Baked Applesauce Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar: Soft and Easy Homemade Recipe

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How to Make Applesauce Donuts

These baked applesauce donuts are soft, warm, and finished with a crackly cinnamon sugar coating. One bite gives you a tender cake crumb with mild apple flavor, and the next thing you know you are reaching for a second one.

They taste like a treat from a donut shop, but they come straight from your oven with no frying and no hot oil to manage.

The secret is simple. Unsweetened applesauce goes right into the batter, where it keeps the crumb moist and adds gentle apple flavor. Ground cinnamon shows up twice, first in the batter and then again in the finishing coating, so every bite tastes warm and spiced.

This recipe is adapted from the original recipe, and it is written for real life: basic pantry staples, one bowl for the dry mix, one bowl for the batter, and a small batch of six donuts that is just right for a weekend morning or an after school snack.

You will need a donut pan that makes six donuts and a large piping bag. Lightly grease the pan with extra butter before you start, so the donuts release easily after baking. The batter is thick, which makes the piping bag the easiest tool for filling the cavities neatly and evenly.

Here is the whole method in four quick stages.

Stage one: mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl, then set it aside. Mixing the dry ingredients separately from the wet ones is a small habit that makes a real difference, because it helps you avoid overmixing later.

Stage two: make the batter. With an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Then beat in the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce, and milk until combined. Finally, add the dry mix and beat until smooth. The batter should look thick and glossy, with no dry streaks of flour.

Stage three: bake. Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and pipe it into the prepared donut cavities, filling each one evenly.

Bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a donut comes out clean and the donuts look set and springy. Take the pan from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, then gently lift the donuts out.

Stage four: coat in cinnamon sugar. While the donuts are still fresh, stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Brush each donut with melted butter. The melted butter is what makes the coating stick, so give each donut a good even brush.

Roll each buttered donut in the spiced sugar until it is coated all over.

Let the donuts cool slightly in the pan before moving them to a rack. This short rest keeps them from breaking and helps the cinnamon sugar cling.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

These donuts are at their very best the day they are baked, with the coating still crisp and crackly. If you have leftovers, storing them the right way keeps them soft for days.

Cool completely before storing. This step matters. Donuts that are still warm release steam inside the container, and that steam turns the cinnamon sugar coating soggy. Give them time on the rack until they feel room temperature all the way through.

Wrap leftovers tightly or place them in an airtight container, and keep them at room temperature for up to three days. The coating will soften a little by day two, but the crumb stays tender.

For longer keeping, the freezer is your friend. Pack the cooled donuts into a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to three months. To serve, thaw them at room temperature for one to two hours, or warm them briefly in the microwave for a just baked feel.

Recipe Variations

One of the best things about this recipe is how easily it adapts. These four variations come straight from the source method, so you can bake with confidence no matter who is at your table.

• Gluten free: replace the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, and double check that your baking powder is gluten free. Everything else stays the same.
• Vegan: swap the egg for a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce, use plant based milk, and replace the dairy butter with coconut oil or margarine in both the batter and the coating. The extra applesauce keeps the batter moist in place of the egg.
• Sugar free: use erythritol in place of the granulated and brown sugars in the batter and the coating. The cinnamon still brings all the warm flavor.
• Pumpkin spice: add half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the batter and replace a third of a cup of the applesauce with pumpkin puree. If that flavor is your favorite, my Baked Pumpkin Donuts make another easy baked treat for the season.

  

Think of these as optional ideas. The main ingredient list and the baking steps stay the same, so pick the version that fits your kitchen and bake away.

Ingredients

Gather everything before you turn on the oven and this recipe moves fast. You need basic pantry staples plus butter, an egg, applesauce, and milk. The amounts below make six donuts, with the coating mixed as its own separate group.

For the donuts:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tbsp milk

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Room temperature butter and egg blend into the batter more smoothly, so set them on the counter a little while before you begin.

Instructions

Here is the full method from start to finish. Preheat the oven first so it is hot and ready when the batter is mixed.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease a donut pan that makes six donuts with extra butter. Set it aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy.
5. Add the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce, and milk, and beat until combined.
6. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
7. Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut cavities.
8. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (start checking at 18 minutes), until a toothpick comes out clean and the donuts are set.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
10. Gently remove the donuts from the pan.
11. To make the coating, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
12. Brush each donut with melted butter and coat it in the spiced sugar.

Serve the donuts while they are still a little warm if you can. Soft crumb, buttery richness, and crackly cinnamon sugar in every bite is exactly what you are after.

Notes

A few simple habits from the tested method will keep your donuts soft, tender, and easy to unmold.

• Do not overmix the batter. Stir only until the ingredients just come together. Too much mixing develops gluten, and that can turn soft donuts tough.
• Mix wet and dry separately. Combining the flour mixture and the butter mixture in their own bowls before bringing them together is the easiest way to avoid overmixing.
• Grease the pan well. A thorough layer of butter keeps the donuts from sticking, and a light dusting of flour makes them lift out even more cleanly after baking.
• Cool slightly before moving. Let the donuts rest in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This short rest helps them hold together and gives the cinnamon sugar coating something to grip.

If you love apple bakes, my Apple Spice Cake With Brown Sugar Icing is another cozy one to try. And for a different finish on this same idea, this baked applesauce donuts with maple glaze recipe shows a sweet glaze alternative to the cinnamon sugar coating.

Recipe details

Here is the timing and yield at a glance, so you can plan your bake.

Each serving is estimated at 275 kcal, with 42 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 11 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 1 g fiber, 26 g sugar, 265 mg sodium, and 53 mg cholesterol.

See the additional source.

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Applesauce Donuts

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How to Make Applesauce Donuts These baked applesauce donuts are soft, warm, and finished with a crackly cinnamon sugar coating. One bite gives you a tender cake crumb with mild apple flavor, and the next thing you know you are reaching for a second one.

• Total Time: 40 min
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the donuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp milk

For the cinnamon sugar coating:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

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Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 350°F: Preheat oven to 350°F.
2-Lightly grease a 6-hole donut pan with: Lightly grease a 6-hole donut pan with extra butter. Set aside.
3-In a bowl combine the flour, baking: In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
4-Using an electric mixer, beat the butter,: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
5-Add the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce and: Add the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce and milk and beat until combined.
6-Add the flour mixture and beat until: Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
7-Spoon the batter into a large piping: Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut cavities.
8-Bake for 18- 22 minutes, or until: Bake for 18- 22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and donuts are set.
9-Remove the pan from the oven and: Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
10-Gently remove the donuts from the pan: Gently remove the donuts from the pan.
11-To make the coating, in a small: To make the coating, in a small bowl combine combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
12-Brush each donuts with melted butter and: Brush each donuts with melted butter and coat in spiced sugar.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 275kcal
• Sugar: 26g
• Sodium: 265mg
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 53mg