How To Make Apple Cider Doughnuts

When you can’t get to the orchard, use fresh apple cider to make lightly tangy apple cider doughnuts at home.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 5½ cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling dough
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 medium Honeycrisp apple or other tart cooking apple, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

Reduce the apple cider to ½ cup in a small saucepan over high heat. Set it aside.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.

In a second large bowl, mix butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar until creamy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla, buttermilk and cider.

Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until blended. Add apples. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a rough disk about ½-inch to ¾-inch thick. Cut dough using a 2½-inch doughnut cutter. You can save the holes or fold them back in to make more doughnuts.

Fill a deep fryer with oil and heat to 300 degrees. Putting two or three doughnuts in at a time, fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Drain on a platter lined with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ½ cup sugar with remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Roll doughnuts in mixture and serve warm.