What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?

Apple cider is raw and unfiltered, where as apple juice has been pasteurized and sweetened.

What is the best oil for deep frying these small batch donuts?

I like to use vegetable shortening, but you can use any oil with a high smoke point. You can use canola oil, avocado oil (very expensive though), grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil.

What's the difference between a cake donut and yeast donut?

A cake donut contains baking powder to help them rise when fried. Yeast donuts rely on yeast to rise. The texture of cake donuts are more cakey and yeast donuts are more like bread.

Can I bake these Apple Cider Donuts?

I have not tried baked these so I can't recommend it. If you'd like a baked version check out my Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes .

How do you safely dispose frying oil?

Allow the oil to cool completely in the pot, then pour back into its container or a plastic bag and throw it away in the trash. It should never be poured down the drain, as it could potentially clog your pipes.

Fried Apple Cider Donuts

Description

These Fried Apple Cider Donuts are the ultimate fall treat! The soft and tender dough is flavored with a fresh apple cider reduction and plenty of cozy warm spices. They fry up in minutes and then gets coated in an irresistible brown butter apple cider glaze!

Ingredients

Apple Cider Donuts

1 1/4 Cup (283g) Apple Cider, reduced 1/4 Cup (56g)
1 3/4 Cups (210g) All- Purpose Flour + extra for rolling dough
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Clove
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/3 Cup (67g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tbsp (28g) Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Whole Large Egg, room temp
1/4 Cup (56 g) Full-Fat Sour Cream, room temp
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract

Brown Butter Apple Cider Glaze

2 Tablespoons (28g) Unsalted Butter, browned
1 Cup (113g) Powdered Sugar
2 to 4 Tablespoons Apple Cider

Cook Mode Press to prevent your screen from going dark!

Instructions

Reduce the Apple Cider - Add 1 1/4 cup (283g) of apple cider into a small saucepan and over medium/high heat, reduce it down to 1/4 cup (56g). It will take 10 to 12 minutes. Pour into a measure cup and set in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool down.
Combine the Dry Ingredients - In a small bowl, combine together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
Combine the Wet Ingredients - In a medium sized bowl, reduced apple cider, brown sugar, sour cream, whole egg, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients - In 2 additions, sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Chill the Dough - Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, roughly shaping it into a rectangle. Chill for at least 1.5 hours or overnight.
Roll Out the Dough - Generously flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough out to about ½ inch (1.27 cm) thickness.
Cut out the Donuts - Dip a 2.5 inch (6.3cm) cookie cutter into flour and cut out your donuts. You should be able to cut out 6 donuts in the first round. Then use a 1 inch (2.5 cm) cookie cutter and punch out a hole in the center of each donut. Gently gather the remaining dough, reroll and cut out more donuts. Keep in mind, these won't be as pretty, but do your best to not overwork the dough too much.
Chill the Donuts Again - Transfer the donuts and donut holes onto a baking sheet. Return to the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Brown the Butter - Meanwhile, In a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, add unsalted butter. Swirl the pan and keep the butter moving around constantly. Once completely melted, the butter will foam and sizzle and gradually start to brown and deepen in color. It will only take about 3 minutes. Quickly pour the brown butter into a small glass bowl, making sure to scrape in all the little brown bits.
Make the Glaze - Immediately add the powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider to the brown butter and whisk until combined. If you'd like a thinner glaze add a bit more cider. Set aside.
Fry the Donuts - Once the oil reaches 350ºF (176ºC), gently place 3 to 4 donuts in the hot oil. The donuts will initially sink, but will float after 10 seconds or so. Fry for 45 second on each side, the flip and fry for an additional 2o seconds on each side. Donut holes will take 3o seconds on each side.
Glaze and Serve - Use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer the fried donuts onto a wire rack lined with paper towels. When they are cool enough to handle, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off. Place them on a wire rack and let the glaze set for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Reducing Apple Cider - After reducing, pour into a glass measuring cup to ensure you have exactly 1/4 cup. If you are over, just pour it back into the saucepan and reduce it some more. If you are a bit short, you can just top it off with more fresh apple cider.

Cutting Donuts - Make sure to dip your cutters in flour each time you cut out your donuts. The dough will be sticky, so you may need to shake the cutter to get the donuts and donut holes out.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Chill Time: 1.5 Hrs + 30 Mins
Cook Time: 8 Minutes Total