This weekend I was delighted when my friend passed on this recipe for baked apple doughnuts. Baking not only saves the hassle of hot oil, it lightens up the fat content as well (taking away about 30 calories per mini doughnut). Plus, the cute mini size is the perfect portion for a sweet snack without over-indulging. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Variation: Substitute canned pumpkin puree for the applesauce for an equally delicious fall treat
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Beat everything except the flour together until smooth. Add flour and stir until just mixed. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about three-fourths full, using a scant one-fourth cup of batter in each well; a tablespoon cookie scoop helps with this task.
Bake the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges and transfer them to a cooling rack. While the doughnuts are still warm but no longer fragile, gently shake them in a bag with cinnamon-sugar.
Yields 24 mini donuts
Original recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour.