Are you LOVING this fall season? Well SO ARE WE! Fall is such a beautiful time year – not only do we get to enjoy the changing colors but also the gorgeous cool weather. Not to mention the beautiful fall produce that also accompanies this season – the various squashes and pumpkins, apples, pears, sweet potatoes…..I’ve been enjoying a wide range of delicious apples (like cosmic, envy….). While personally Im not a HUGE fan of pumpkin flavored desserts like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin pie, all my sisters and myself are a big sucker for apple desserts. I do love a good apple crisp, as well as well apple cinnamon flavored treats! Today, we’re revamping an old recipe into an EVEN BETTER and EVEN EASIER apple pie donuts. Yes you heard me right – these are BAKED apple pie donuts. I’m not going to try and pretend these taste like donuts, since it is not “fried” but I love that these are shaped like donuts and is truly a guilt-free, sweet treat for all to enjoy. Trust me when I say even our coconut-flour hating spouses APPROVED. (**Note**: Coconut flour does yield a distinct texture and flavor, but in this recipe it works well!)
If you don’t have a donut pan – don’t you fret! I’m sure you can make these into muffins as well. Just ensure to adjust the baking time until your muffins are cooked thoroughly. This recipe could also make for delicious and beautiful apple pie cupcakes!!! What a lovely treat to share and to indulge on this season!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED for this recipe:
- Coconut Flour: We opted for a paleo, keto option for the base using coconut flour. Coconut flour actually works really well in this recipe as a nut free option because it yields a really soft / moist cake like texture that adds such a nice contrast to the creamy frosting and the apple topping!
- Apples: Use some local/fresh/seasonal sweet apples (not Granny Smith apples). You want to leverage the natural sweetness of the apples here in this recipe!
- Almond Butter/Cashew Butter: Don’t have almond butter? Just sub in for your favorite nut butter or nut butter alternative. We’ve tried cashew butter and it is delicious. I can imagine macadamia nut butter or peanut butter could work really well too!
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium RED apples for homemade (see recipe below) or ½ cup apple sauce
- ½ tbsp sugar of choices (we used allulose)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Maple Almond Butter Frosting:
- 2 tbsp almond butter (or cashew butter or nut butter of choice)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (or sugar free substitute)
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Apple topping:
- 1 large red apple, peeled and chopped
- Cinnamon
- Homemade Applesauce: Peel and chop 2 red medium apple. Cook down the apples in a small pan over medium heat for 10-15 mins or until golden. Once it is soft, add to a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Donuts: Mix together the dry ingredients. Then add in the wet ingredients - eggs, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Make sure you break up any clumps to form a smooth batter.
- Generously oil the donut pan, otherwise it would be difficult to remove the donuts!
- Divide the batter into 5-6 portions.(EXTRA: Flatten the tops of the donut by running a wet finger along. I find this is the easiest way!!)
- Bake for 20 minutes. Once it is done, let it cool.
- TIP: When removing the donuts, make sure you run a butter knife around the edges and around the hole in the middle to make it easier to remove These are quite fragile!
- Frosting: Mix together the ingredients for the frosting.
- Apple topping: In a pan, cook apples until soft. Sprinkle in cinnamon.
- Assembly: Spread frosting onto each donut. Carefully lay the cooked apples on top of the frosting.
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