Maple apple donuts

Name: Maple apple donuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 egg; 1/2 cup applesauce (see note at end, below, on making own); 1/4 cup maple syrup (4tbsp/60ml); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup plain yogurt (60ml); 1/4 cup milk (60ml); 1 tbsp coconut oil (melted and allowed to cool); 1/2 cup all purpose flour (70g plain flour); 1/2 cup oat bran (55g); 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda); 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tbsp butter (10g); 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup; 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (4tbsp icing sugar)

July 31, 2015 by Caroline's Cooking

These maple apple donuts are baked rather than fried and made with oat bran, yogurt and real apple so are relatively healthy, but still incredibly delicious.

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I suspect there aren't that many people who start thinking about what to do for their toddler's birthday party and then end up ordering a fish-shaped cutter and a donut tin, but that's exactly what I did a couple weeks ago. I had been thinking about making donuts for a while, as my son had tried one for the first time when we were in Malaysia (I know, seems odd to have something that feels very American while so far away but that's how it happened) and had really liked it.

I was trying to ration him slightly, but found I could hardly eat it, it was so sweet. I suspect it was partly the glaze that he liked, as he has definitely got more into that kind of thing recently, but either way, it had stuck in my mind to try to make a healthier version that we might all like.

These maple apple donuts definitely hit the mark - they are moist, have a delicious maple flavor and being made with oat bran, yogurt, coconut oil and applesauce and maple syrup rather than refined sugar, plus baked rather than fried, they are relatively healthy for donuts too.

I made mini donuts, as I figured they would work best for small hands, but the mixture would work just as well in a regular size as well. I made my own applesauce to add in to the mixture, but you could use store-bought as well - it will probably be a little more liquidy than what I made, so you may want to hold back a little milk until the end to see if it seems too runny, though I doubt it will make too much difference.

The mixture is really easy to make, just mix up the wet ingredients then add the dry and mix. I came across a really handy tip for transferring the mixture into the tins - put the mixture into a ziplock bag, cut off a corner and squeeze it as you would a piping bag into the tin. It really helps avoid getting the mixture all over the place and is a lot quicker than spooning it in as well. It might look a little lumpy as you pour, but just level off the mixture before you bake it.

I debated on whether to glaze these or not, since I was going for a bit healthier, but decided I still would since it was for a birthday party, after all. I am glad I did as the maple frosting definitely made for a delicious flavor to top the apple donuts. The amount of frosting is relatively small so I didn't feel that bad. And it did make me think that with the frosting, I could probably reduce the sweetness of the actual donut as a result, but that's one to experiment on a bit more in due course (I had over-reduced on my last baking project so was wary not to do the same this time when it was for his party).

The donuts will still taste good a few days after you make them, although as with all baked goods they are best fresh. However the frosting will kind of melt into the donut after the first day, so you'll get the taste but they won't look as good.

Overall these are delicious, easy and as I said relatively healthy and definitely something I'll be making again.

Try more fall flavored treats:

Apple snack cake
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple apple filling
Apple and bacon cornmeal scones
Plus get more snack recipes and fall recipes in the archives.

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5 from 1 vote