Sweet Tooth Sunday-Apple Cider Donuts

There is nothing better than visiting an apple orchard in the fall and picking up some fresh-made apple cider donuts! A few weeks ago when we went apple picking, my parents bought a bag of donuts to share with all of us and that inspired me to make some at home.

I borrowed this recipe here.

Apple Cider Donuts
1/2 c. apple cider
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter (at room temperature)
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. buttermilk
Oil (for frying)

for coating
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, simmer apple cider for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until it reduces to about 2 tablespoons of liquid. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter until it's smooth. Beat in the sugar and brown sugar. Then add the egg, apple cider liquid, and buttermilk. Once those are combined, add in the flour mixture and slowly mix.

Line a baking sheet with floured parchment paper and add dough. Put a sheet of wax paper on top and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Carefully remove the wax paper and put the baking sheet and dough in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Take of the freezer and using a 3-inch and 1- inch circle cutter (I used a pint glass and a shot glass), cut out the donuts and donut holes (the recipe yielded 12 donuts, but I only got 8...guess it depends on the size of your cutters!). Place back in the freezer for another 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make sugar coating by combing sugar and cinnamon in a low-rimmed bowl. Put the oil in a pot with a candy thermometer. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

After the 20-30 minutes is up, take the dough out of the freezer and drop a few donuts in the oil at a time. Cook for a minute to a minute-and-a-half on each side. Transfer the donuts to a paper towel briefly to wick away some of the oil.

Roll the donuts in the sugar mixture. Let them cool for a few minutes and then ENJOY!