Baked Whole Wheat Apple Butter Donuts

Am I going to get voted off the foodie island if I tell you that I don’t really like donuts? I don’t think they are gross or anything, but there are about 4,000 different foods I’d rather eat before donuts.

I know this isn’t a popular opinion. You folks love your donuts! My husband is totally donut obsessed, too. You should see his eyes light up whenever we drive past our local bakery.

I think what turns me off about donuts is that they are so flippin’ sweet. I love sweet treats, I really do, but donuts are just too much for me. Which is crazy considering how much I love rich, decadent foods (um, hello bourbon blondies).

You’d think with my aversion to donuts, I wouldn’t own a donut pan—but I do! Why? Because I love making my own donuts at home! I can control the sweetness and make them absolutely perfect for me. Homemade donuts are donuts I can get behind!

I tend to make my homemade donuts more like a cake donut (although, I like to keep them moist—almost like a brownie), and not as sweet as the stuff you’d get from your local bakery. They are still sweet and delicious, but not quite the same as having dessert for breakfast.

The key to keeping these donuts all tender and moist comes from two apple-based ingredients—unsweetened applesauce and Musselman’s Apple Butter. They both add flavor, sweetness and a ton of moisture. These apple butter donuts are so tender that they almost fall apart when you pick them up (almost, but not actually). I’m only a little ashamed to admit that these donuts didn’t even last a single day in our household—they are so addictive!

The donuts are good on their own, but because they are just lightly sweet, I like to dip them in a maple-flavored glaze that adds a good bit of sweetness to the finished donut. There are two ways to go about glazing them, you can either dip them when they are warm and let the glaze soak into the donut—think a poke cake or tres leche cake. Or you can let the donuts cool completely and then dip them for a beautiful, solid glaze on top. Both are delicious! Enjoy.

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Baked Whole Wheat Apple Butter Donuts

Yield: 12 donuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

These Baked Whole Wheat Apple Butter Donuts are a sweet treat that is healthier than your run-of-the-mill glazed donut.

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Ingredients

For the Donuts:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Glaze:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the egg, apple butter, applesauce, almond milk, melted butter, and vanilla until well-mixed. Set aside.
3. In a second mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until well-mixed.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, and stir until just combined—do not overmix.
5. Fill the prepared donut pan with the batter, making sure to leave the center hole uncovered, and only filling the spaces up about halfway.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are just turning golden, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the donut comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven, and immediately remove the donuts to a wire cooling rack.
8. To glaze: whisk together all glaze ingredients until very smooth. Once donuts have cooled completely, dip in the glaze, and let set up on a wire rack until solidified.

Notes

Don't have a donut pan? No problem! Pour the batter into a floured Bundt pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely, invert over a plate and remove from the pan. Then drizzle with the maple glaze.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 donut
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 184mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.