Mini Apple Cider Donuts

 Happy Fall! I'm back with a recipe that I've been trying to nail for years, who knew baking donuts could be so difficult? I have finally found the best recipe from the New York Times and made a few tweaks with my tiny treats! Don't worry if you don't have a mini donut pan, just use your regular size pan or muffin tin and follow their directions exactly. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! Cheers!

Notes for Mini Apple Cider Donuts: Adapted from New York Times Cooking 

- I would suggest grabbing a pan like this one. I haven't had good experiences with silicone donut sheets and going with a classic tin will be your best bet for a donut that starts out so wet

- Measure your ingredients on a scale if you have one. Whenever bakers measure in grams, you better believe that's how close you will get to their creation. Worse comes to worse I've done this recipe both ways and it comes out the same give or take a minute in the oven

- A mistake I made a few times, make sure to not only spray your pan but also flour it, believe me it will help you in the long run! When the cooking is complete all you have to do is flip your pan over and give it a bang once or twice, they come out perfectly every time!

- When baking anything small, your cooking time will be reduced. This recipe calls to bake your donuts for 15-20 minutes for regular sized treats, but for the mini, cook for 10 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time

Ingredients:

Donuts - 

Nonstick cooking spray
1 3/4 cup/225 grams all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup/165 grams light brown sugar
1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup/120 milliliters apple cider
 
Dusting for Donuts -
1/2/100 grams cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your donut pan with nonstick spray. Sprinkle flour over the pan to coat, turn pan over and tap out excess flour

2. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Set aside

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 10 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract

4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. With the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous

5. Spoon the batter into prepared donut pans, filling them about 2/3 of the way. (You can also do this using a disposable piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a 1/2-inch opening cut from one corner.) Bake until evenly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest portion comes out clean, 8 - 10 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking 

6. While the donuts bake, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon together in a small bowl to combine. In a separate small bowl, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes after baking, then unmold them from the pan, brush with the melted butter and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature