Donut Holes Recipe – Apple & Spice
Not only is the batter for this Baked Apple Donut Holes Recipe easy to make, but you can make the batter components the night before. So, in the morning, all you have to do is mix the two together and bake these easy breakfast treats.
You can be the most popular person by treating your family and guests to these Home Made Donut Holes for breakfast. The batter for these donuts is fragrant with freshly ground nutmeg. And then once these little treats are baked, they are then tossed in butter and then coated with sugar and more nutmeg.
Table of Contents
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do yourself a favor…grind your nutmeg
Fresh nutmeg is an important ingredient in this Doughnut Holes Recipe.
Fresh nutmeg is more flavorful and aromatic than the ground nutmeg you would purchase in the grocery store. Nutmeg gets its flavor and aroma from volatile oils that evaporate quickly after grinding. Because the oils evaporate quickly, it is best that you use ground nutmeg right away to ensure that you get as much of the flavor as possible. Ground nutmeg is likely to have lost much of its oil content and, therefore, much of its flavor.
I’m telling you, once you try fresh nutmeg, you will be hooked. I have the nutmeg grater that belonged to my Grandma and exclusively grate my nutmeg now. With 10-12 nutmeg pods costing less than $5.00 and a nutmeg grater costing less than $4.00, you owe it to yourself to buy yourself an early, pre-baking Christmas present. You will thank me!
make these baked donut holes in a mini-muffin tin or a donut hole pan
I used this Wilton Donut Hole pan from Michael’s.(use code 22MADEBYYOU for 20% off) for this donut holes recipe, but it is also available through Walmart.
If you’d prefer, you can make the donut holes in a mini-muffin tin, but just know that they will have a flat side.
Or, you can bake these as donuts using a donut pan. To make this as a baked donut recipe, follow the recipe and bake at 350° for 18 minutes.
the temperature change when baking is important
This donut holes recipe has the oven at 375° for 6 minutes and then reduces the heat to 350° for another 6-7 minutes. Starting them at the higher temp is one way to help them form the round dome we are looking for.
no yeast necessary
This easy donut recipe uses a quick bread recipe, so no yeast is necessary.
serving, storing, and reheating donut holes
These apple donut holes are flat out at their very best right out of the oven, having just been tossed in butter and then sugar. Making the apple donut holes recipe batter components the night before is the best way to serve these donuts fresh and warm.
That being said, if life just doesn’t allow for that that you can still serve fresh donuts to your family and guests if you need to bake them earlier. After you’ve baked the donut holes, let them completely cool, but don’t toss them in the butter or sugar. Store the donuts in a fridge or freezer in an airtight container. The day you want to serve the doughnuts, let them thaw (if frozen). Cover them snugly with aluminum foil and heat them for 5 minutes in a preheated 350° oven. While they are heating, melt the butter, mix the sugar and nutmeg, and then toss the warm donut holes in both as instructed in the recipe.
make the donut hole batter components the night before
Make your mornings easier by making the batter the night before. Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients but keep them separate. Refrigerate the wet ingredients. In the morning, combine the two and scoop the batter into the donut hole pan or mini-muffin pan per the recipe, but add 1 minute to the time the donuts are baked at 375° to account for the chilled batter.
Apple Donut Holes
Equipment
Ingredients
Donut Batter
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup of milk room temperature
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 cup grated apple from one medium apple
Donut Topping
- 1/2 cup of butter melted
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor or a bowl.
- Turn on the food processor for a few seconds to combine these dry ingredients well, or whisk together if not using a food processor.
- Cut cold butter into half-inch chunks by cutting it in half lengthwise, then cutting the 2 lengths in half lengthwise again. Then, cut half-inch chunks from the 4 lengths of butter.
- Add cold butter to your flour mixture. If using a food processor, pulse several times until the mixture looks like cornmeal. You'll want to achieve the same cornmeal texture if you cut by hand.
- If using a food processor, transfer the flour/butter mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Whisk eggs and milk together.
- Add grated apple and egg/milk mixture to the flour/butter mixture and fold in ingredients until just combined.
- Spray your donut pan or mini-muffin pans with baking release spray.
- Fill pans to just three-quarters full; err on the side of little rather than too much. I used my 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop but didn't fill it all the way.
- Place in preheated oven for 6 minutes on a rack in the middle of the oven. Then, without opening the oven, lower the heat to 350°F and bake for another 6-7 minutes until the tops of the donut holes are golden brown.
- While the donuts are baking, melt the 1/2 cup of butter in one bowl and combine the granulated sugar and nutmeg in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Pour the butter into another rimmed baking tray.
- When you remove that pan from the oven, increase the heat back to 375°, so it is ready for the next batch.
- Let the doughnuts cool for 5 minutes, then coat them in the melted butter in the baking pan by gently moving the tray back and forth.
- Then, transfer them to the baking tray with the sugar and gently coat them there by moving the tray back and forth.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes
Nutrition
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