Apple Cider Donuts
What is better than apple cider and donuts? Nothing, until you combine them into one spectacular bite!
Back when my grandma was with us, she made donuts. But I’m pretty sure she never included apple cider in them. At least that ingredient is not listed on her recipe. But I can’t be certain, as I didn’t get to have them very often. My family had to make a two-hour drive when visiting her, so we weren’t there as much as I would have liked. But when she did make donuts, they were fried, sugary, deliciously light, and heavy in quantity.
I say heavy in quantity because one batch made sixty-five donuts! That’s a lot of donuts. But I’m thinking that when we all got together – all twenty-three of us – those donuts disappeared pretty quickly. I know I ate my fair share of them and have no doubt that’s where my love of donuts began. And…I do love donuts! Set pretty much any donut down in front of me and I am delightfully happy. But combining the fall flavors of apple cider with a donut? That’s magic!
Readers of my other Substack column, The Life and Times of a Midwestern Girl, know that I am also a fan of the Iowa State Fair and attend almost every day every year. And let me tell you, there are lots of amazing donuts around the fairgrounds. For many years, my daughter (my State Fair Partner in Crime) and I said we were going to conduct a State Fair donut comparison study and then report on our findings. Well, this year we finally did it, and for those of you who are interested, here it is:
• 5th Place: Holy Moly donut from The Blue Ribbon Bar & Eatery. Donut holes coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with caramel sauce. I thought they were really dense. They’re not bad, just not our favorite.
• 4th Place: Josephine’s Donuts. These are huge, big-as-your-head glazed donuts. They are good, but kind of wimpy for such a big donut.
• 3rd Place: Cinnamon/Sugar Donut from The Snack Box in Pioneer Hall. These are light, full-sized donuts heavily coated in cinnamon/sugar. I love these donuts and get them every year.
• 2nd Place: Miller’s Mini Donuts. We like the fluffiness of these donuts and that they are bite-sized. They come in cinnamon/sugar or blueberry flavors, and both are good.
• 1st Place: Lemonade Donut Drops. These are also found at the Snack Box in Pioneer Hall. They are donut holes with a vibrant lemony flavor, crispy outside and fluffy, light inside. Definitely worth the trek up that hill to Pioneer Hall.
But because my grandma is no longer with us, and the Iowa State Fair is not here nearly as often as I’d like it to be (a measly eleven days of the year), I wanted to find a donut recipe that was easy to make, did not require frying, did not make enough to feed everyone I know (although that is not a bad idea), and did not require TEN cups of flour, as my grandma’s recipe did.
So when I happened upon this recipe for baked Apple Cider Donuts from the New York Times, I was excited to try it. And…it only makes 18 donuts. A very reasonable amount. Or so I thought until the family started eating them and we all wondered…”Is this all there is??” Yes, that was all, but luckily for us it is a very easy recipe and once the half gallon of fresh, local apple cider was purchased, I made them over and over again. (I’m sure far bypassing that sixty-five donut quantity from my grandma’s recipe. Oh well….)
So here is the recipe (with a few changes made by me) for those of you craving a this-is-fall treat. These can also be made in a muffin tin if you don’t want to get a donut pan. But I think donuts are more fun, and the donut tin can be found here.
Apple Cider Donuts
Nonstick cooking spray
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (you can use regular)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (divided into 1 teaspoon each)
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I grate my own, but you can use pre-ground)
14 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (divided into 10 TBSP + 4 TBSP)
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar (divided ¼ cup + ½ cup)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup apple cider (I start with 1 cup and boil it down to ½ cup to get stronger apple flavor – takes about 10 minutes)
Heat oven to 350°. With cooking spray, lightly grease 2 (6-cavity) donut pans or a 12-cup muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 10 Tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula and mix in vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just barely integrated. With the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream, mixing to combine. Give the bowl a good scrape to make sure all is mixed in well.
Spoon or pipe (I put the batter into a piping bag to make putting it in the donut mold easier) the batter into the donut molds, filling about 2/3 of the way. Bake until evenly golden brown and springy to the touch (about 13 minutes). If you choose to make muffins, bake for 15-18 minutes.
While the donuts bake, whisk the remaining ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, melt the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove them to a wire rack. Immediately brush each donut (working with only one at a time) with the melted butter and then dredge donut in cinnamon sugar mixture. Then move on to the next donut.
These keep really well (if they aren’t gone immediately) in a tightly-covered container on the countertop. Then, for a delicious, fresh, warm donut, microwave for 10 seconds and enjoy.
If you do decide to make muffins instead of donuts, here is a recipe that our family loves – and fights over – for maple-cinnamon butter that would be tasty spread over these muffins:
Maple-Cinnamon Butter
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
2 drops of vanilla (as this is tricky, just a tiny splash)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Pack into a small, pretty dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Take out of fridge just a bit before serving to make nice spreading consistency.
I hope you enjoy this newer version of an old, well-loved recipe. The donuts are easy to make and, for me, just bring more to love about this favorite season of mine.
I believe these recipes help make us who we are and bring back memories like nothing else can. I publish my family recipes but also invite you to join in and share yours. Who knows? Your recipe gem may become a treasure for another family, or you may find one that becomes your own family heirloom. To join in and submit a recipe, just email me at: ourgrandmasrecipebox@gmail.com
I also write the Substack column The Life and Times of a Midwestern Girl, where I love to discuss living life in the Midwest. I may be talking about random conversations Midwesterners have with each other, or it might be about the joy of a little league baseball game on a summer’s evening, or maybe we’ll discuss the summers I spent with my grandma in tiny-town, Iowa. I will undoubtedly share stories of my adventures at the Iowa State Fair – both as an attendee and as a food-contest judge.
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Such fun to read, Connie! The Storm Lake Bakery makes THE BEST donut holes. I can't bring myself to eat the ones you find at HyVee or Walmart. They are lame in comparison, and unlike you, I'm not a State Fair fan, but the lemonade donut drops sound heavenly. I don't know the name of the food truck, but someone makes mini donuts in the Cedar Rapids area and sells them at the CR Farmers Market. I can eat a whole bag by myself!