Homemade Apple Cider Donuts

by Sofi | Broma Bakery

Hot, fresh-from-the-fryer apple cider donuts coated in cinnamon sugar? Yes please. these homemade apple cider donuts are basically fall in donut form.

Incredible Apple Cider Donuts

There are few things in life better than a hot, homemade apple cider donut fresh from the fryer. They’re warm, covered in cinnamon sugar, taste like fall, and are best enjoyed in an orchard. But it can’t always be the apple orchard; someone’s gotta hold it down in the home kitchen. This homemade apple cider donut recipe makes perfectly tender, cakey donuts with crisp, craggy edges and are packed full of big apple cider flavor. Fry them until they’re a gorgeous golden brown, dip them in cinnamon sugar, sink your teeth into a warm one, and ascend to heaven.

I imagine there will be more apple cider donuts there.

What are apple cider donuts and what makes these ones so good?

Apple cider donuts are a fall classic made with apple cider, warm spices and soft cake donut. They’re fried and coated in cinnamon sugar usually, but you can also glaze them if you prefer. Unlike yeasted donuts, these are cake donuts, meaning they get their rise from baking powder and baking soda rather than yeast, which makes these super easy to throw the dough together. The result is a donut that is soft and fluffy on the inside with a crisp exterior

Intense apple cider flavor: The key to making really good apple cider donuts at home is using concentrated apple cider. You’ll start with 4 cups of cider and simmer it down all the way to 1/2 cup so you pack a lot of apple cider flavor into little liquid. This intensifies the apple flavor and makes sure the donuts taste like apple cider, not just cinnamon sugar.

They’re perfectly spiced: Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg give these donuts that warm, cozy flavor that makes your tastebuds feel like they are receiving the warmest hug.

They’re fried, not baked: Apple cider donuts at the orchard are fried so that’s what we’re doing too. We are not baking them. We are not trying to make them healthier or clean up easier. We are making the donut you actually want to eat. The outside get crisp, golden and craggy and the inside stays soft and tender.

They’re the perfect fall baking project: This is the type of recipe you can make a weekend of. I feel like a main character in my life just whipping up a batch of the most delicious donuts. You can break up the work of them so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen or you can spend a whole afternoon making them. Your choice!

What ingredients do you need to make these homemade apple cider donuts

For the donuts

• Apple cider: You’ll reduce 4 cups of apple cider down to ½ cup. This is what gives the donuts their signature apple flavor, so don’t skip this step.
• Butter: Melted butter adds richness and helps keep the donuts tender.
• Light brown sugar: Brown sugar gives the donuts a little extra depth of flavor and helps create a soft, moist crumb.
• Eggs: Eggs add structure and richness. Room-temperature eggs mix into the dough more easily.
• Vanilla extract: A little vanilla makes the apple cider and spices taste even better.
• Applesauce: Applesauce adds moisture and a little extra apple flavor. It’s one of the things that makes these donuts so tender.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a subtle tang and helps create a soft, cakey texture.
• All-purpose flour: The base of the donut dough. You’ll want to measure your flour carefully so the dough isn’t too dry.
• Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg: The warm spices that make these taste like fall.
• Baking powder and baking soda: These help the donuts puff up while frying.
• Salt: A little salt brings everything together.

For the cinnamon sugar

• Granulated sugar: The base of the coating.
• Cinnamon: Because you can’t have cinnamon sugar without cinnamon.
• Ground ginger: Just enough to add a little warmth.
• Salt: A pinch makes the cinnamon sugar taste even better.

What tools do you need to make homemade donuts?

Frying donuts at home is actually not as scary as you might think. You don’t need a deep fryer or any fancy equipment, just a few kitchen essentials, an apron, and a willingness to stand over a pot of hot oil in the name of a really good donut. As long as you have the following you, too, can make donuts!

• A heavy-bottomed pot: For reducing the apple cider and frying the donuts. If you have them, I recommend using two separate pots for frying so you don’t have to clean between! If you have a dutch oven I love frying in my staub!
• Large mixing bowl: For making the donut dough!
• Rolling pin: This is ideal for rolling out your donuts, but if you don’t have one a wine bottle works in a pinch!
• Cookie cutters: A donut cutter will give you perfectly uniform donuts, but one larger and one smaller round cookie cutter works just as well!
• Cooling rack and baking sheet: For draining the fried donuts after they come out of the oil.

Bonus points, but not necessary

• Kitchen scale: This is especially helpful for measuring the reduced apple cider, but it’s also great for measuring your ingredients more precisely. If you don’t have one though, don’t worry! You can go by volume!
• Kitchen thermometer: If you have a candy or deep fry thermometer, you’re an overachiever and I applaud you. If you have a normal kitchen probe thermometer that will more than suffice for the job. And if you don’t have either of those, you can make like my grandmother and just stick a wooden spoon into the oil. It’s not as precise, but works in a pinch. If the oil is at temperature small, constant bubbles will float up around the wood. If it’s too hot the bubbles will be intense and aggressive, and if it’s too cold you’ll get weak, sporadic bubbles.

Tips for making the best fried apple cider donuts

These donuts are surprisingly easy to whip up, but follow our top tricks to ensure orchard worth donuts every time.

• Reduce the cider until it’s thick and syrupy: You want to end up with ½ cup (150g) of reduced cider. If you haven’t reduced it enough, the apple flavor won’t be as concentrated. This step takes about an hour, so I recommend starting with the cider before you do anything else.
• Chill the dough until it’s firm: The dough will be sticky when you first mix it together. That’s normal! Refrigerating it makes it much easier to roll and cut. If the dough is still too soft after an hour, pop it back in the fridge for a little longer.
• Don’t overcrowd the pot: Fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time. Adding too many donuts at once will lower the oil temperature, which can make them greasy and prevent them from cooking evenly.
• Keep the oil at 350°F: A thermometer makes frying so much easier. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown before the centers are cooked. If it’s too cool, they’ll absorb too much oil.
• Coat the donuts while they’re warm: The cinnamon sugar sticks best when the donuts are still warm. Let them cool just enough to handle, then dip them in the sugar on both sides. And if you want a little extra cinnamon sugar? Go for it. I support you.

These homemade apple cider donuts are everything I want in a fall treat. They’re fluffy, warmly spiced, packed with apple cider flavor, and covered in cinnamon sugar. The donuts are fried until golden brown, so they have those crisp, craggy edges that make apple cider donuts so good. They take a little time, but they’re absolutely worth it. Make them for a fall brunch, a weekend baking project, or whenever you get a craving for a cider donut and don’t feel like driving to the orchard.

I promise you’ll be very happy you did. Happy baking!

XXX

Print