Cooking Therapy

Who doesn’t love doughnuts? A delicious fried dough covered with sugar and cinnamon or frosting and filled with just about everything from jams and fruit to cremes and ganaches. For this recipe, I stuffed apple cider doughnuts with a homemade apple pie filling to give them a taste of Autumn that can be enjoyed year round. This are good to eat fresh or can be enjoyed the morning after for breakfast. One thing is for sure, they will not last long after you make them.

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Makes 12

Ingredients

For the Filling

4 tablespoons water

½ tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1 tablespoon of honey

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup of apple, finely chopped

For the Dough

2 cups apple cider

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ stick of melted butter at room temperature

2 large eggs

2/3 cup of brown sugar

Instructions

For the Filling

• In a medium saucepan, add all the ingredients except the diced apples and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, stirring often
• Boil until mixture starts thickening, about 5 minutes
• Once thickened, stir in the apples until nicely mixed and lower heat and let simmer until it thickens
• Once the liquid is gone, remove from the heat and let it cool

For the Doughnut

• In a small saucepan, reduce the apple cider to half over a medium-high heat
• In a large bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the spices
• Once the cider has reduced, add the butter and stir until it melts and mixes with the cider
• Remove from heat and let it cool
• Once cooled, stir in the eggs until they’re mixed with the cider
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using the mixer until a ball of dough forms.
• Remove from the mixer, cover, and let rest in a cool dry place for 30 minutes to an hour until firm enough to shape
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ½ inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out the shape of the doughnut
• Fill a deep pan or a wok with vegetable oil and heat to 365 degrees
• Add the doughnuts and fry until golden brown on each side
• Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the donuts from the oil and let drain on a paper towel lined tray
• Once they are cool enough to handle, poke a small hole on the side of the donut about in the middle and, using a piping bag, pipe the apple pie filling into the donut, about 1/3 teaspoon of filling
• In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon and coat the donuts
• Serve and enjoy!