to the donuts
• Testing the apple cider donuts
• Results: the best apple cider donut!
• Making the apple powder
• How to make apple cider donuts: step by step
• Storing the donuts
• More recipes & resources

Most recipes try to add flavor by boiling the apple cider down to concentrate it. However, once added to the batter, not a single taste tester could tell a difference between the donuts with concentrated apple cider and ones with regular apple cider.

The donuts were all absolutely delicious, but they still didn't taste like apples.

The trick I came up with is to add freeze-dried apples or apple chips to the cinnamon & sugar coating. You can buy either of these at every major grocery store, from Trader Joe's to Safeway to Walmart.

A quick pulse in a food processor turns them into a powder that easily mixes in with the sugar. The sugary coating is the first thing that hits your tongue, so we might as well make it taste like apples, right?

One last thing to mention before I jump into the recipe: if you've never made donuts before, I have step-by-step instructions with pictures after the recipe. I also share the details of the tests I did to create the best apple cider donut recipe.

Recipe

Adding more apple flavor to the donuts

Originally, apple cider donuts were not meant to taste like apples. Instead, they were a way to use up the season's apple cider, and they were a delicious treat to eat with a mug of warm apple cider.

However, that doesn't stop me from wanting a donut that does taste like apple cider. I tested several possibilities to add more apple flavor:

• Reducing apple cider to concentrate it
• Adding apple powder to the cinnamon-sugar coating (from store-bought freeze dried apples or apple chips)
• Adding citric acid to the cinnamon-sugar coating

Let's take a look at how each of these things affected the flavor of the donuts.

Testing the apple cider donuts

I actually tested 3 different aspects of the donuts: adding apple flavor, the type of sugar in the topping, and the butter mixture for dipping.

I put each of these things to the test with a group of volunteer tasters (tough job!). I baked all of the variations in a single day to determine what elements make the best apple cider donut.

• Apple cider (regular vs concentrated)
• Apple chips / freeze dried apples
• Citric acid
• Type of sugar
• Butter for dipping

Concentrating apple cider had no effect on the flavor, but adding powdered apples to the cinnamon & sugar coating definitely made the donuts taste like apples. Citric acid also mimicked the acidic flavor of apples, adding another dimension to the donuts.

Lastly, I tested regular granulated sugar with the larger raw-sugar crystals to see what tasters preferred. I also made one final adjustment to the butter that the donuts were dipped into before the sugar coating.

All of these variations are discussed below.

Apple cider

Reducing a liquid, such as apple cider, concentrates the flavor. It also takes 20-30 minutes, adding quite a bit of time to a recipe.

I questioned if a mere ½ cup of cider in an entire batch would matter. I've noticed it's hard to get a concentrated flavor from liquids in baking - the flavor always seems more mellow in things like lemon muffins or a grapefruit bread.

So I put it to the test. I baked two batches with the exact same recipe. However, one used a half-cup of apple cider straight from the jug, and the other used 1.5 cups of apple cider reduced down to a ½ cup.

For the fairest test, I gave tasters samples of each donut without the cinnamon sugar coating. Tasters were not able to tell the difference between the two plain donuts (and neither could I).

So in conclusion, reducing the cider to concentrate it did not add flavor to the donut. It's possible that commercial apple cider concentrate would make a difference since they are usually more potent, but I didn't test that (yet!).

Apple powder

I make apple chips every year and ground them into a powder one year for another type of recipe. I wondered if this would add flavor to the donuts, but I didn't want the recipe to rely on you having to make your own apple chips first.

So I shopped around town for dehydrated apple products, stopping at several stores to see how available they were for purchase. It turns out, if you're looking for them - pretty easy.

• Walmart sold apple chips and freeze dried apples
• Trader Joe's had apple chips without other additives too, but their customer service desk told me they stopped carrying their freeze-dried apples
• My major supermarket chain (Jewel) carried Bare Foods brand apple chips

Look for apple products without added ingredients. At the very least, you don't want them fried with canola oil or something like that. The more basic, the better.

I also wondered if homemade apple chips would be better than store-bought. Surprisingly, they were rated equally.

I found that about a half-cup of apple powder added to the cinnamon-sugar coating works the best. That requires either 1 ounce of freeze dried apples or 2 ounces of apple chips. (Apple chips weigh more for the same volume because they aren't as fully dehydrated).

Tasters could tell the difference between the donuts that used freeze-dried apples vs chips in the cinnamon-sugar coating, but they didn't necessarily have a preference. Both tasted equally apple-y.

The donuts that used the freeze dried apples had a coating that was a different texture. The finer-grind was fluffier, more like powdered sugar. So the cinnamon-sugar coating was half way between a granulated and powdered sugar coating.

Citric acid

Apples are sweet and acidic. The acidity is one of the major contributions to their flavor. The majority of the acid in apples is malic acid, which tends to have a smooth, fruity flavor.

