When I was little, my mom used to bring home donuts every Saturday morning. At that time, I didn’t worry about health or nutrition, I just knew my weekend was not complete without a maple cream filled donut. Holy yum.
I had ulterior motives for picking out that particular donut. You see, living in a house with 6 other people (three of them brothers), I only had one shot at eating ANYTHING my mom brought home. So I had to be clever. I could either pick out something they didn’t like or hide what they did. The hiding thing never worked though because in MY house, we had to share everything; even Halloween candy was combined in to one gigantic bowl (truly devastating).
Around the age of 11 or 12, I stopped eating the donuts my mom brought home because I began reading health magazines and decided that donuts were unhealthy. I didn’t know much else about nutrition, but I did know donuts weren’t exactly a main portion of the food guide pyramid. I don’t think I touched a donut (more than a donut hole) until I graduated from college, even when I was at my heaviest.
But then I married Brandon. Brandon loves donuts and although his palate has grown and healthy foods are a mainstay, donuts are still the apple of his eye. So every now and then I’ll pick up a couple donuts at the local bakery and we’ll BOTH enjoy them. However, since they aren’t something you should eat every day or even every week, I was on the lookout for a healthier alternative…what about a baked donut?
Enter: Baked apple and cinnamon donuts. (Brandon also loves all things apple). While they do not completely replace an actual, deep fried, fluffy donut, they LOOK like a donut and taste very similar to a cake donut or a muffin! These baked donuts make an excellent dessert! Get creative with the toppings! I chose a cinnamon and sugar topping, but ideas are limit-less! Get baking!
They taste the best straight from the oven!
BAKED APPLE CINNAMON DONUTS.
courtesy of And Her Little Dog Too.
Makes ~12 donuts
- 12 oz unsweetened applesauce
- 2 egg whites (I used one whole egg)
- 1 T oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup NuNaturals Stevia Baking Blend (or 1/4 c. more of brown sugar)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Combine applesauce, egg, oil, and sugar in to a large bowl and mix well. Slowly incorporate the rest of the ingredients, mix well, but be sure not to over mix. Place ~1/4 cup of batter in to each donut mold (see below) and bake at 425 degrees for ~ 10 minutes.
You'll need one of these!
Toppings: homemade glaze, sprinkles, cinnamon/sugar, chocolate, frosting, etc
I spread the tops with a teensy bit of melted butter and dipped in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Delicious!
Nutritional profile (without toppings): 117 calories, 0.3 g fat (0.1 g sat.), 0 mg cholesterol, 198 mg sodium, 66 mg potassium, 29 g carbohydrate, 2.8 g fiber, 9.3 g sugars
QUESTION: What is your favorite kind of donut (and if you don’t like donuts, make something up!!)
STILL LOOKING FOR VOTES IN THE FACE OF FITNESS CONTEST! I’ve dropped to 19th place. Not giving up though! HAVE YOU VOTED TODAY? CLICK HERE!
Yum I can’t wait to try these!
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[...] Diaries this morning, I knew I had to share with my blog! I know how much you all loved those Apple Cinnamon Baked Donuts I made…now it’s time to give THESE puppies a try! PERFECT for the summer [...]
Oh boy, I’d buy a donut pan JUST FOR THESE! looks awesome
[...] and since I REALLY wanted to make these Apple Cinnamon Baked Donuts [...]
[...] Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts adapted from And Her Little Dog Too, as seen on The Healthy Apron [...]
…I know what I’m making this weekend
Oh wow does this ever look delicious! I don’t ever eat doughnuts because they’re just awful for you (my favorites are honey cruellers, ugh kill me NOW) but this looks like a project worthy of investing in a doughnut pan!
Those look delicious! I love the combination of cinnamon and apples
Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend!!
Oh those donuts look delish. Donuts have always been a treat to me. I just voted for you!
Looks delicious! While Nick loves just about anything sweet, he’s never been one for donuts, strangely. Like you I remember a childhood filled with donuts, and those memories were mainly with my mom. She let me have them a few times each month, I love her!
I should make these, my husband LOVES donuts!
I just bought a donut pan i’ve been DYING to use!!! Thank you for the healthy recipe
I love this recipe!! YUM! I mean I love me an apple fritter but having a healthy option sounds wonderful!
haven’t had one in years but I have great jelly donut memories. If I can find a GF recipe I’d invest in that pan (pictured).
These look scrumptious! The crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping is calling my name!
