For me, the first real sign of fall is soft, fresh apple cider doughnuts at the Farmer’s Market. The sugary sweet smell of fresh cinnamon and apples combined with soft fried dough is the ultimate fall treat. It reminds me of the apple farms I grew up visiting in Albany, NY and the pumpkin patches I enjoyed when living upstate in Plattsburgh, NY.
I like my apple cider doughnuts soft, warm and coated in a thin layer of sugar and cinnamon. Some people use a powdered sugar topping, while others opt to dip the doughnuts in a sugar glaze. I never met an apple cider doughnut I didn’t like…
After engaging in a lifetime of doughnut tastings, researching every cider doughnut recipe I can get my hands on and purchasing a doughnut cutter and candy thermometer (finally…how have I lived this long with one?), I dove right in.
The below recipe creates a soft-cake like doughnut with a subtle, yet flavorful apple cider taste. I fried the doughnuts using shortening, but you can alternatively use vegetable oil. I used shortening because the doughnuts tend to have a less oily finish.
I prefer a cinnamon sugar coating, but feel free to use a sugar glaze (confectioner’s sugar + water) or dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar once they have cooled completely.
Apple Cider Doughnuts
Doughnuts
1 cup fresh apple cider
3 3/4 cups flour, plus extra for your work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Shortening or vegetable oil for frying (enough to fill your pan 3 inches deep)
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Make the Dough
Bring the apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and gently reduce cider to about 1/3 cup, approximately 25 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are completely incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper and sprinkle it generously with flour. Turn the dough onto one the sheet and flatten the dough with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use flour as needed, if the dough is too wet. Transfer the baking sheet of dough to the freezer for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer and using doughnut cutter (average size is 3 ½ inches), cut out the doughnuts. Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate the cutouts for 20 minutes. Feel free to re-roll cutout scraps of dough and cut additional doughnuts.
Make the Topping
Make the cinnamon sugar topping by combining both sugars and the cinnamon in a large Ziploc bag. Set aside.
Fry the Dough
Heat the shortening or vegetable oil over medium heat, at a depth of 3 inches, until the oil reaches 350 degrees, using a candy thermometer to judge the temperature. Line a plate with paper towels and keep close to your pot of oil.
Add a few doughnuts to the oil at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, turning once. Do not over cook the doughnuts, or they will dry out faster. Turn them over as soon as they begin to brown. Cook one minute, then turn the doughnut over and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate to dry. Let cool for one minute, and then dunk doughnuts into ziplock bag and coat in cinnamon sugar topping. Cool completely and serve.
Welcome to Fall!
YUMMMMMM
Indian Ladder Farms….