Apple Butter Donuts
These donuts are baked, not fried, but you’d never guess from the first bite. The apple butter in the batter makes them extra moist and full of cozy spice, while a quick dip in melted butter helps the cinnamon sugar cling to every ridge. They come out tender in the center, a little crisp on the edges, and just sweet enough to pair with coffee or cider. Best part? This is a small-batch recipe, so you get six to eight perfect donuts — enough to share, but not so many they go stale on the counter.
In season two of With Love, Meghan on Netflix, the Duchess of Sussex pulls out a recipe close to her heart — her grandmother’s apple butter. If you’re not familiar, apple butter is the deeply caramelized cousin of applesauce, glossy and thick like jam, perfect for spreading on toast or spooning into fall bakes.
True to Meghan’s style, she makes hers in a chic white slow cooker and calls it “one of the easiest things in the world to make” — and she’s absolutely right. It’s the kind of recipe that takes its time (more than 10 hours, in fact) but asks almost nothing of you while it bubbles away, filling your kitchen with spiced apple fragrance.
If you don’t want to make it from scratch, you can purchase a jar of apple butter store-bought (I’ve gotten mine from Whole Foods).
Meghan’s apple butter
Ingredients
2 lbs apple
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Small pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Method
Add the apples, sugar, salt, spices, and vinegar to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
Reduce the heat to low and let it cook gently for 8–10 hours, until the apples have broken down into a dark, thick, spreadable butter.
Transfer into sterilized jars while hot, seal, and label. Store in a cool, dark cupboard and use within 6 months.
Ingredients
For the donuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup apple butter
¼ cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
For the topping:
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a donut pan lightly with spray or butter.
In a bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Add the apple butter, milk, egg, and melted butter. Stir until just combined—don’t overmix.
Spoon or pipe batter into the donut pan, filling each mold about two-thirds full.
Bake 7–11 minutes, until tops spring back when touched. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip each donut top into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar.
Best eaten warm with tea or coffee!