Being from New England, Autumn means apple cider doughnuts. This is Cris's take on a classic. If you can get good quality apple cider from your local orchard, these will be better than if you use filtered cider from the grocery store, but either way, you'll get a better doughnut than any chain store can offer you.
Ingredients
Doughnuts
2 Red Apples, like Cortland or McIntosh
1 ½ Cups Apple Cider
3 ½ Cups Flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
2/3 Cups sugar
3 T vegetable shortening
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
¼ Cup Buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Vegetable oil for frying
Glaze
1 Cup Apple Cider
¼ Cup Confectioners Sugar
Topping
1 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
Directions
1. Core and chop apples, do no peel. Combine with 1 ½ Cups of cider in a medium pot over medium heat. Cover and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. You should have about 1 cup. If you have more, boil to reduce further.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl.
3. Beat 2/3 cup sugar and shortening with a mixer until sandy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Mix in the apple mixture, scraping the bowl. Beat in half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, then the remaining flour mixture.
4. Scrape dough onto a floured piece of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan until reduced to ¼ cup. Whisk in the confectioners sugar until smooth and glossy. Set aside. Make the topping: Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon and set aside.
6. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into rounds with a 2 ½ or 3 inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch biscuit cutter. You can also use a doughnut cutter, or cut the dough into rounds without the hole. You can even just cut the dough into squares with a knife. Any shape will taste good. (We have a cookie cutter shaped like an apple!)
7. Cook 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time, frying 1 or 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
8. Dip one side of each doughnut into the glaze and dip the glazed side into the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.
Doughnuts
2 Red Apples, like Cortland or McIntosh
1 ½ Cups Apple Cider
3 ½ Cups Flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
2/3 Cups sugar
3 T vegetable shortening
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
¼ Cup Buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Vegetable oil for frying
Glaze
1 Cup Apple Cider
¼ Cup Confectioners Sugar
Topping
1 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
Directions
1. Core and chop apples, do no peel. Combine with 1 ½ Cups of cider in a medium pot over medium heat. Cover and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. You should have about 1 cup. If you have more, boil to reduce further.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl.
3. Beat 2/3 cup sugar and shortening with a mixer until sandy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Mix in the apple mixture, scraping the bowl. Beat in half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, then the remaining flour mixture.
4. Scrape dough onto a floured piece of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan until reduced to ¼ cup. Whisk in the confectioners sugar until smooth and glossy. Set aside. Make the topping: Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon and set aside.
6. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into rounds with a 2 ½ or 3 inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch biscuit cutter. You can also use a doughnut cutter, or cut the dough into rounds without the hole. You can even just cut the dough into squares with a knife. Any shape will taste good. (We have a cookie cutter shaped like an apple!)
7. Cook 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time, frying 1 or 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
8. Dip one side of each doughnut into the glaze and dip the glazed side into the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.
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