I think the only good thing that comes out of the Patriots not being in the Super Bowl is that while the game is on, I’ll be able to get work done. Which means I was able to spend a good amount of the afternoon baking. And, more importantly, baking a recipe my roommate sent me probably in October: Apple Cider Donuts.

This was facilitated by the fact that I got a donut pan for Christmas. It’s really hard to make donuts without the pan. Rather, it’s way more effort than I’m willing to put in to make donuts without the pan.

Side note: I really don’t like the proper spelling of “doughnuts”. I think it’s pretentious. So I’m sticking with Dunkin’s preferred spelling.

These also manage to be healthy. If you ignore the glaze. There’s nothing bad in them!

First, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a separate, medium bowl whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple sauce, maple syrup, apple cider, vanilla yogurt, and vegetable oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Spoon the batter into a greased donut pan to fill each well. Bake at 350°F until donuts spring back at the touch. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.If you stop at this stage, you’ve still got healthy donuts. It’s kind of like the difference between cupcakes and muffins. These would be your muffins.But let’s be real, who wants a muffin when you can have a cupcake. To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, apple cider, vanilla extract, and milk. Put in fridge to chill while donuts cool. Put the donuts on a plate and spoon glaze over the donuts.  If you wait a bit, the glaze will harden to give that really good crispy bite.I took a lot of gratuitous pictures of these. You’ll notice the large pools of glaze in the middle of the plates – I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat quite a bit of that.When they have hardened, cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature if you think you’ll eat them quick, in the fridge if you think it might be a slower consumption.

Enjoy!

Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Donuts:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together egg, brown sugar, apple sauce, maple syrup, apple cider, vanilla yogurt, and vegetable oil.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
4. Spoon batter into greased donut pan until each well is just about full.
5. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 12 minutes or until donuts spring back when touched.
6. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:

1. Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
2. Refrigerate while donuts cool.
3. Spoon over donuts and allow to harden.