Baked Caramel Apple Cider Donuts, so soft and wonderfully flavorful, drenched in caramel sauce. Top with some crushed nuts if you'd like a little crunch.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray your donut pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the maple syrup, apple cider, oil and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined... the dough will be thick.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a plastic baggie with the corner snipped and pipe the dough into the prepared donut pans. Fill each space to about 3/4 full.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until donuts springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before adding icing/caramel topping.
For the Caramel Topping:
In a microwaveable bowl, add caramels & milk. Heat for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Heat an additional 30 seconds, stir and then repeat at 30 second intervals until fully melted.
With a spoon drizzle caramel over the donuts or just kinda slather it on like I did. :)