The weather is definitely turning autumnish and we’re even expecting a Nor’easter here in Southern New England today and for the new 36 hours (remember: a nor’easter is not an indicators of snow; merely a strong wind event with the wind coming from an atypical wind directions … but I digress). So I went to the apple orchard one last time for the season yesterday which inspired me to make apple cider donuts today. And I have to say (no offense to the folks at Russell Orchards, mine were better. Here’s recipe:
And before I get a lot of questions again about “what is apple butter”, it has nothing to do with butter. It’s a old fashioned word for jam or a spread. You can buy it in the shops (not all of them, but I got this in a regular store), but if you can’t find it, take 3/4 cup apple sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring all the time to drive off any additional liquid. It will darken in color to almost mahogany, become thicker and after 10 minutes, you should have the 1/2 cup that you need. Stir frequently otherwise it will scorch.
Ingredients
for the donuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain yogurt
for the glaze
4 tablespoons caramel sauce (store bought ice cream topping is fine here)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup confectioners sugar
1-3 tablespoon apple cider (if too thick for dipping)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray holes of a doughnut pan liberally with baking spray.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, cider, yogurt and vegetable oil. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fill each cavity of prepared pan about halfway.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched lightly. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn onto a cooling rack.
To glaze and coat, combine caramel sauce, sea salt and confectioners sugar in a bowl until completely mixed and no clumps of sugar remain. It should be a fairly thin consistency, so if it is too thick for dipping, add apple cider, 1 tablespoon at a time. Dip each donut in the glaze and then place on a cooling rack. Let cool the rest of the way. Enjoy immediately.
