Monday, September 27, 2010

Oven-Baked Apple Donuts


No season makes me happier than Fall. Since moving to Montreal, the beautiful Indian summer has been one of my favourite moments of the year. Montreal weather tends to linger on (like our icy cold winters) but the peak of Fall only really last a couple of weeks so you have to learn to really appreciate it while it's here. Every morning during this time of year I can spot a new tree transitioning from green to a different shade of red, crimson, yellow and orange. There's something absolutely breathtaking to the vivid colors that nature projects in late September and October. It gets me every time. These are just a couple pictures of the trees this weekend.I suspect that in the next few days the green leaves will have changed their coat for good. There seems to be a whole story that nature is trying to tell us to stop us in our busy lives. It's all about taking the time to appreciate the beauty of changing cycles. Every year, the same tree starts the transition first. It always seems to me that he's the real trooper of the bunch, the one that had the courage to lead others and show them the way. Then, slowly, each tree embraces its destiny and one by one, they makeup a vivid canvas of colors. The picture they makeup as a whole is stunning, as is the individuality of each tree, slowly changing at its own pace in time.

Going up to the mountain this weekend with a good cup of coffee and a warm scarf, I enjoyed a moment of peacefulness by the water. There has been quite a lot of business going around these past couple weeks and it's sometimes nice to take a step back and just enjoy a calm, nature-filled morning. The recipe I bring you today fits those fall days like no other. It uses the fruit in season (deliciously plump apples) and is a healthier twist on the traditional deep-fried donuts. These are baked, best eaten straight out from oven, after they have been tossed in a little cinnamon-sugar.





Oven-Baked Apple Donuts

Makes about 24 mini donunts
Adapted from cooks.com

1/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
1 1/2 cups of bite size chunks of apple, peeled and cored
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk

To Coat:
1/4 cup of butter, melted
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Preheat your oven to 350F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugars salt and and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the cold chopped butter. Rub the pieces of butter with the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the milk and fold in the chopped apples. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir using a spatula or spoon making sure not to overmix. Place a spoonful of batter into each mold of a buttered mini muffin pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the donuts are just golden. Remove from the oven, unmold and lightly brush each donut with the melted butter. Dunk in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon mixed in. Shake off excess sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy!

65 comments:

Claudia said...

What a beautiful feeling! Once I visited Canada (Vancouver) and I felt in love, it's a very beautiful contry, with its mountains which fall down to the ocean... and the colours of the landscape in October... it was like dreming! What a beautiful memories you made me think! And i like so much these donuts!They are delicious! Kisses ps: Sorry for my english, it is not very good! ^-^

DessertForTwo said...

Wow-these look delicious! And they're baked not fried? Count me in! Thanks for sharing-I can't wait to make them!

Katie said...

Wow these look like little bites of apple heaven! I love this time of year when you can see so much growing and ripening on trees and bushes

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

Bookmarked! Any baked donuts that look as good as these needs to get special attention!

vanillasugarblog said...

nothing like the first apple donut of fall.
and yes, one does need to step back every now and again and enjoy the colors, changing smells of the air of the fall season. our leaves haven't started to turn just yet....i hope soon though.
your donuts are just to die for, as always

lara dunston said...

Just discovered you! Loving your blog!

Do check out our food blogging contest on my blog Grantourismo - I think you'll like it - just 5 days left to enter though!

All you need to do is post (to your own site) on a quintessential dish of a place.

We've got some great prizes including a holiday rental stay anywhere in the world, Olympus camera, tours with Context and Viator, private guide to take you on your own personal foodie tour with Our Explorer, and an Afar magazine subscription.

Hope to see you entry, and if not, nice to read you anyway!

best,
Lara

Prerna@IndianSimmer said...

I'm SO loving you right now. I love doughnuts but since I was not brought up eating/making them I didn't know how to make them without actually frying and still not loosing the taste. I bookmarking this one and going to try it out. Would let you know if it turns out great.

Unknown said...

Holy wow, how wonderful these look! Love the duck photo too.

Torviewtoronto said...

looks delicious lovely pictures

Asha @ FSK said...

