Sometimes you just want to have a donut party, but don’t want all of that fried dough. That’s where apple donuts come in!
Made from apple rings and lots of fun toppings, apple donuts are a great option for anyone. They’re a perfect healthy snack for kids, plus adults will love adding this to their snacking routine.
Depending on your toppings, these apple donuts would make a great addition to a packed lunch, too!
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What Are Apple Donuts?
In this case, these aren’t really “donuts”, as in not the traditional fried or baked dough.
These apple donuts are actually slices of apple, cut into ring shapes like a donut, topped with different fun, yummy options.
They can be eaten as a substitute for the traditional fried dough version, or simple as a fun and healthy snack. Best of all, apple donuts are great for both kids and adults!
Are Apple Donuts Good For Kids?
Traditional donuts are not known for being terribly healthy. Apple donuts, however, are as healthy or unhealthy as the toppings you choose to use!
Even if you use sweet toppings like melted chocolate or honey, apple donuts are still healthier than traditional donuts because you get all the great health benefits of the apple itself. After all, an apple a day…
Best of all, kids of all ages can help make apple donuts. You may not want them to do the slicing, but the decorating can be done by even the littlest hands (perhaps with some help). And as long as you avoid honey, even babies as young as six months can start enjoying these yummy treats!
What Kind of Apple Should I Use?
This comes down to personal preference, so really the sky is your limit!
Personally, I prefer using a nice tart green apple, like a Granny Smith. It’s my favorite apple anyway, but the tartness of the apple contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the toppings.
For the kids, however, we use a sweeter apple, like McIntosh or Red Delicious. They don’t enjoy tart apples the way I do (and I have some pretty epic pictures to prove it), so I choose an apple they’d prefer.
What Toppings Can I Use?
There’s a lot of variety available to you here as well!
You’re going to want something spreadable to serve as the “icing”. We love:
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
- Melted chocolate
- Yogurt (flavored or perhaps mixed with a little honey)
- Ricotta/cottage cheese/cream cheese (perhaps mixed with melted chocolate or honey)
You can, of course, combine or layer any of those to make your own unique “icing”. We also saw a tip on another website where they used pink food coloring in their cream cheese to add some fun color to their “icing”!
On top of the “icing”, you can add “sprinkles” and anything else you want for your donut! Some of our favorites include:
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Actual sprinkles (go on – a little won’t kill you!)
- Craisins
- Chocolate chips
- Berries (perhaps chopped for size)
- Granola
- Cheerios or other cereal
- Shredded coconut
Be sure to let us know in the comments what toppings you used – we’re always looking for more great ideas!
How Do I Make Apple Donuts?
Making apple donuts is super quick and easy!
- Slice off the top and bottom of the apples.
- Cut the apples into circular slices. (That’s right, right through the core!)
- Use a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or melon baller to remove the center of each slice and turn them into donut-shaped rings.
- Spread your “icing” on one side of the apple.
- Sprinkle with other toppings.
- Enjoy!
If you don’t have biscuit cutters or other easy ways to cut out the centers of your apples, you can buy some cheap ones on Amazon that work well! (I personally like the 1-2″ diameter cutters.)
Tips & Troubleshooting
This recipe is generally fairly easy, but here are a few tips and tricks that might make it even easier for you!
- For stickier “icing” ingredients like peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, or melted chocolate, you may way to use a piping bag to help get them on the apple slices. After piping, you can use the back of a spoon to spread the “icing” to cover the apple.
- Runnier “icing” ingredients like yogurt can usually be applied easily with just the back of a spoon.
- If your toppings aren’t sticking as well as you’d like, try gently wiping the apple slices with a paper towel or clean cloth before topping.
- Don’t forget to mix and match your toppings – the sky is the limit!
We hope you have a great time making your apple donuts. Please leave us a comment to tell us how it went!
If You’re a Donut Fan, Don’t Miss…
- Mini Donuts “Cereal” – a sweet breakfast treat!
- Cookie Monster Donuts – for the Sesame Street fan in your life.
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins – perfect bite-size treats!
Apple Donuts
Ingredients
- Apples
Icing Suggestions
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
- Melted chocolate
- Yogurt flavored or perhaps mixed with a little honey
- Ricotta/cottage cheese/cream cheese perhaps mixed with melted chocolate or honey
Toppings Suggestions
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Sprinkles
- Craisins
- Chocolate chips
- Berries perhaps chopped for size
- Granola
- Cheerios or other cereal
- Shredded coconut
Instructions
- Slice off the top and bottom of the apples. (See note #1.)
- Cut the apples into circular slices. (That’s right, right through the core!)
- Use a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or melon baller to remove the center of each slice and turn them into donut-shaped rings.
- Spread your desired "icing" on one side of the apple. (See notes.)
- Sprinkle with other chosen toppings. (See notes.)
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any kind of apple you like. I love the tartness of Granny Smith, but my kids prefer sweeter apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious.
- Mix and match icings and toppings to create fun new combinations. Mix or layer different icings, and sprinkle with one or more toppings. (We even saw a tip where someone used pink food coloring in their cream cheese to create a fun colored icing.)
- For stickier “icing” ingredients like peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, or melted chocolate, you may way to use a piping bag to help get them on the apple slices. After piping, you can use the back of a spoon to spread the “icing” to cover the apple.
- Runnier “icing” ingredients like yogurt can usually be applied easily with just the back of a spoon.
- If your toppings aren’t sticking as well as you’d like, try gently wiping the apple slices with a paper towel or clean cloth before topping.
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