Paleo Apple Cider Donuts with a Salted Caramel Glaze

These paleo apple cider donuts with a salted caramel glaze are the perfect dessert to enjoy this fall!

Honestly – is there any better treat than an apple cider donuts during Autumn?! These are truly the quintessential fall dessert. I grew up in the New York area and my best memories are apple picking and eating apple cider donuts! Any time I go to the northeast during Autumn I always have to get an apple cider donut! I love enjoying one outside while soaking in the crisp fall air and admiring the beautiful fall foliage.

I am so obsessed with these healthy apple cider donuts! They are naturally sweetened with just apple sauce and coconut sugar, while the salted caramel glaze is also naturally sweetened with just maple syrup and coconut sugar. I’m all about using natural and unrefined sweeteners in all of my dessert recipes.

This recipe is paleo, gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free. However, they’re SO delicious and packed with flavor! These donuts are baked, not fried, making them a much healthier option than tradition donuts.

My kids loved putting the salted caramel glaze over the top of the donuts, so if you have children this is a fun activity to involve them in!

These donuts are:

• simple and easy to make
• moist
• fluffy
• naturally sweetened
• made with almond flour and arrowroot to make them gluten-free, grain-free and paleo
• dairy-free
• baked and not fried
• has the most delicious salted caramel sauce for the top
• DELICIOUS!

Ingredients used to make the donuts:

• eggs: These helps all of the ingredients bind together. I always opt for pasture-raised eggs
• apple cider: to give the donuts that perfect apple cider flavor
• applesauce: makes them moist and flavorful, plus is a natural sweetener
• coconut sugar: I love using coconut sugar as an unrefined, natural sweetener
• vanilla extract: for delicious flavor!
• blanched / super-fine almond flour: this is the flour used to keep this recipe grain-free, gluten-free and paleo!
• arrowroot flour: also used to keep this recipe grain-free, gluten-free and paleo. It helps give the donuts the consistency and texture that we’re looking for!
• baking powder: so the donuts rise a bit
• cinnamon: because what’s a fall dessert without cinnamon?! come on!
• salt: for flavor!

Ingredients used to make the salted caramel:

• coconut oil: I recommend unrefined coconut oil
• maple syrup: as a natural, unrefined sweetener
• coconut sugar: as a natural, unrefined sweetener
• almond butter, cashew butter or tahini: MUST be smooth and creamy in consistency
• salt: obviously because it’s ‘salted’ caramel, haha

To make the donuts:

• These donuts are SO simple to make! You simply combine all the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined. Then add in the dry ingredients to the same bowl and mix again. I love that these are made using only one bowl, making for a much easier cleanup!
• Simply bake the donuts in a donut pan in the oven. This is MUCH healthier than traditional fried donuts.
• The salted caramel glaze is made while the donuts are baking in the oven. Simply place all of the ingredients for the salted caramel in a small saucepan together and whisk until the coconut oil is fully melted.
• Once the donuts are finished cooking and removed from the oven you can then glaze the donuts and enjoy!

I hope you love these apple cider donuts as much as I do!! If you make them be sure to comment below and let me know what you think!

Paleo Apple Cider Donuts with Salted Caramel

• Author: Leah
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 15 donuts 1x
• Category: donuts
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 pasture-raised eggs
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups blanched / super-fine almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Salted Caramel Glaze:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp smooth, creamy almond butter (or cashew butter or tahini)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Lightly grease a donut pan with coconut oil spray (or avocado oil spray).
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients for the donuts (eggs, apple cider, applesauce, coconut sugar & vanilla extract).
4. Next mix in the dry ingredients (almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt).
5. Spoon the batter into the donut trays and place in the oven and bake for 15 – 17 minutes.
6. While the donuts are baking in the oven make the salted caramel sauce by simply adding all of the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan over low heat and whisking until the coconut oil is fully melted.
7. Remove the donuts from oven and using a spoon lightly glaze the salted caramel sauce over the top of each donut, followed by a small sprinkle of sea salt. Allow to cool a few minutes, then enjoy!

Notes

Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Keywords: donuts, apple cider donuts, healthy dessert

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