Citric acid, on the other hand, is prominent in citrus fruits. It's bright and punchy. It's also easily available because it's what home canning uses in jams and other recipes.

I can find citric acid on almost every grocery store and hardware store shelves starting in early summer into late fall. Outside of those seasons, it can be harder to find unless you look online. I get mine in a spice-jar size during canning season and it lasts a long time.

Anyway, all you need is a pinch (or two) of citric acid added to the cinnamon sugar coating. The first batch I tested used a cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of citric acid. Don't do that - it's too much! The tasters all made a sour face, which was quite funny actually.

So I made another sugar batch with only ⅛th teaspoon of citric acid and it was perfect. Unless you want a sour-apple flavor, in which case, go for ¼ teaspoon.

The tasters really liked the extra acidity of the citric acid batch and suggested adding a little to the apple-powder versions. I added ⅛th of a teaspoon to a new batch with apple powder, and it was everyone's favorite donut (with the non-citric-acid apple-powder version a close second).

Types of sugar

The cinnamon-sugar coating is the first thing you taste in an apple cider donut, so I thought it was worth comparing some sugars.

I tested two plain cinnamon-sugar coated donuts (without added apple powder or citric acid). One used regular sugar and the other used a mix of 50% raw sugar & 50% regular sugar.

When I say "raw sugar," I'm referring to the slightly golden-hued larger crystal sugar. It doesn't dissolve or melt as easily and is often used on top of muffins for that extra crunch.

Most of the tasters actually preferred the crunch of the raw sugar. It didn't affect the flavor, just the texture, so take your pick!

Butter for dipping

Every baked cider donut recipe has you dip the donuts in melted butter, then the cinnamon-sugar coating. However, I noticed I could taste the butter. While butter is delicious, I didn't want a buttery flavor.

I tested another batch with melted butter where I mixed in some apple cider to 'water it down.' That turned out perfect. It diluted the butter flavor just enough, while retaining the 'sticky' quality of the butter necessary for the sugar-coating to stick.

Note that adding apple cider didn't seem to add more of an apple flavor.

Results: the best apple cider donut!

After tasters went through all of my tests, they unanimously agreed the best apple cider donuts shared the same characteristics.

The best donuts included the following:

• Regular apple cider (concentrate had the same flavor, so no need for the extra effort)
• Apple powder in the sugar coating (from apple chips or freeze dried, which tied)
• A pinch of citric acid in the sugar coating (⅛th tsp)
• Sugar: regular and regular + raw sugar mixture tied. It depends on texture preference, did not affect actual flavor
• Butter diluted with apple cider for dipping

Making the apple powder

Now that we've established the best way to make apple cider donuts actually taste like apples is to use apple chips or freeze dried apples... you probably want to know just how easy it is to do.

First of all, like I mentioned at the start of the post, they can be purchased at almost every major grocery chain in the US. I went to a whole bunch when testing this recipe just to be sure. Trader Joe's, Walmart, Jewel, and Whole Foods all had them in stock.

Freeze dried apples and apple chips both grind into a fine powder in a food processor. Freeze dried apples break down faster and finer. Apple chips can take 1-2 minutes to turn into a powder.

If you don't have a food processor, you could run a rolling pin over the freeze dried apples. It would be hard to do that with apple chips, but probably doable with enough effort.

To get a ½ cup of apple powder you need:

• 1 ounce freeze dried apples
• 2 ounces apple chips

Apple chips weigh more because they aren't as dehydrated.

The powder will clump as it sits and absorbs moisture from the air, even after just 30 minutes. Stir or whisk it to break it up before mixing it into the cinnamon-sugar coating. Alternatively, you could sift it into the sugar.

If you have leftover cinnamon-sugar coating, save it to add to another recipe (use it in muffins, oatmeal, cookies, or a quick bread). You can also save it to re-dip any leftover donuts if the sugar 'melts' into the donut overnight.

How to make apple cider donuts: step by step

First, preheat the oven to 350F degrees and grease your donut pan(s). I use these 6-capacity donut pans by Wilton that I bought off Amazon. That's an affilliate link so I do get a small commission if you buy something.

1. Make the batter

This apple cider donut recipe doesn't require you to reduce the apple cider down to concentrate it. As the taste tests show, it doesn't impact the flavor. So you might as well save those 30 minutes it would have taken to make the reduction!

I also found that the type of apple cider doesn't matter - so use what you can find near you. I've made these with store-bought versions as well as fresh-pressed at the farmers market. I don't recall noticing a difference in flavor.

The batter for this recipe is really simple: mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then combine.

2. Fill the donut pan

If you've never piped batter into a pan before, it's not hard and you don't need specialty equipment. You can pipe it with anything like a ziptop bag, or just spoon it in.

Use a spoon: I was wondering if you could just spoon the batter in, without using a piping bag (or ziptop bag). And you can. Just make sure you clear the center of any batter to preserve the donut hole. The batter smooths out when it rising, making a perfect little donut.

