Sunday mornings often seem to call for a breakfast that is a bit more decadent. Waffles, French Toast, Pancakes. But an overly sugary breakfast can lead to a sugar crash a few hours later. And I don’t know about you, but I like to fit in as much weekend fun as possible, and a sugar crash doesn’t quite help in that department. So I went searching for a solution. A decadent breakfast that is healthy and delicious. And seeing as it is the wonderfully cozy  season of fall, I aimed to incorporate some of autumn’s  best ingredients. And thanks to some Pinterest-ing I found the perfect recipe. These Baked Apple Donuts are light and airy and coated with cinnamon sugar. They remind me of the cake donuts we used to eat after grade school soccer games in the fall. The use of apple sauce and Greek yogurt cut down on the fat while actually adding to the flavor. And to test these babies properly, I gave them to my dad, a self proclaimed donut hole connoisseur, and waited to tell him after he devoured a few that they were actually very healthy.

These donut holes are best served warm and freshly coated in cinnamon sugar. If you leave them overnight, the cinnamon sugar will likely absorb into the donut hole…but you can always roll them in the sugar again to create the same effect the next day!

Ingredients: Makes 24 mini Donut Holes, Adapted slightly from Healthy Food for Living

Donut Coating:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Donuts:

• 1 cup  flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Mott’s cinnamon applesauce
• 2 Tbsp  maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp apple cider
• 3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon, set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through spices)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk remaining ingredients (egg through canola oil)
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined
5. Divide batter into mini cupcake pans, greased with cooking spray
6. Bake at 250 for 11 minutes, or until baked through
7. Remove donuts from pan and lightly spray with cooking spray before tossing in cinnamon sugar mixture