My favorite cool weather drink is apple cider. I love the smell that wafts through the house when I’m making a pot on the stove. I recently came across this spin off my favorite drink and can’t wait to fire up the oven once the temps in LA drop a bit more!
-Heather
Nothing lures the kids out of the cold and into the kitchen faster than Apple Cider Donuts! Best served warm and straight out of the sugar bowl, these homemade, all-natural donuts make the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee or an after-dinner treat on a cold fall day.
The recipe comes from prominent NYC pastry chef Heather Bertinetti, an eHow Food Rachael Ray Buddy, and one of Zagat Guide’s “30 under 30: New York’s Hottest Up-and-Comers.”
Apple Cider Donut Recipe
Makes about 3 dozen (2-inch) donuts
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 1/2 cups apple cider
- 10 cups flour, plus additional for rolling
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- 2 cup sugar
Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar with the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and allspice on low speed until mixed. Increase the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at time, mixing completely between each addition. Add the butter to the mixing bowl and mix until the butter is broken up into pea-sized pieces.
Reduce the mixer’s speed to low and stream in apple cider. Slowly add all of the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix to incorporate.
Sprinkle a handful of flour over the sheet of parchment paper and spread the dough out evenly on the sheet pan. Place the pan in the freezer until the dough is firm, but not completely frozen, about 1 hour.
Once the dough is firmed up, fill a tall-sided pot about 2/3 of the way with oil for frying. Place the pot over moderate heat and heat the oil to 350ºF (if you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, place the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil – when a steady stream of bubbles comes out from the handle, the oil is ready). Toss the sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Sprinkle a handful of flour onto a work surface and invert the dough out onto it. Using a 2-inch and a 1/2-inch round cutter, cut donut shapes out of the dough. Fry the donuts (and donut holes) until they float and are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the donuts briefly on paper towels and then, while still warm, toss them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.
Need more help? Check out the How-To Video: http://www.ehow.com/video_12157971_apple-cider-donuts.html
