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I love these Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts. They’re impossibly cute and Halloween donut decorating is fun! Baked apple cider donuts boast plenty of fantastic fall flavour in every bite. Everyone will ADORE this spooky baked Halloween donut that looks like a Frankenstein monster.
If you are on the lookout for a spooky baked Halloween donut recipe, this is it. No one can say no to a cute donut that looks like a Frankenstein monster!
Why not also try candy corn peanut butter cookies or Harry Potter chocolate frogs? Also – these fun monster eye crinkle cookies!
A Look at the Ingredients
Some of the ingredients in this spooky baked Halloween donut recipe are those you’d expect in any donut recipe. The usual suspects – flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and baking powder – are all in there. In addition, you will need apple cider and vanilla to infuse these with a wonderful flavour. More flavour comes from the addition of lemon juice, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
When you have made the Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts, the next step is the icing and decoration. It isn’t hard to make a donut which looks like a Frankenstein monster and, with these donuts Halloween will definitely take a frightful turn!
The icing is made with butter, cream and powdered sugar. You also need food colouring, candy eyes, and other decorations to make these look great. The candy eyes can be found at Target or online from Amazon.
How to Make Frankenstein Apple Cider Donut Halloween Treats
The first thing to do, when making baked apple cider donuts, is to reduce the cider by about half. Combine the milk and lemon juice. Now combine all the dry ingredients and then add everything else to the batter.
Grease a donut pan and then pipe the donut batter in there in rings. The donuts should take 15 to 20 minutes to bake. They’re done as soon as they are springy.
Mix the cream, butter, powdered sugar, and food colouring for the icing. Make sure the donuts are completely cool before frosting and decorating them!
So after that, go ahead and dip your baked apple cider donuts in the icing and then in some chocolate sprinkles. See, I told you Halloween donut decorating was fun!
Next you can add the candy eyeballs and then decorate the donuts with mini marshmallows or whatever else you want to use. Threading the marshmallows on to toothpicks then adding the marshmallows looks like Frankenstein neck bolts.
Remove the ‘neck bolts’ before serving these to kids or warn the grownups so they don’t inadvertently bite into a toothpick!
The finished donuts will be fine for several days if you keep them in an airtight container. Don’t add the decorations until you serve them though, for the best result.
Why Homemade Donuts are So Good
Although I don’t think I even met a donut I didn’t like, homemade ones are best. These Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts are not difficult to make at all and they taste amazing. A donut that looks like a Frankenstein monster is always fun for Halloween. And donuts are better the fresher they are.
Who doesn’t love that incredible aroma in a donut shop? Well these baked apple cider donuts will make the kitchen smell amazing. Trust me, everyone will rush into the kitchen to find out what you’re making! Since these are baked in the oven instead of fried, they will take longer to cook and that amazing aroma will linger for longer!
I have tried different recipes in the past but this spooky baked Halloween donut recipe is one of the best. The apple cider adds a lovely fall flavour, supported by the earthy flavours of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. They really are perfect for this time of year. Whether you relax with one with a cup of coffee or grab one as a quick snack on the go, these Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts are great.
If it isn’t Halloween but you still want to do some Halloween donut decorating, you can simply frost these and optionally add sprinkles. You can also tweak some of the ingredients if you want, such as the spices. This recipe makes 12 so you could also double it if you are making a bunch of donuts for a Halloween party. Swap the green food colouring for orange if you want or even black. Or make some of each!
If you like these spooky baked Halloween donuts, you might also like Halloween Monster Eye Crinkle Cookies, Spooky Halloween Monster Eye Pretzels or Colourful No Churn Halloween Ice Cream.
Frankenstein Apple Cider Halloween Donuts Recipe
Frankenstein Apple Cider Halloween Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 Cup brown sugar
- 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Stick butter
- 1 Cup apple cider
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 Cup milk
- 1 1/2 Tsp. lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 Tsp. salt
- 1 Tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 Tsp. clove
ICING/DECOR
- 3 Tbsp. butter , melted
- 3 Tbsp. cream
- 1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
- food coloring , Green
- candy eyes
- Chocolate jimmies
- Mini marshmallows
- Toothpicks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pour one cup of apple juice or apple cider into a small saucepan, heat until boiling then turn the heat down just a bit and simmer until the juice has been reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature.
- Pour the lemon juice into the milk and let sit for a couple minutes.
- Pour all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined.
- Add the milk/lemon mixture, the apple cider reduction, eggs, vanilla, and butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix together until everything is fully combined
- Spoon your batter into a piping bag or into a 1 gallon zip top bag and snip one bottom corner.
- Prepare a donut pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan.
- Bake the donuts in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes until fully baked. The cake should be springy to the touch. Turn the donuts out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.
- To make the icing, combine the melted butter, cream, food coloring, and powdered sugar. Mix until all of the sugar has dissolved. (If the icing is too thick, add a bit more cream, if it is too thin add a bit more powdered sugar.)
- Once the donuts have cooled completely, dip the top of the donut into the freshly made icing. Then immediately dip half of the donut into the chocolate sprinkles for the hair. Place dipped donut onto a plate or tray, finish dipping the remainder of the donuts.
- Place two candy eyeballs below the donut hole on each donut.
- Place the tray of donuts into the fridge for 15-30 minutes or until the icing has hardened a bit
- While the donuts are in the fridge you can make the neck bolts. Start by cutting 12 toothpicks in half.
- Stick the cut side of each of the tooth picks into a mini marshmallow.
- When the donuts have hardened, remove from the fridge and place two of your marshmallow toothpicks into the donut, one on each side of the donut where the “neck” would be.
Notes
Nutrition
So if you’re in the mood for a donut that looks like a Frankenstein monster, get ready for some Halloween donut decorating! These Frankenstein apple cider Halloween donuts are absolutely delicious. And there is no denying how cute they are! So whether you want to make this spooky baked Halloween donut recipe as it is, or tweak the ingredients or icing, you are definitely going to have fun making them!
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Alot of this recipe is unfinished? I can see things 1/4 cup and it never says 1/4 cup of what. It looks like a great recipe. I just wished I knew what the ingrediants are!
Hi Denise, I’m not sure which ingredients you’re referring to. It looks like everything is listed properly on the recipe card.
My family loved these and I found them super easy to make. They asked where I bought them and didn’t believe they were homemade, which I will take as a compliment. Anyway these are really easy to make and you can play around with different toppings and colors and so forth.
these are precious! they look incredible – you’re so talented and creative!
ooooooh these look delicious, Bella! You’re such an amazing cook!
I want one of these. I think every member of my family would too.
I actually don’t think I’ve ever wanted to eat a donut this badly! These are soooo cute and yummy looking.
These donuts are so cute! So perfect as a Halloween treat!
Oh my goodness! Yum! These turned out so adorable, and they look so delish.