Give Autumn a Warm Welcome with Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts

The fall season is a time of so many comforting traditions:

Smelling the cool air while trick-or-treating outside, picking out the biggest pumpkin for carving, walking through rows of cornfields, drinking warm cider, taking a hayride with friends…

But I digress.

The reality is, it’s only the beginning of September, and there are still a couple more weeks left before summer is over. I still have a bagful of summer cherries in my fridge, waiting to be used for my einkorn cherry doughnut recipe.

But I’m getting impatient. Autumn can’t get here soon enough!

Lucky for us, though, Halloween stores are popping up everywhere with crazy costumes, and grocery stores and farms are starting to sell all of their popular fall goodies.

Which means we can start celebrating the new season early, yes?

Yes!

Let’s begin with our recipe for homemade spiced apple cider doughnuts. These treats are pure fall, right down to the warm and sweet scent they send through your kitchen.

With subtle hints of apple cider, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, it is impossible not to immediately be consumed by the autumnal spirit!

Savor that first big bite into its golden crust covered in cinnamon sugar, giving way to a soft, fluffy, cake-like interior. Fingers and lips covered in a layer of messy sugar, you won’t be able to hide a huge smile and laugh.

With just one taste of this magical treat, it’s easy to ignore the last remaining weeks of summer.

Between us, it’s safe to say that fall is definitely here.

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Make the Dough

Boil the apple cider until it reduces to about 1/3 cup. Set aside to cool completely.

Ina stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup of the sugar with the butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. You can freshly grind whole cinnamon and nutmeg, if you prefer.

In a separate small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: cooled apple cider, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

Alternate adding the dry mixture and the liquid mixture to the butter and egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

The batter will be very soft and sticky. This is fine! Do not overmix or add more flour than necessary. The final product will become tough and chewy if it is overworked.

Step 2 – Chill

Using a bowl scraper or spatula covered with flour, scrape onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that is thoroughly dusted with flour.

Dust the top with more flour, then gently pat the dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Dust with more flour and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Step 3 – Cut into Shapes

Once chilled, use a rolling pin to roll it out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or two circular cookie cutters (one large, one a few sizes smaller) to cut out the shapes. Save the holes to fry.

While cutting, prepare the oil. Fill a large, deep pot or pan approximately with vegetable oil to a height of approximately three inches. Heat until a thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350°F.

Step 4 – Fry

Using a heatproof perforated spoon or a spider, carefully place two or three doughnuts at a time into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, to maintain an even oil temperature and enough room for each piece to cook evenly

Cook, turning once, until they are fluffy and browned on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with the spider and transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain.

Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and holes, ensuring that the oil has returned to temperature between each batch.

The holes will only take just a few seconds to fry. Be sure to move them around constantly to fry them evenly.

Step 5 – Let Cool Slightly

Let the pieces cool slightly on the baking tray. You need them to be slightly warm, and you must allow enough time for most of the excess oil to be absorbed by the paper towels before coating. This step helps the cinnamon sugar mixture coating to go on evenly, without dissolving or getting clumpy.

Step 6 – Dust in Sugar and Serve

Combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon in a large bowl. Coat each piece evenly in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Enjoy warm!

Deep-Fried Delights with Fall Flair

The moment that first leaf hits the ground, I’m ready for autumn. Even if there are still a few weeks left of summer!

These deep-fried delights, flavored with apple cider and warming spices, are sure to become one of your favorite parts of celebrating the fall season.

Make a batch to enjoy this weekend, while you’re still longing for this muggy weather to be over, and dreaming of feeling the cool air on your face from that first chilly, breezy morning.

It’s almost here…

They also stay pretty fresh for a few days after you make them, when stored in an airtight container at room temperature – more reason to continue the celebration!

For a sweet with even more fall flavor, swap out the cinnamon and nutmeg for our homemade pumpkin spice mix.

And if you are craving more cool-weather treats with plenty of apple flavor, try our recipes for the following:

• Baked Apples with Fruits and Nuts
• Hand Pies
• Cinnamon Tart Cake

Other than making (and eating!) these homemade treats, what are you most looking forward to with the new season? I’d love to know what you plan on doing this year – so leave a message below, after you rate this recipe.

Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon October 15, 2009. Last updated: June 13, 2021 at 10:52 am.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.