Back To School Baking

Ohhhhh, back to school, back to school…

Yep. It’s that time of year at our house already. Having grown up in upstate New York, I’m used to school starting in mid September so I’m always thrown when we’re heading to open house and meeting teachers in late July. And by “thrown” I mean completely unprepared. I planned on having the entire house organized, weekly meal plans prepared, our little family calendar/command center finished and all laundry clean and put away. So, staying true to my list-making-while-still-procrastinating nature, none of that has happened before the start of the school year. None of it.

Guess what I did find time for? Baking donuts. When I asked what they wanted for their First Day of School breakfast, the kids unanimously decided on donuts. We have an incredible little donut shop right around the corner which we love to visit on special occasions, but they’re closed on Mondays. So I thought it was the perfect time to bake a batch of these Baked Apple Donuts for our crew.

These donuts are my new best friends. They come together quickly, they don’t require any crazy ingredients, they can easily be altered to suit dietary needs or preferences and they are simply delicious. The recipe can double as a muffin recipe, since baked donuts are basically muffins baked in a donut-shaped pan. I’m sorry if that information ruined your life. We can still call them donuts.  And they’re still delicious! Here is the recipe (with a few small changes):

Baked Apple Donuts (adapted from One Hungry Mama)

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup applesauce

1 apple, grated

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Cider Glaze

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 ½ tablespoons of apple cider

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

We start with the basics- flour, baking powder, and salt- plus cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In another bowl, sugar, eggs, oil and applesauce are whisked together. The dry ingredients are mixed in and the grated apple is folded in last.

They bake in the donut pan for about 14 minutes, then cool for at least another 5. Once they cool, they can either be coated in cinnamon sugar or apple cinnamon glaze. I ended up doing both. Of course. Half the batch in the cinnamon sugar and the other half with the glaze.

Ohhhh how I love baking. Almost as much as I love music. And coffee. So chances are if you find me baking while listening to music and drinking coffee, I will be blissfully happy. And super, extra generous. Once my kids find out about this, I am certain they will take full advantage. In the meantime, Nat King Cole and I will just enjoy our time together.

I made these the evening before the first day of school. Because I’m not insane. I knew we would be running around to get ready on time, no matter what time we all woke up. So I tried to get as much done as possible the night before. The crew was squeaky clean, had their bags packed and clothes laid out all by 7:30, and were asleep before 8:00pm. Score.


They were so excited to be having donuts for breakfast the next morning. They were the first things they asked for when they came scrambling down the stairs. While donuts aren’t necessarily the most nutritious breakfast selection, these are a lot less unhealthy than a traditional deep-fried donut. And I did make sure they had fruit with them. That totally counts as a well-balanced breakfast...

We managed to get out of the house and to school on time. There were no tears…on their end. They were great! I, on the other hand, couldn’t keep it together.

I walked out of the school mopping tears from my cheeks with the pack of tissues my son’s kindergarten teacher cleverly provided each parent.  Good thing I had these donuts on hand when I got home to help me feel better.  And don't worry. I did some more baking too.

I made a classic after school snack for the kiddos' first day.  Come back and check it out! 

xoxo