Growing up, I was the one girl at slumber parties who didn’t jump up and down for frosting and sprinkle-glazed donuts. I wanted my apple fritter donut! Apparently “normal” kids don’t pick the apple fritter because it’s “ugly.” Haha…But it sure tastes good!! I also love old fashioned donuts (the crinkly, triple deep-fried kind). Mmm.
YES please! I love donuts!!
I had a donut phase…but it ended during my senior year of high school. Seeing these baked donuts makes me reconsider my abandonment of that holey treat. Thank you for sharing, my dear. Visiting the blogs that I’ve come to love this year brings me such comfort. Thank you for being such a sweet and uplifting presence. Have a great Friday.
SHUT UP.
Erin, this looks so amazing. I need to go buy doughnut molds now. And NuNaturals, because I really want to try it. These look so amazing. Aghhh!! Can’t you just live closer to Philly and bring me some? the internet needs to come up with a way to transport items physically haha. Great job on this!!!
I have one of those Donut Molds!!!
YAY!
my dad used to bring home donuts from the market, too! luckily, i only had to fight ONE brother for them!
your recipe looks really good! apple and cinnamon go so well together.
my fave is anything with CHOCOLATE! choc walnut crunch; choc glazed, double, choc, choc sprinkles…
I don’t get donuts often,but I do think they are quite delicious!
I love the idea of baking them. Cinnamon and apple are such a stellar combo. I am sure these taste amazing!
I’ve tried to make baked donuts, but they were so heavy – I’ll have to give yours a try – I actually bought my donut tray at a garage sale, brand new for $1 – score!
Ahh I love this idea! To me, donuts will never replace cupcakes (despite what food trends say), but I do love me an occasional donut, especially on vacation. I’m very intrigued by this baked version!
I love the idea of a baked donut. These sound awesome!
I definitely have a soft spot for donuts. I don’t tend to eat them very often anymore because of the obvious reasons but also, they don’t make my tummy feel very good. These sound great! I will need to invest in a donut mold pan!
can i have one? please? they look YUMMMY right now!!!
mmmmmm cinnamon is one of my faaaaaaaaaaav spices to play with! these look GREAT!
Holy yum is right! I couldn’t tell you the last time I had a doughnut!
They look amazing! My favorite donuts are the ones with vanilla icing inside….oh my gosh my mouth is watering just thinking about them!
I have been eyeing up those pans!! THey are so fun!
Yum!! My favorite type of donuts are homemade pumpkin donuts from the apple orchard near our house. They are sinfully delicious!
These look really good! I don’t eat donuts often, but I like the idea of a healthier baked version!
Those look sooo good! I had a doughnut last weekend for the first time in a long time and it was HEAVENly. I think I may be adding that little treat back into my life more often
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Those look amazingly fabulous!
My goodness these doughnuts look DELICIOUS! I need to invest in a doughnut pan now
Apple and cinnamon are a match made in heaven! Thanks for posting this!
Oh.Dear.Me. I have a HUGE soft spot for donuts. Huge. They remind me of my childhood. My fave used to be a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting and a whipped cream center (not custard). So freakin’ good. Now I allow myself a donut maybe twice a year and really savor it.
I love donuts, but I stay away from them because I could eat 2, or maybe even 3 in one sitting! When I was a kid my dad used to bring home croissant donuts from the grocery store. They were sooooo good!!
I cannot wait to try out this recipe.
YUM! I haven’t had a donut in SO long. My favorite are these Italian sugar donuts I make but, I don’t make them often because 1. There are a lot of steps involved and 2. They’re fried!
I’ll have to give baked donuts a try!
Thanks!
Oh PS…my favorite donut is definitely anything cake (not a fan of the raised dough). Sour cream donuts are my ultimate fav, followed closely by a cake donut with chocolate icing and sprinkles!
Oh, happy day!
You once told me that I was basically chasing waterfalls, looking for a healthier version of a donut. I am glad that you found this recipe! I am DEFINITELY giving this one a try!
Voted for ya!
I loove chocolate donuts with plain glaze!
Mmmmmmmmm…I have been meaning to try baked donuts, but haven’t gotten around to it. I love chocolate cake donuts, so I really want to try to develop a chocolate baked donut recipe.
I had no idea those donut pans existed until maybe a couple weeks ago. I think the possibilities are endless with them… even for non-donut related things!
Oh wow, I think I really need a donut pan now. Those look so yummy! My husband would be thrilled if I made donuts!!
Oh wow, these sound great – and SO healthy compared to your average donut! I think I need to get myself a donut pan because they’re so cute! My favourite kind (and I know this is super unhealthy!) is probably the cake donuts with a little glaze on them…. either that, or the classic sprinkle!
these sound super yummy!! i love that they are healthier, but still a treat