Apple Cider Donut Holes

A few weeks ago, my friends and I decided to go to a pumpkin patch in Deerfield, WI. We had been talking about carving pumpkins for days, even some nerdy accounting pumpkins (which I have pictures of and will share sometime this week). We arrived at the farm and saw there was hayrides, a corn maze, petting zoo area, and a whole lot of fun. If I were about 15 years younger I would have been going nuts. This place was crazyyyy. They had these cannon things where you could launch pieces of pumpkin at targets. We had a great time reliving our childhood. We were easily the oldest people there that were not with young kids. The petting zoo area was pretty cool and we saw a llama, goats, pigs, chickens, and some cats. Sameed had a little run in with one of the goats... One of my new favorite sayings is now "Remember that time Sameed got head-butted by a goat?" Here he is making amends with the disgruntled goat's friend...

Soon after that we decided to go on the hayride to pick out our pumpkins. It reminded me of the hayrides we used to go on in Girl Scouts when I was real young. I probably haven't been on one of these since grade school. I was on the phone with my Grandma sometime after this trip and was telling her about it. She told me how she met my Grandpa in the 1940's on a hayride. I love hearing about stories of my Grandpa so it was special that I got to hear about it. She then asked if I met any boys on the hayride and had to let her down by saying that the average age of a single guy on that hayride was about 7 years old.

 I have never been to a pumpkin patch where you actually get to pick your pumpkin off the vine. I'm used to the pumpkin patches in Illinois where they are pre-picked and you just go down a line and pick the best looking one. It was a struggle to find the perfect pumpkin. Especially since the ground was all spongey and I wore flip flops that day. Not the best idea. 

After scouring the fields we all found some good pumpkins that were perfect for carving.

After a quick trip to the car and a hotdog later, we decided to take on the corn maze. How many accountants does it take to get out of a corn maze? Apparently quite a few. We got stuck in there for a really long time. It was dark before the time we got out.

You're probably wondering by now what all of this has to do with apple cider donuts right? Well before most of the adventure started we did what any good college student would do... checked out the bakery. The bakery made all different kinds of fudge, caramel apples and of course apple cider donuts. They were absolutely to die for. I have no idea how I didn't get a picture of them but somehow I didn't. I attempted to recreate these at home and honestly I didn't get close. My version was really really good, just not the same. So while it tasted nothing like the ones I got at the bakery, these donut holes were enjoyed by all. I of course made sure my friends got a taste and they all approved. There was a debate about whether they were more muffins or donut holes but thats a story for another time. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup apple cider

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 apple, diced (about 1 cup) - I used Cortland

2 tbsp butter, melted (for topping)

cinnamon and sugar for dusting

Directions:

In a small saucepan over high heat, heat the apple cider. Bring to a boil and allow the cider to reduce by half. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Then, add in the egg, cider and milk. Beat until smooth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the diced apple and then stir in the remaining flour mixture. Flour a square of parchment paper. Place the dough in the center of the parchment paper. Flour the top of the dough and using your hands pat it down into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap it in the parchment paper and put it in the freezer for 10-15 to make it firm. Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the dough out of the freezer and cut either donut shapes or donut hole shapes using a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, glass or shot glass (my personal favorite). Transfer each donut or donut hole to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. The amount that you will want to add in depends on what the ratio of cinnamon to sugar you want. I started with a cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of cinnamon and went from there. Just keep adding until you get the right flavor. When the donuts are out of the oven, dip them in the bowl with the melted butter and the roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Set on a wire rack to dry and cool. Store in an airtight container. They will be best the day that they are made. 

Source: Recipe from Healthy. Delicious.