Glazed Apple Cider Donuts

 Let me begin this post by saying how excited I am to share this doughnut recipe with you. What can I say? Doughnuts are exciting. They remind me of my childhood.....and my children's childhood, all fuzzy and warm with loving family.

Long story short: the doughnuts I’m sharing with you today are perfect for a child's Halloween party, a memory making activity with your children, or a gift for a neighbor or friend. Doughnuts are fun to make!

 

Glazed Apple Cider Doughnuts

recipe from the Washington Post

For the doughnuts: 

1 cup apple cider

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus additional for the work surface

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk

vegetable oil, for frying

For the glaze

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider (may vary depending on thickness of glaze)

Directions

To begin preparing the doughnuts, add the apple cider to a small saucepan and gently reduce the apple cider over medium or medium-low heat to about 1/4 cup, about 20- 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool. 

In the meantime, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, and whisk together.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg has been incorporated.  Reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the reduced apple cider and butter milk, mixing only until just combined.  Add the flour mixture to the batter, and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.  Take care not to over mix!

Line a baking sheet with wax paper, and sprinkle it generously with flour.  Turn the dough out onto the baking sheet, and sprinkle the top with more flour. 

 Flatten the dough with your hands until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick.  The dough might be sticky, so just use more flour if necessary. Transfer the baking sheet with the dough to the freezer until it has hardened slightly, about 30 minutes.  Pull the dough out of the freezer, and with a doughnut cutter (I just used two circle cutters), cut out the doughnut shapes and doughnut holes, and transfer them to a second baking sheet.  The dough can be re-rolled in order to cut out additional doughnuts.  Simply refrigerate the dough if it becomes too hard to work with before continuing to cut out doughnuts. Refrigerate cutout doughnuts for about 20 minutes.

I love my vintage doughnut cutter my Mom gave me. Every Fall Mom would make my brothers and I, "Grandma Dunn's Mashed potato doughnuts". This well used cutter was what I used to help her cut doughnuts..........yummmmmmy! Warm and fuzzy childhood memories......

 Add enough oil to a deep sided pan to measure a depth of about 3 inches.  With a candy thermometer, heat the oil until it reaches 350 degrees F, and have a plate or another baking sheet lined with paper towels ready.  

While the oil is heating up, prepare the apple cider glaze.  Whisk together the confectioner's sugar and apple cider in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth, and set aside. You may have to add a little more apple cider if the glaze is too thick.  If you accidentally add too much cider, just add a little more sugar.  Play around with it until you get the consistency just right!

When the oil has reached 350 degrees F, carefully add a few doughnuts at a time to the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, as this would lower the temperature of the oil too much (I fried three doughnuts at a time).  

Fry the doughnuts on the first side until they are golden brown, about 1 minute, and then carefully flip over and fry the other side until golden, about 1 more minute.  Remove the doughnuts from the oil and immediately transfer to the baking sheet with paper towels to drain. 

 Dip the warm doughnuts into the glaze.

Feel free to  dip twice. A little gloopier and messier, but very sticky and delicious. Whether you single or double-dip the doughnuts is strictly a personal preference. 

Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Makes about 14 doughnuts (with doughnut holes)

Ahhhhhh behold the beauty of these doughnuts.....

~Whether you eat one doughnut or seven is matter to discuss with your maker! 

 
~And your doctor.

Enjoy these!
 

Now that's a yummy gift!

        

                                          

More Halloween fun, today at JJ's "Haunted home"!! Please enjoy and feel free to use my ideas for decorating YOUR home this Blood curdling, spine chilling Halloween!

  

 

See you on Friday, Sweet One is brewing up some goodies to share! And, I can't wait to see!


Cheers!
JJ