Apple Cider Donuts
intro
Tender, warmly spiced cake donuts coated in cinnamon sugar, made with concentrated fresh apple cider for iconic cozy fall flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
Reduce the Apple Cider
Pour 360ml (1.5 cups) unfiltered fresh apple cider into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle, rolling simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the cider reduces to 120ml (½ cup) of concentrated, deep amber liquid. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, or chill in the fridge for 5 minutes to reach room temperature quickly.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 320g (2.5 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour, 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, 50g (¼ cup packed) light brown sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and 1 tsp fine sea salt until fully combined, with no remaining clumps of brown sugar.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled reduced apple cider, 1 large room-temperature egg, 60ml (¼ cup) room-temperature buttermilk, and 42g (3 tbsp) melted, cooled unsalted butter until completely smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain—do not overmix, as this will create tough donuts. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the sticky dough.
Roll and Cut Donut Dough
Lightly flour a clean work surface, then turn the chilled dough out onto it. Pat or roll the dough to a uniform 1.25cm (½-inch) thickness. Use a 7.5cm (3-inch) round donut cutter (or a 3-inch biscuit cutter paired with a 1cm/½-inch round cutter for the center hole) to cut out donuts, re-rolling dough scraps only once to cut 12 total donuts and donut holes. Place cut donuts and holes on a parchment-lined baking sheet as you work.
Heat Oil and Fry Donuts
Pour 1.5L (6 cups) neutral vegetable oil into a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches a steady 175°C (350°F) on a clip-on candy thermometer. Working in small batches of 2–3 donuts at a time (donut holes cook faster, fry for 30 seconds per side) to avoid dropping the oil temperature, fry full-sized donuts for exactly 1 minute per side, until deep golden brown on both surfaces. Use a slotted metal spoon to transfer fried donuts and holes to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to drain for 1 minute before coating.
Coat Donuts in Cinnamon Sugar
While donuts drain and are still warm, stir together 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a shallow, wide bowl. Toss each warm donut and donut hole in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated on all sides, including the inner center hole of full-sized donuts. Return coated donuts to the wire rack to cool slightly for 2–3 minutes before serving warm.
Tips
2.Coat donuts in cinnamon sugar only after 1 minute of draining, while they are still warm: fully cooled donuts will not hold the sugar coating evenly.
3.Avoid overmixing the donut dough and re-rolling scraps more than once, as both actions develop gluten in the flour and result in dense, tough donuts instead of light, tender ones.
OMG these donuts are SO good! I made them for my kid’s fall class party and every single kid came back for a second one. The spice blend is perfect, not too overpowering, and the apple cider reduction makes the flavor so cozy. 10/10 will be making these every weekend from now on!
Game changer recipe! I’ve tried a bunch of apple cider donut recipes over the years and this one hits different. The outside gets that perfect crisp cinnamon sugar crust and the inside is so moist, not dense like other recipes I’ve messed up. Brought a batch to my office potluck and they were gone in 10 minutes flat.
Not gonna lie, I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating at first, but the steps were way easier to follow than I expected. My only note is I wish I’d reduced the cider a little longer because mine came out a touch mild on apple flavor, but that was totally my mistake. Still delicious!
Made these for our annual fall brunch with friends and everyone was asking for the recipe before they even finished their first donut! Quick question—can I make the dough the night before and fry them up in the morning to save time?
Has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I’m dying to make these for my sister who has celiac but don’t want to waste ingredients if the texture is off!
Wait, do these actually take 45 minutes total? I’m in a tiny dorm kitchen with just a countertop deep fryer and want to make these for my floor’s fall event but don’t have tons of time between classes.
Made these for my neighborhood block party over the weekend and they were the star of the spread! I skipped the cinnamon sugar coating on half the batch and dipped them in a salted caramel glaze instead, chef’s kiss.
My husband and I made these for our first fall date night in our new house and they were so fun to make together! The only issue we had was our oil temperature was too high at first so the first couple donuts got burnt on the outside before the inside cooked through. Any tips for getting the temp right?
How well do these keep? I want to make a big batch on Sunday to pack in my kids’ school lunches all week, but I don’t want them to get stale or soggy after a day or two.
Full transparency, I’m not a huge fan of super spiced desserts—would these be good if I cut the nutmeg and allspice in half? I love apple cider but can’t stand when baked goods taste like a potpourri candle, y’know?
I’ve been buying apple cider donuts from the local orchard every fall for my whole life, and these are honestly BETTER than the orchard ones. No cap. The fresh cider reduction makes such a huge difference compared to recipes that just add a splash of cider. 10/10, no notes.