Frankenstein Apple Cider Halloween Donuts

These Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts feature spiced apple cider cake donuts iced green and decorated with candy eyes and marshmallow neck bolts.

Why not also try candy corn peanut butter cookies or Harry Potter chocolate frogs? Also – these fun monster eye crinkle cookies!

Why You’ll Love It

Fall flavor: Apple cider plus cinnamon and nutmeg give a cozy spice.
Fun to decorate: Donuts become little Frankensteins with minimal effort.
Baked instead of fried: Enjoy cake‑style donuts without deep frying.
Festive appearance: Green icing, chocolate hair and eyeball accents look playful.
Make ahead option: Bake and ice earlier and decorate right before serving.

Frankenstein Donuts Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

All purpose flour: Forms the donut cake base.
Sugar: Both brown sugar and white sugar sweeten and caramelize in the baked dough.
Eggs and butter: Provide structure and richness in taste.
Apple cider: Reduced by half to concentrate flavor in the batter.
Milk and lemon juice: Creates a buttermilk substitute for tender crumb.
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg and clove add warm fall notes.
Icing sugar, butter and cream: Combine into the green icing topping.
Food coloring gel: Colors the icing green for a Frankenstein look.
Decorations: Candy eyes, chocolate jimmies and mini marshmallows are used to bring the monster faces to life.

How to Make Apple Cider Halloween Donuts

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Reduce cider: Simmer apple cider until reduced by half and let cool.
Make faux buttermilk: Combine milk with lemon juice and let it sit.
Combine dry mix: Whisk flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and spices together.
Add wet ingredients: Stir in buttermilk, reduced cider, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.
Pipe or spoon batter: Fill donut pan cavities with batter and bake until springy.
Cool donuts: Remove from pan and let cool completely before decorating.
Mix icing: Combine melted butter, cream, powdered sugar and green dye until smooth.
Dip in icing: Coat the top of each donut and Immediately press into chocolate sprinkles for hair.
Add eyes: Place two candy eyes below each donut hole.
Chill: Let icing set in fridge for a short time.
Add neck bolts: Cut toothpicks in half, insert into marshmallows and stick marshmallow toothpicks into each side of the donut.
Serve chilled: Chill donuts to set decorations before serving.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten free option: Use a gluten free flour blend in place of regular flour.
Spice twist: Add a pinch of allspice or ginger for deeper fall flavor.
Different decorations: Use edible marker or icing to draw stitches instead of marshmallow bolts.
Icing color swap: Try lime or purple icing for alternate monster themes.

Serving Suggestions

With savory Halloween snacks: Enjoy mini charcuterie boards and skull potatoes.
With other sweet treats: Pair them with leftover candy brownies, pots de creme and boozy dirt cups.
With a Halloween drink: Try vampire kiss jello shots or apple cider mojitos.

How to Store Frankenstein Apple Cider Donuts

Store: Keep donuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days. It’s best not to add the eyes and marshmallows until just before serving though.
Freeze: You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months, preferably without the eyes and marshmallows.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.