Healthy Recipe: Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts

Are you as ready for fall flavors as we are? We love these gluten-free apple cider donuts! These warm spiced donuts - Dr. Becky’s own recipe! - are a delicious way to start off any cool fall day.

Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups of apple cider

• ½ cup of sugar (I used coconut sugar, but regular sugar is fine)

• ¼ cup butter, softened

• 2 large eggs

• ½ cup “buttermilk” (alternative milk, I’ve used unsweetened almond milk and oat milk with 1 TSP of apple cider vinegar, let sit for a minute or two) 

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1.5 cups 1:1 GF Baking Flour 

• 1/2 cup almond flour 

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon cloves

Instructions

1. Put cider in saucepan and bring to simmer. Reduce Heat and let it reduce to ½ cup. Set aside to cool. (This takes the longest) 

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 

3. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and reduced cider until combined.

4. Add the flour blend, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves and beat until smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into a large zip-lock bag and snip about ½ inch off one corner. Carefully pipe mixture into silicon doughnut pan, filling each well about ½ full. Do NOT overfill the doughnut wells

6. Bake the doughnuts until they spring back when gently touched, about 8-10 minutes for large donuts

Optional Topping

• ¼ cup melted butter

• ½ cup coconut sugar & 1 teaspoon cinnamon, whisked together in a bowl

Dip or brush the doughnuts with the melted butter just as soon as they are cool enough to handle and gently toss with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

For more fall flavors, check out these recipes for Apple Crisp Stuffed Apples and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Healthy Recipe: Apple Crisp Stuffed Apples

Just in time for cooler weather, we’ve found a tasty recipe for a treat that can be served for breakfast, a healthy after-school snack, or even dessert! Baking the apples bring out their natural sweetness, so these apple crisp stuffed apples don’t even require any added sugar. They’re the perfect addition to your favorite fall table.

Coring the apples does take a little time, but that’s the hardest part of this recipe, and it’s worth the trouble! If you make these often, it may be worth investing in an apple corer to get these ready for your table even more quickly.

Ingredients

• 5 apples, washed

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

• 1/4 c. rolled oats

• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts

• 2 T pumpkin seeds

• 2 T coconut flakes

• 1 T coconut oil

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• dash or two nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp vanilla

• small pinch sea salt

• yogurt, ice cream, heavy cream, etc. for topping

Directions

1. Prepare your apples: cut about 1/2 inch off the tops, and core them without cutting through the bottom. Use a paring knife to cut a nice big circle out of the middle, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch on the edges. Scoop out the core and contents with a spoon.

2. You will have some good apple here so don’t throw it all away! Cut around the core, saving the good bits of apple and adding to a bowl, and discard the seeds and core bits. Repeat with all the apples. You should have enough good apple chunks to refill the apples.

3. Take your bowl of good apple bits and combine with 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Mix.

4. Fill your cored apples with the spiced apple mixture.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°.

6. Prep your crisp topping by mixing together oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, coconut oil, the rest of the cinnamon (1/4 tsp), nutmeg, vanilla, and sea salt. Make sure the oil is well incorporated and everything is mixed nicely.

7. Top your apples with the crisp mixture evenly distributing between all of them, packing down the contents.

8. Place apples in a glass baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom (this will keep the apples moist so they don’t dry out).

9. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the apples are soft and the crisp is golden brown.

10. Enjoy topped with yogurt, cream, whipped cream, or ice cream and a light sprinkle of cinnamon.

View the full recipe in Pathways to Wellness.

If you love fall weather and fall foods, you may also enjoy this healthy recipe for pumpkin spice lattes.