apple cider donuts made with Bee Free Honee

It is that time of the year for everything pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin, and apple cider.

And Bee Free Honee, made from apples.

A month or so ago, I read a blog review singing the praises of a new product, Bee Free Honee. Intrigued by this vegan substitute for honey, I headed over to the website and was elated to find out that this was a Minnesota product!

I immediately emailed Katie to see if I could get my hands on a sample to try out and review on the blog. Days later, I had some in my hands and was dying to give it a try.

And then life got busy, and my bottle got pushed to the back of my pantry.

But once I got a free weekend, and the weather was just dreary enough where you had to bake, I decided to make some apple cider donuts and give this honee a try.



Apple Cider Donuts made with Bee Free Honee
A slightly sweet yeast donut with an apple cider reduction and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Perfect with a cup of hot apple cider on a crisp fall day.

Apple Cider Reduction

• 2.5 cups good apple cider
• juice of one large orange
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice

Combine everything in a small sauce pan and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat, scoop out cloves and allspice, and set aside.

Apple Cider Donuts

• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup apple cider (not reduction)
• 2.5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons Bee Free Honee
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground flax + 2.5 tablespoons water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
• 5.75 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 5.75 ounces bread flour

In a small pan, heat milk, cider, oil, Bee Free Honee, until oil melts. Set aside until lukewarm.

Make flax egg by combining ground flax and 2.5 tablespoons warm water. Set aside.

Add yeast to the milk mixture and let stand 5 minutes, or until frothy. Stir in flax egg.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour and salt. Using a dough hook, stir in milk mixture. Mix on low for 5-8 minutes until dough forms a smooth and elastic ball.

Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down and remove dough to a floured surface. Roll out until about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into whatever shape you want (I was crazy and opted for square donuts). Cover and let rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350* for 8-12 minutes, or until a light golden brown. 

Remove from oven and immediately brush with the apple cider reduction and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Enjoy.

(And then send your husband to all of your friends' house with samples so you don't eat them all.)

I loved the Bee Free Honee in this, and next time would skip the apple cider reduction and just brush the top of the warm donuts with the honee instead. I am not going to give up buying my local honey, but will continue to have a bottle of this in my pantry just to change things up a bit! Made with apples, just enough sugar, and lemon juice, this is a produce I would recommend to anyone.

Click here to see where you can find Bee Free Honee or find it on Amazon.