Right, so I meant to post this a few days ago when it was actually Hanukkah and still kind of relevant. But then a bit of cold, two feet of snow, and the second season of Mad Men got in the way. It happens.
But anyways. Doughnuts. Or donuts. I thought they were hard to make. Turns out, they are actually pretty easy. Oddly, I just happened to have some apple cider in my fridge, so on a whim (seriously, it was a whim, I had already scoffed at the idea of making doughnuts earlier that day) I decided to give it a go. And what a good decision that was.
Apple Cider Doughnuts
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
- 1 cup apple cider
- 3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Start by measuring out the apple cider into a medium saucepan. Reduce it over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, until it’s down to about 1/4 cup.
While that’s happening, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg into a bowl.
Using an electric mixer (or stand mixer) beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully mixed in before adding the next. Gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk until just incorporated. Finally, add the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle them with flour. Lots of flour. Turn out the dough on one sheet, sprinkle with some flour, and using your hands, flatten until it’s about 1/2″ thick. Stick this sheet of dough into the freezer for about 20 minutes until the dough has firmed up.
Using some round cookie cutters (or doughnut cutters if you are fancy like that), cut out doughnut shapes. I used a 3 1/2″ round cutter for the outside and a 1″ round cutter for the inside. Place the shapes on the other cookie sheet and stick them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. I re-rolled the dough a couple of times to make more doughnuts.
In a frying pan (or deep fryer), heat up enough oil to measure about 3″ in depth to about 350ยบ. Carefully drop in the doughnuts so as to not let the oil splatter and fry on each side for about 60 seconds. Remove from the pan and lets them drain on many layers of paper towels.
Carefully dip the doughnuts into the cinnamon sugar mixture and serve.
Makes about 18 doughnuts.