Everyone has that one food they’d break bad for. You know, the lying, cheating, stealing, Grand Theft Auto run-over-a-hooker type of criminal activity that could easily land you in the slammer if you were ever caught.
For me, it’s apple cider doughnuts.
Like a sober alcoholic thirsting for just a rain-drop’s worth of bourbon on the rocks, I get the shakes for cider doughnuts that border on delirium tremens. The only way to curb the chaos is to dive teeth-first into the ring-shaped pastry in question. While there are many things I wouldn’t do for a Klondike Bar, I would do just about anything for cider doughnuts. I would do things that would make Walter White look like nothing more than a meth-producing tooth fairy and Michael Vick the puppet master behind a slightly darker version of Blues Clues. Why? Because for me (and for inexplicable reasons), cider doughnuts are the be-all and end-all of sugary confections.
There’s just something about the cake-y texture, the warm notes of nostalgia, the subtle bite of spice, and the granules of sugar that cling to my lips after every bite that keep me falling for cider doughnuts hook, line, and sinker, over and over again like a Shakespearean romance on repeat.
Apple season has just begun in ‘Murica, and the next few months will be rife with apple novelty desserts a-go-go. A cider doughnut fanatic’s Nirvana, right?
Wrong, because when apple orchards shutter their windows and turn off their deep fryers for the season and apples retreat from their annual extended vacation in the spotlight, my world will go dark. It always does, because when apple season dissipates, so too does a piece of my relentless foodie heart. We all think the person buying an old cronut on Craigslist for $50 is a lunatic until our lives are stripped of the one thing that truly matters (in this case, cider doughnuts) and we have to resort to desperate nights spent scouring the internet for overpriced stale crumbs tagged with an expedited shipping option.
To prevent a further fall from grace, I’ve crafted an easy baked apple cider doughnut recipe that’s perfect to make year-round sans deep fryer.
What’s the food you’d break bad for?
*LOOKING FOR MORE APPLE RECIPES? Try my Apple Cupcakes!
Cider Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon orange zest
- 2/3 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup mulled apple cider (I used a recipe by the Pioneer Woman)
- 1/2 cup cinnamon apple sauce
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 11/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup mulled apple cider
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon gold sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Grease a doughnut pan, set aside
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, orange zest, and salt
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together corn syrup, mulled apple cider, apple sauce, canola oil, and pure vanilla extract
- Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until just combined and no clumps exist
- Spoon batter into the greased doughnut pan, filling each mold about 3/4 full
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until doughnuts spring back when gently pressed
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes
- After 10 minutes, remove from pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling
- While doughnuts are cooling, whisk together all glaze ingredients in a small bowl
- In a separate small bowl, blend together all ingredients for topping
- Once doughnuts have cooled, dip the tops of each doughnut into the glaze, then immediately sprinkle with topping
- Store in airtight container
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says
I just had one of those tutoring days where my pain-in-the-ass students made me wonder why I do what I do for a living. Translation: I NEED THE DAMN DONUT AND I NEED IT NOWWWW.
Seriously. I’d totally break bad for cider donuts, too. I have no problem being the Jesse Pinkman to your Walter White.
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
GIRL, let’s do it. Also, I swear we need to make this lunch/dinner date happen soon. Despite the past 24 hours of horse ownership Hell, life has finally quieted down a bit. Is there anywhere suitable to purchase cider doughnuts in/near the city?! If so, I propose a cider and doughnut date.
stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says
Ugh, not without a long drive? I think? But let’s do some searching and see what we can make happen.
Liliana says
I also love apple cider doughnut, but my breaking bad is apple pie.
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Amen, sister. I’m waiting for scientists to prove that there’s some sort of addictive property in apples. It’s the only reasonable explanation for why we start salivating like Pavlov’s dogs every time some sort of apple-y dessert is merely mentioned.
natalie @ wee eats says
I never make donuts because I have an irrational fear of deep-frying things…. and a very rational fear of how much I would make/eat things if I started deepf-frying things. Also, apple cider donuts are my most favorite donuts ever.
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Natalie, I totally understand your fears! I bought a deep fryer several months back, and after my fair share of homemade jalapeno poppers and beer battered fish fry, I started to regret my decision haha. These cider doughnuts are baked instead of deep fried –which makes me feel better about scarfing a couple down at a time– but I can’t say it makes a big difference from a calorie-count perspective 😉
Tricia says
Can I make these without the doughnut pan?
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Great question, Tricia! You can definitely make these without a doughnut pan– I’d recommend using either a standard muffin tin or a mini muffin tin instead. You’ll need to adjust the baking time and they obviously won’t be doughnut shaped, but they should work well and still taste delicious!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I had the best cider doughnuts at a farm in VT once. These look just like them…they look delicious!
Um, I break for all desserts. 😉