Not Just Any Allergen- and Gluten-free Donuts, but Welcoming Kitchen Apple Cider Donuts!

I started working on Welcoming Kitchen donuts many years ago, when I realized that my at-the-time 5-year-old son had never eaten a donut! Now, we eat yummy chocolate-glazed donuts whenever we need a donut fix. For this fall favorite, we were inspired by a recipe in Food Network's magazine and came up with another great donut to add to our repetoire. You can buy a donut pan online or even at your local craft store. These apple cider donuts have a denser, coffee-cake-like texture, and a yummy, apple-cinnamony flavor.

Apple Cider Donuts

Makes 15 donuts

Ingredients:

2 medium apples

2 1/2 cups apple cider, divided

3 1/2 cups gluten-free, all-purpose baking mix (like Bob's Red Mill)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, divided

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, divided

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease a standard-size donut pan with shortening.

Rough chop apples (no need to peel them).

Combine apples with 1 1/2 cups apple cider in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, until apples are soft and apple cider is almost completely reduced. This should take about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the apples.

Puree apples in a food processor .

In a medium bowl, combine GF flour, xanthan gum, 1 tablespoon baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Whisk together well.

In a large bowl, combine applesauce with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Add sugar, 3 tablespoons shortening and vanilla to applesauce mixture. Blend well.

Combine rice milk with apple cider vinegar. Add to applesauce mixture. Combine well.

One-half at a time, mix dry ingredients into wet.

Mix one cup of the pureed apples into the batter.

Fill donut pan 2/3 full.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.

While donuts are baking, heat remaining apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a high simmer. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup.

Whisk confectioners' sugar into reduced cider.

In a shallow bowl, combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon with granulated sugar.

Remove donuts to a cooling rack.

Dip top half of each donut into the glaze. Let extra glaze drip off.

Spoon cinnamon-sugar over glaze. Shake off excess.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.