It is that time of year again in Minnesota, when the weather goes from 90°F one day, to 48°F the next. It is bittersweet to lose summer, but we enthusiastically head into baking season. This time of year also brings the apples, glorious apples. This week alone I have made pie, fritters, waffles and these baked doughnuts with all the apple varieties I found at the farmers market. Baked Doughnuts? Many of you have requested a doughnut recipe that is not fried. I admit I was hesitant, since I am a doughnut fanatic and was afraid the baked version would be a poor substitute. I am, once again, thrilled to announce YOU WERE RIGHT! The baked apple doughnuts are tender, sweet and studded with pieces of tart apples. The trick is to coat the dough in lots of cinnamon sugar, then bake them so they are still soft on the inside and have a wonderful sugar crust on the outside. The Maple Glaze gives them an even more decadent feel, even though they are the healthy version of our favorite treat. You may never miss the fried version again, but if you are like me, you’ll make both.

As you may know, we have always used Gold Medal Flour to test our recipes. It is the most widely available flour, its quality is always predictable and the results are fantastic. Not to mention, you can make a batch (4 loaves) of our dough using their flour for 40 cents a loaf.   When the folks at Gold Medal Flour invited us to Kansas this summer to meet their farmers, ride a combine, tour the mill and play in their test kitchens, we jumped at the opportunity. We were blown away by the company and came away with even more respect for the brand. So, when they asked us to partner with them, we decided it was a perfect match.

Baked Apple Doughnuts:

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