Ingredients
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup butter (softened)
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour (may need more)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying (quite a bit)
1/2 cup cinnamon and ½ sugar, mixed
Boil the apple cider until it reduces to about a quarter cup in size and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar with the butter until smooth, add the eggs, buttermilk and reduced apple cider. In another bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
Add the flour mixture slowly to the liquid mixture, and mix just to combine. You want the dough not to be sticky. Add flour to counter and knead slightly just to combine without overworking the dough. Roll or pat the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. You can either use two circular cookie cutters (one larger than the other) to create doughnut circles or roll into small balls for holes. Place a few at a time into a deep pan (I used my dutch oven) that’s been filled and heated with enough oil, approximately three inches deep.
Fry a few doughnuts at a time, turning once or twice until they are browned and fully cooked through. Allow the hot doughnuts to drain on some paper towel. While the doughnuts are still warm, coat them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. You have to work pretty fast if you want the cinnamon-sugar mix to stick, we had some difficulty with this.
