These baked apple cider donut holes are gluten free and sweet, spicy and wonderful for fall! Cinnamon and nutmeg highlight the delicious apple flavor for the perfect fall treat. Two different options are available for toppings - a crunchy cinnamon sugar and decadent apple cider glaze.
Apple Cider Donuts (or Mini Muffins!)
I love spicy treats. So waiting for fall to come around to enjoy them is not my style. I think it’s perfectly acceptable to spice up your breakfast any time of the year. I mean cinnamon apples are delicious, even in the middle of spring. These donut holes add just the spicy, cinnamon apple kick I was searching for and are such a joy to make.
Start by warming apple cider and cloves on the stove top which fills your house with a delightful aroma. I have troublesome fragrance sensitivities that tag along with my vestibular migraine, but warm apple cider is definitely not one of them. I find the fragrance calming and hope you will as well.
The batter is super easy to hand mix with a fork - no mixer mess required for this one. I don’t own a donut hole pan, and if you don’t either, not to worry, a mini muffin pan will work just fine.
Choosing An Apple Cider
Did you know that in the United States apple cider is just raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles or pulp? Outside the U. S., cider usually refers to a fermented, alcoholic beverage. It's what Americans call hard cider. Hard cider is not what you’re looking for here.
Look for an alcohol-free, dark, freshly pressed juice that contains visible sediment at the bottom of the jug. Spiced apple cider is fine too. Just give the ingredients a peek to be sure they’re safe for a migraine diet, if following. You can usually find it in the cold case located in the produce section of the grocery store, rather than in the juice aisle.
Apples with red skins are high in tannins so if you are tannin sensitive you may want to refrain from this one or consider juicing your own green or yellow apples for this recipe. That said, apples of every color are considered safe if you are following the Heal Your Headache or The Charleston migraine diets so most can use apples with confidence.
Gluten Free Flour Recommendations
You can make this recipe using either all purpose flour, or gluten free by combining oat flour with brown rice flour. I've made both ways and it's wonderful! The gluten free version occasionally takes a bit longer to cook than the all purpose flour, so keep an eye your apple cider donut holes when baking.
The flours used for these gluten free apple cider donut holes can be found here (Arrowhead Mills Oat Flour) and here (Bob's Red Mill Organic Rice Flour).
For more recipes from The Dizzy Baker, check out these posts. And check out the Pinterest page for more migraine friendly holiday recipes!
Fall Baking Recipes
If you liked these baked apple cider donut holes, you'll love some of these other fall recipes!
Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Apple Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Honey Spice Cookies
Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Donut Holes
- 1½ cups apple cider this will be reduced to ½ cup to use in the recipe
- 2 cloves
- 1⅓ cups flour I used ½ Arrowhead Mills Oat & ½ Bob’s Red Mill Rice flour
- ⅓ cup organic cane sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup plain apple sauce * see note
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping - This covers 12 donut holes. If you’re skipping the glaze double this recipe.
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
Glaze Topping
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp apple cider
Instructions
- Start by simmering 1 ½ cups apple cider with 2 cloves in a small saucepan over med-low heat for about 20 minutes. You should have at least ½ cup remaining. Remove the cloves and measure out to ½ cup. Set aside in the refrigerator to cool
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 24 count donut hole pan or a mini muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add egg, applesauce, vanilla and apple cider reduction and stir with a fork. Divide the batter between 24 mini muffin cups, about 2 tablespoons each.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes then gently remove them from the pan and place them onto a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath. This will catch all of the drippings from the toppings soon to come.
- In separate bowls, stir together your glaze topping and your cinnamon & sugar topping. Melt butter 45 seconds in the microwave. You should now have three topping bowls. Butter, cinnamon sugar and glaze. Dip the donut holes in the butter and then into the cinnamon sugar to coat evenly. Dip the donuts into the glaze or drizzle it on top.
Notes
- Regular all purpose flour can be used, or for gluten free use ⅔rd cup of oat flour and ⅔rd cup of brown rice flour. If using all purpose flour, keep in mind these will bake faster, so you may need to shorten the time. Start checking about 3 minutes before.
- For the apple sauce, check for additives or added sugar. I used Publix Greenwise brand.
Nutrition
Hi there! My daughter has an egg allergy, do you think I could make this with an egg replacer? Maybe flax eggs? It looks amazing!
I think so, but truthfully I've never done it before. I've heard good things about letting the flax or chia "egg" sit overnight for a better binding. You'll have to let me know if you try it! I'd love to be able to make some of these for my egg-free friends.
So excited I can have apple cider donuts!!! The fairs here have apple cider donuts, so being able to emulate that.. YES!! Thank you for your helpful info for each recipe. It's so refreshing to have someone explain everything and things we didn't know.
You're welcome. 🙂 We never have apple cider donuts at our fair so I'm quite jealous of yours. I'm going to guess these will be much more guilt free!
Hello! Can i use flax or chia egg? Can i also use coconut sugar? Thank you.
I thought apple cider vinegar wasn't allowed in the HYH diet? I thought it was only clear/white vinegar that was allowed.
Hi Rachel, You are correct that it isn't allowed! Jenn is using regular apple cider juice here, not the vinegar. She has some tips for how to find the juice in her post.
Yum!! Can’t wait to try these!!