Baking · Good Housekeeping
Baked Applesauce Donuts
Soft, apple-spiced donuts baked in a donut pan, brushed with butter and rolled in cinnamon-sugar.
Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping — view original recipe (opens in a new tab).
Directions independently written by Local Loop; not tested in our kitchen. AI-generated illustrative photo, not the source’s photo.
The recipe
6 donuts- Prep
- Not specified
- Cook
- Not specified
- Total
- 50 min
Good Housekeeping lists 50 minutes total, including 20–22 minutes of baking.
Ingredients
0 of 15 checked
For the donuts
For the coating
Equipment
- 6-cavity donut pan (3¼-inch cavities)
- Stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Large piping bag
- Pastry brush
- Wire rack
Allergen note: Contains wheat, milk, and eggs.
Instructions
Prepare the pan
Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 6-cavity donut pan with nonstick spray.
Make the batter
Whisk the flour, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt. In a stand mixer on medium, beat the butter with both sugars for 2–3 minutes until light, scraping the bowl halfway. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then the applesauce. On low, add half the flour mixture, then the milk, then the remaining flour, mixing just until combined.
Pipe and bake
Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and fill each cavity about three-quarters full; smooth the tops with a wet finger. Bake 20–22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Coat and serve
Stir together the sugar and apple pie spice. Cool the donuts 1 minute, then remove them from the pan. One at a time, brush lightly with melted butter and roll in the spiced sugar. Set on a rack and serve.
Kitchen notes
- Coat the donuts while they are still warm so the sugar sticks.
- Good Housekeeping links its own easy homemade applesauce recipe, but store-bought works too.
Storage & make-ahead
The source does not give storage guidance. Local Loop note: these are best the day they are made; keep leftovers covered at room temperature.