Cider Doughnuts Ahoy

 

 As I have previously discussed, cider doughnuts rank up there with puppies and TiVo in my book (which is to say, very high).  California is rife with puppies and TiVo, but severely lacking in cider doughnuts.  Not to fear - that's what internet recipes are for!  I was lamenting to a girl at work how there are no cider doughnuts in California and she and I spent the morning trying to track down any secret purveyors in the Bay Area.  The closest one we found was west of Sacramento, officially making it a no-go.  It did, however, dawn on me to Google some recipes for cider doughnuts, and I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's lovely recipe.  A cider doughnut recipe from a real New Yorker - I knew I had hit the jackpot.  I quickly sent the link to John and mentioned that I might make them for him sometime.  Big mistake.  He has brought up this darn recipe every other sentence ever since.

 

While we were at the farmers market we came across the one vendor that sells cider, and John started in on those not-so-subtle hints that I make some cider doughnuts.  Because I love these doughnuts with the same fury he does, I relented and we bought the cider.   

That meant on my shopping trip that day that I also needed to pick up some dough cutters.

And a candy thermometer.  I'm pretty sure this is not something most people have in their kitchens.  I'm excited to have one though, because now it means I can make pralines!

I don't know about you guys, but I haven't ever bought Crisco or any kind of shortening in my life.  We've essentially been told that shortening is the devil and I've been eating up that advice.  Smitten advised her dear readers that shortening is the best way to fry doughnuts, and again, I'm eating up advice about shortening.  I figured I would use about half the can, but instead I used the whole jug and could have used a little more!  That is a lot of Crisco! 

Making the dough wasn't too hard, but there are some very specific instructions about freezing the dough and then cutting dough and then refrigerating it and then frying it.

 

I made sure to use just about every piece of dough I could get my hands on.  No doughnut hole left unfried. 

 

Once the oil reaches 350 degrees we started tossing in the doughnuts.  Luckily for our hungry bellies it only takes a minute and a half to fry a doughnut.  Just a little bit of rest and then tossed in cinnamon and sugar - cider doughnuts ahoy.

Not only do you end up with a plateful of doughnuts, but you also get lots and lots of doughnut holes.  I admit it's a bit dangerous to eat a whole batch of doughnuts between two people, but you only live once, right?

The day after I made these, it dawned on me that this was really taking things to a whole new level.  A place where when you can't find something you make it yourself.  A place where you are buying not just ingredients you need but actual pieces of equipment.  A place where you are deep frying in your dutch oven. So if you want to join me in this new place I'm experimenting with, then head on over to Smitten Kitchen and make yourself some doughnuts.