These cinnamon sugar-coated donuts are a great homemade substitute for the cider mill donuts you know and love. They’re baked, instead of fried, but pair wonderfully with apple cider.
If there’s one thing the Midwest does better than Colorado, it’s cider mills. There’s literally ONE cider mill within an hour drive from Denver, which feels unacceptable. Moving out west has made me realize how spoiled I was with cider mills, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches back in Michigan.
Tom and I do make an annual trip up to the cider mill in Longmont, and it’s ALWAYS fantastic, but making multiple trips in a season isn’t realistic. Cue these homemade cinnamon-sugar donuts inspired by the cider mill, because the INSTANT there’s a chill in the air, I’m craving cider and donuts.
Tips for the Best Cinnamon Sugar Cider Mill Donuts
- Get yourself a donut pan. I got mine from Michael’s maybe 5 years ago, and we’re still going strong.
- Grease your donut pan with something stronger than nonstick cooking spray. I used Baker’s Joy, which is what I use to coat my bundt pans. You can also make your own version of this with Crisco, vegetable oil, and flour, if you have those ingredients on hand.
- I recommend coating your baked donuts with melted butter before topping with cinnamon sugar. You can skip the butter (I’ve made it both ways) but prefer the melted butter route, as the cinnamon-sugar will stick better and the texture will be more similar to the traditional fried version.
- This recipe calls for buttermilk, which I realize isn’t a common ingredient to have on hand. You can make a substitute for buttermilk with regular milk and white vinegar or lemon juice. Just combine 1 TBSP of vinegar or lemon juice in 1 cup of milk!
Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts
Equipment
- 1 donut pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For coating donuts:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, then mix in the sugar and brown sugar.
- In another bowl, sift flour and combine with baking powder and salt.
- Spoon or pipe mixture into well greased donut pan. See notes about this
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until donuts spring back when pressed.
- While donuts are baking, combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- When the donuts are done and still warm, use a pastry brush to coat donuts with melted butter and immediately dip donuts in cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated.
- Enjoy–preferably with a cup of hot cider or coffee!
