Vermont Apple Cider Doughnuts
The batter will be sticky, so be sure to flour not only the parchment paper-covered pan but also your hands and the doughnut cutter. It’s also crucial to keep the oil at a steady 375 degrees by using a thermometer and to fry only a few doughnuts at a time. If you crowd the pan, the dough will absorb the oil instead of cooking it instantly. The recipe is from “The Apple Lovers Cookbook” by Amy Traverso (Norton, 2011). Makes 18 1 ½ cups fresh apple cider 1 cup sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 2 large eggs, room temperature 3 ½ cups flour 1 ¼ teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ½ cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 6 cups canola or safflower oil for frying Cinnamon-sugar (1 ½ cups sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon for sprinkling) Place apple cider in saucepan over medium heat and cook it down to 1⁄3 cup, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl using a mixer, beat together sugar and butter until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating a minute after each. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour buttermilk, the boiled-down cider and the vanilla into the sugar-butteregg mixture. Mix well and don’t worry if mixture looks a bit curdled; it’ll smooth itself out. Add flour mixture and gently mix just until fully moistened. Mixture may appear a bit lumpy, but the most important thing is not to overmix. Line baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper and dust generously with flour. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet and gently pat into ¾-inchthickness. Sprinkle dough with additional flour, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 minutes. Pour oil into a large pot and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Using a lightly floured 3-inch doughnut cutter (or biscuit cutters), cut out about 18 doughnuts with holes. You can gather the scraps and re-roll as needed, but you may need to chill the dough more to firm it up. Drop 3 or 4 doughnuts into the oil, being careful not to crowd pan. Cook until browned on one side, about 1 minute, then flip over and fry 1 ½ minutes longer. Transfer using a spider, tongs or slotted spoon to lined plate to drain. Repeat process with remaining dough. Sprinkle doughnuts with cinnamonsugar mixture while still warm.