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Recipes

How To Make Caramel-Filled Apple Cider Doughnut Holes

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at BU chapter.

One of my absolute favorite things about fall has to be apple cider doughnuts. As soon as the leaves start to change color, I’m thinking about where and how I can get my hands on some. This year, I decided it might be fun to make my own but with a slight twist.

When following this recipe, be sure to stick to quantities indicated in directions for each step. Multiple components of the doughnut holes use the same ingredients. 

Caramel Filled Apple Cider Doughnut Holes

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 15 minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:20 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Ethan Cappello

    Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spray a 20-24 cavity donut hole pan or mini muffin pan with baking spray.

  2. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    In a big bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

  3. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    In a small bowl, lightly whisk two eggs. Add 1 1/4 cups of apple cider, the beaten eggs, 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the flour mixture. Gently mix everything together. The mixture will be lumpy but don’t overmix or you will have tough doughnuts.

  4. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    Using a cookie dough scoop or a spoon, scoop the batter evenly into your doughnut hole pan or mini muffin pan. Pop the tin into the oven for 10-15 minutes. You can check to see if the doughnut holes are ready by poking one with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they’re ready. When finished, allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before popping them out.

  5. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    In a small bowl, melt 5 tablespoons of butter. In another small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of white sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Roll each doughnut hole in the melted butter and coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

  6. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    Once all your doughnut holes are coated with the cinnamon sugar mixture, you can move on to making the caramel sauce. Start off by heating 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.

  7. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    Once melted, add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Stir until dissolved. Allow it to bubble for about a minute and then allow it to cool for a few moments.

  8. Photo by Ethan Cappello

    Fill a pastry bag (fitted with a small tip) with the caramel after it has cooled down enough to handle. Use the tip of the pastry nozzle to make a small hole in the side of each donut and pipe each with a bit of caramel sauce.

Try to eat your donuts within a few days, and keep them stored in an airtight container. In between apple picking trips and visits to your local farmers market, hopefully this recipe will give you your fall food fix. 

Sabrina is a junior at Boston University studying International Relations. She's obsessed with her NutriBullet, likes to yell at the TV during reruns of Chopped, and spends way too much time at Trader Joe's. Sabrina loves traveling and hopes to make it to thirty different countries before she turns thirty, trying tons of new foods along the way.