Woohoo!! thanks for this recipe. I have an abundance of apples and need new ideas to use them!

CC11 said...

These donuts are the perfect way to evoke Autumn when you miss it

Delicious Dishings said...

I made fried apple doughnuts a few times last year and am already dying to make them again this year. These look like a healthy alternative... and I may try them if I can break the frying habit!

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Okay. I'm officially mad at you. Between the picture and your utterly spot on, delightful summary of the feeling of fall I feel like I HAVE to make and eat every single last one of these. Again - I blame you...

mexiroccan said...

Made these today... It's been raining non-stop down here because of a series of tropical storms. They were perfect for the chilly weather :) THANK YOU!

The Glamorous Gourmet said...

What gorgeous and inspiring Fall photos! Those donuts look crazy delicious and what's not to love about the oven-baking part?! I bet they smelled amazing while baking too. Thanks for sharing - Cheers!

Taz said...

oh my, these look delicious! I've never had apple doughnuts before - but there's a first time for everything!

Maria said...

Lovely photos! I love fall and these donuts are the perfect fall treat.

Kate Morgan Jackson said...

That's it - I'm coming over. Save me some apple donuts!

Morgan Friedman said...

These look amazing! I can't wait to try them. Thanks for all the great recipes!

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

These look incredible! I love that they are baked and not fried!

Suzanne said...

Those little donuts look like a little piece of heaven! Your photos of fall are beautiful, you have a lovely blog. Thanks for stopping by my blog and the nice compliment too.

Reds said...

Oh my these look good!! Gotta try them soon! And thanks for the comment on my blog! :)

Anonymous said...

I think I'll have to make these this weekend they looks so scrumptious and aren't fried! Perfect for the fall weather.

Deana Sidney said...

I love the idea of baking them instead of the oil bath... these are just perfect and just in time for fall... lovely!

Grace said...

I love Montreal, especially this time of year. My husband and I used to visit every September for usually 3-4 days, it was our alone time without the kids. We would take a caleche ride around the city and enjoy all the city had to offer, beautiful.

I've never made oven baked donuts, this look so delicious I think I will try them over the weekend, my son is going to love them.

Marcy@JustCrumbs... said...

Mmmm! I have been wanting to make doughnuts for a few weeks now. Especially oven baked doughnuts. Thank you for this post.

Petra (Zoom Yummy) said...

Yum! Those look irresistible! Love the pic. :) Petra

Anonymous said...

I've got loads of apples from my apple trees this year and am looking for cool recipes to use some of them up (a girl can only eat so much applesauce). This looks fantastic.
*kisses* HH
p.s. wonderful pictures!!

Anonymous said...

These look and sound absolutely delightful, and so surprisingly easy to make. I have to admit, I have issues frying things so have always thought that doughnuts were out of my league. This gives me hope again!

Carolyn Jung said...

I want my "apple a day'' in donut form. I think my doc would approve, too, since these are baked. ;)

Unknown said...

Such beautiful photos, and the apple doughnuts look exquisite. I will most definitely be making these tomorrow!

christelle is flabbergasting said...

Oven-baked! That change it all! I am not a big fan of frying donuts (it's always getting messy and sticky! ;) )
but IN OVEN, I must try them!!

Mary said...

These look fantastic, and so perfect for the season. Fall is definitely here in Ottawa too, and the leaves are so colourful. I'll have to get out and pick some apples so I can make these.
:)

Kelly said...

Just baked these-- OH my goodness. My roommate is already planning to make a batch tomorrow. So apple-y!!

polwig said...

Beautiful photos and amazing recipe... I love that these are baked...

Carolyn said...

Yum - these look delicious!!

Audrey said...

oh, my! I love apple cider donuts but I would never make the deep-fried kind at home. These look incredible!

Lyndsay Wells said...

I just saw this recipe on thekitchn.com and had to come by your blog. Now, I'm excited! Love everything I've seen so far. Will be trying all of your apple recipes and will be back!

AK @ Incontinence Supplies said...

