Apple Cider Donut Holes
With apple cider glaze
Apple cider donuts are everything you love about fall. Warm donuts with crisp, cool air, usually accompanied by an apple orchard or some type of pick your own apples situation. I made it one step easier by coming up with these apple cider donut holes. No apple orchard necessary. By making donut holes instead of full size donuts you get that crispy, crunchy edge in every bite. I also took it a step further by adding a delicious apple cider glaze to dip your donut holes in. Don’t be intimidated by frying your own donuts at home, it’s pretty easy and totally worth it.
Apple cider donut holes:
The most important, and not to be missed detail of this recipe, is reducing your apple cider. If you skip this step and use regular apple cider without reducing it down the donut holes will not come out right. I recommend doing this the night before. In a medium saucepan boil 3 cups of apple cider down to about ¾ cup. Do this by bringing to a boil and simmering over medium heat until you only have ¾ cup left. This took about 20 minutes for me. But I use a gas range so this may take you more or less time.
I poured it into a liquid measuring device after about 15 minutes to see how much it had boiled down to and it was at about a cup. So I simmered it for another 5 minutes, rechecked it, and had ¾ cup. Pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to make your donut holes.
Start your apple cider donut holes by whisking together your dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. Peel and core a medium apple. I used honeycrisp. Use a cheese grater to shred the apple. In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hang mixer add melted butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, sour cream and ⅓ cup of the reduced apple cider. Mix on medium speed to combine for one minute. Add the dry ingredients and shredded apple. Mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds to a minute, until just combined. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for an hour and a half.
After your dough has chilled, remove from the bowl and place dough onto a floured surface. The dough will still be quite sticky so use plenty of flour on your hands and your work surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out until it is about a half inch thick. Using a small cookie cutter or donut hole cutter, cut the donut holes out. Flour the round cutter you are using between each donut hole to keep it from sticking. Place donut holes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper as you cut them out. When you have run out of room to cut more donut holes press the dough together and roll out again each time to use all of the dough. Place the cookie sheet with your donut holes into the fridge while you heat up your oil.
Frying the donut holes:
Whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for rolling the donut holes in in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large, deep pot or dutch oven, heat up a neutral oil. Vegetable or canola oil works perfectly here. You’ll need a candy thermometer or deep fry thermometer to be able to keep track of how hot your oil is. Before adding your donut holes make sure your oil is between 365-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Each time you add your donut holes the temperature will drop so measure the temperature of your oil after removing each batch and make sure it heats back up to the desired temperature. Add the donut holes in batches of four to six. Fry for about one minute. Flip over and fry the other side for about a minute. Both sides should be golden brown.
Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil for about a minute to cool down slightly. Toss with the cinnamon sugar and set aside on a wire rack while you finish frying the remaining donut holes. Coat each batch of donut holes in cinnamon sugar as you go. When you are finished and your donut holes are cooling on the wire rack whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar and two to three tablespoons of reduced apple cider. Dip your warm donut holes into the apple cider glaze and enjoy!
Because they are fried, these apple cider donut holes are best eaten quickly after frying while they are still warm.
For more apple recipes try out my cinnamon apple spice cake here.
Apple Cider Donut Holes
Ingredients
Apple cider reduction
- 3 cups apple cider
Apple cider donut holes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 medium to large apple
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/3 cup reduced apple cider
Cinnamon sugar coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Apple cider glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp reduced apple cider
Instructions
Apple cider reduction
- Bring three cups of apple cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Turn to medium heat and simmer to reduce down to 3/4 cup. This took about 15-20 minutes but may take you longer depending on your stovetop. Check in a liquid measuring device after about 10 minutes to see how much it has reduced down to and then add back to the pot if needed. Once it is 3/4 cup pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to make the donut holes.
Apple cider donut holes
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Peel and core a sweet, medium to large sized apple. Shred using a cheese grater. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer add the melted butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, sour cream, and 1/3 cup of the reduced apple cider you made earlier. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds to a minute until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and the shredded apple. Mix on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined.
- Cover and place dough in the refrigerator for one and a half hours. Once your dough has chilled remove from bowl and place on a floured surface. The dough will be sticky so use plenty of flour on your hands and your working surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a small cookie cutter or anything donut hole sized to cut donut holes out of the dough. Flour the cutting device in between each one to prevent from sticking. Place cut donut holes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. When you run out of room to cut donut holes press dough back together and roll out again and continue repeating this until all or most of dough is cut into donut holes. Place cookie sheet containing donut holes into the refrigerator while you heat up your oil.
- In a bowl mix together one cup cinnamon sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon for coating donuts. Set aside.
- In a large, deep pot or a dutch oven heat up a neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil. Heat up enough to where the oil is three to four inches deep, in my dutch oven this was four cups of oil. Use a candy or deep fry thermometer to keep up with temperature of the oil. Heat oil to 365° to 375°. Once oil is preheated add donut holes four to six at a time. Fry for one minute and flip. Fry for another minute. Both sides should be golden brown and the donut holes should be floating. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels for about 30 seconds to a minute to cool down slightly. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place on wire rack while making the remaining donut holes.
- After removing each set of donut holes check temperature of oil again and make sure to keep between 365° to 375° before adding next set of donut holes. Once all donut holes are fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar, make the glaze.
Apple cider glaze
- In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the left over apple cider you reduced earlier. Enjoy as a dipping sauce with your donut holes while they are still warm and fresh.