Piping: The trickiest (and messiest) part is getting the batter into the bag. The best method I've found is to put the bag inside a large cup (like a pint glass) and fold the edges over it - like you're lining the cup. This gives you a sturdy opening to fill the bag (otherwise it flops over and the batter goes everywhere... been there!).

Next, use a large spoon to scoop the batter into the bag. Then pick up the bag and squeeze the batter toward a bottom corner. Do NOT seal the top of the bag. Once you start squeezing, the air will pop the seal open and batter might explode out of it (also, been there!).

While holding the bag in one hand, cut the tip off the bottom corner of the bag. If you set the bag down, know that batter might leak out (again... a lesson I learned from experience).

Pick the bag back up and now you can pipe the batter into the donut pan. Fill them about ⅔rds to ¾th full. It doesn't have to be pretty... uneven ridges and bumps will smooth out when it rises (see the bottom row of donuts in the photo below in the before & after).

If you get batter everywhere and end up with a mess, I hope you feel better knowing I've done it too. More times than I can count.

3. Bake & cool

Bake for 9-12 minutes in a 350F degree oven.

They are done when they turn golden brown and bounce back when poked. However, I rely on my instant-read thermometer (seriously, it's made all of my baked goods turn out perfect every time).

Cake-like donuts like these are done when the internal temperature is between 200-210F degrees.

Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool (in the pans) for 5 minutes. If you remove them while they are still too hot, they can fall apart. After 5 minutes, remove them to finish cooling on a wire rack.

You want them to finish cooling on a wire rack for two reasons. First, the heat from the pan can continue to cook the donuts, overcooking them and drying out the internal crumb. Second, the bottoms can turn soggy as they cool and collect moisture.

4. Prepare for dipping

Make the cinnamon-sugar topping. If you're using apple chips or freeze dried apples, pulse them in a food processor until they turn into a powder. This may take 1-2 minutes.

Mix the apple powder, sugar, and spices in a bowl that's just slightly bigger than the donuts. This gives you the best coverage because the sugar will go up the sides of the donut easier.

Right before you are ready to dip the donuts, melt the butter. Add in the extra apple cider and reheat it to make sure the mixture is pretty warm. Adding in the apple cider isn't necessary, but I think it makes for a better tasting donut.

You want very warm, liquid-y butter for dipping the donuts. If it's slightly cooled, the butter coating will be too thick.

Transfer the butter mixture to a bowl that's just slightly larger than the donuts.

5. Dip in butter

Dip one donut at a time into the butter, flipping to coat both sides. Then immediately dip into the sugar (next step).

If the butter coating starts to get too thick, give the butter mixture a quick zap in the microwave to reheat it.

6. Dip in sugar

Dip the donut into the bowl of cinnamon-sugar. Swirl it around to really coat it good, and get it up the sides. Flip to coat the other side.

Set it back on the wire rack. I found that keeping airflow around all sides prevents the donuts from getting soggy as sugar absorbs moisture.

Repeat on remaining donuts.

If you have leftover sugar, save it for use in muffins, oatmeal, quickbread, etc. At the end of this article I have links to recipes for other apple cider baked goods - swap in some of the leftover sugar.

Storing the donuts

These donuts are best when fresh. The texture is perfect with a moist, cakey crumb. The sugar coating is sweet, bright, and fresh.

If you plan on having leftovers, store the extra donuts plain (not dipped in butter or sugar). Once you are ready to eat them, heat up some butter and dip them in the sugar mixture and they will be pretty darn close to fresh donuts. If any moisture collected on the donut, it won't be noticeable after the dipping process.

Once dipped in sugar, some of the sugar dissolves into the donut during storage and can become slightly wet on the outside. I solve this by re-dipping the donuts in sugar. But don't get me wrong - they still taste amazing. They just might not be guest or party worthy.

Store them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag. They last on the counter for several days (or more) or in the fridge for longer. Note that the donut texture can dry out in the fridge.

Southern Living has an entire article about storing and freezing doughnuts.

More recipes & resources

Please bake and rate this recipe - it helps me and other readers.

If you don't have a donut pan, or don't want the fuss of piping into a donut pan, you can still enjoy apple cider donuts. Just in a different form. Here are some recipes to check out.

More apple cider baking recipes

• Deep fried apple cider donuts from ThermoWorks (makers of the beloved Thermapen)
• Fried apple cider donut 'bake off' by The Pancake Princess
• Apple cider donut muffins by Katiebird Bakes
• Apple cider donut loaf cake by The View from Great Island (one of my favorite sources for recipes that use fresh ingredients)
• Apple cider coffee cake by Parsley and Icing
• Apple cider blondies by Lily P Crumbs

More apple recipes

During apple season at the farmers market, I baked my way through 30 different varieties. So out of necessity, I've found a bunch of ways to use up those apples.