That's great! Another option if you think your apples are going bad is to make Apple Jelly!! Good Stuff!

Anonymous said...

I like the sound of baked rather than fried donuts, i wonder how a yeast dough will turn out? You have inspired me to have a go, thanks

Lilly said...

i think i love you for posting the recipe for Oven-Baked Apple Donuts ... this is now the mission for this weekend.

TheFiveDays said...

Thank you so much for posting these, I used to have a similar (or same?) recipe called Apple Puffs and my whole family loved it. Until I lost it. I've been trying to find it forever. Woohoo!

Anonymous said...

I made these this morning and the batter was a bit dry... also they tasted a bit floury like the flour wasn't cooked all the way.

I used whole wheat flour.. should I have adjusted anything?

They were easy and otherwise had a good flavour... my daughter did most of the work by herself... good kid friendly recipe

Chocolate Shavings said...

Anonymous: I haven't made these with whole wheat flour - but that may have affected the texture. If the batter seemed dry, they might have over-cooked a little as well. I would try making them again with a little more apple (to add moisture) and make sure to take them out of the oven as soon as they are cooked. Hope that helps - and I'm glad you still enjoyed them!

Courtney Biggs said...

I am so making these next weekend :)

Chocolate Shavings said...

Courty Biggs: Great- let me know what you think!

Liz Autry said...

Tried these this morning, and they are definitely a keeper for our little family!

I found you on Pinterest.

Annaliese Lemmon said...

I adapted these apple bites to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. My son who is allergic to those things devoured them! The recipe with the adaptions is on my blog. Thanks for sharing this recipe with Giving Up on Perfect.

Chocolate Shavings said...

Annaliese Lemmon: I'm glad you enjoyed them and your version sounds delicious!

lori said...

Thanks for this recipe.I made these this morning and they are absolutely delicious! Can't stop eating them.
Blessings,

Dawnb1985 said...

How many calories is this a serving?

Sabrina said...

Just made these and man they are amazing!!! I am pretty sure I will eat the whole batch myself! Yum!!!

cameragnome said...

Delicious! We just made these. My son didn't want apples in his, so I added apples to half the batch after it was all mixed. Plain, or with apple, these were fast and simple. A small disher would work nicely to measure and quickly scoop the batter.

joanandriahsreviews said...

I am a major apple fritter fan and cant find any good ones where I live. Love the recipes. Looks very doable.
Can't wait to try it. Noms.

mel mel said...

I made these and they turned out like bread balls, instead of donut holes...very disappointed. :/

Chocolate Shavings said...

mel mel: I'm sorry to he's that! The dough is meat to be fluffy- you might have over-baked them? Or overworked the dough?

Anonymous said...

Just made these today and they are so yummy!!! Mouth watering, not dry at all. My kiddos loved them as well!!

Anonymous said...

Very tasty! I would consider them more of a muffin than a doughnut, but they were still good.

srruelas said...

Made these for a fall bachelorette party, Thanksgiving day and now for Christmas morning! They are delicious and addicting! Happy Holidays to all!

srruelas said...

Made these for a fall bachelorette party, Thanksgiving dinner and now Christmas morning! They are delicious and addicting! Happy Holidays to all!

srruelas said...

Made these for a fall bachelorette party, Thanksgiving dinner and now Christmas morning! They are delicious and addicting! Happy Holidays to all!

Brittany said...

What kind of apples do you recommend using?

Chocolate Shavings said...

Brittany: Granny Smith apples work nicely in this recipe - but I've tried it with Mcintosh apples as well.

Unknown said...



oh I like that donuts
i love eating that's why im too fat now :)
but most of the time what i eat are chocolates
in fact i buy macaroons online
because that's my favorite which is chocolate macaroons.
well anyway that apple donuts above are interesting i wanna try that.

Cat said...

I was lazy the other day when I made these (and also had three kids begging for breakfast) so I cut some steps. I made them in a regular muffin tin and got ten muffins. I also didn't do the melted butter and cinnamon sugar. They were ridiculously good and none of them made it to lunch time. I'll try them with the cinnamon sugar sometime, but even without they were delicious!

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