The Estate Bakery
Apple Cider Donut Holes with Cinnamon Sugar and Caramel Sauce
The Strategy:
Reducing apple cider to a thick syrup before mixing it into the dough infuses these donut holes with a concentrated, sweet apple flavor. Frying the dough in small batches yields exceptionally light, pillowy bites that are crispy on the outside and soft in the center. Rolled in cinnamon sugar and dunked in a warm, homemade caramel sauce, they are a decadent, interactive fall dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- To make the dough, pour the apple cider and 2 tablespoons cinnamon into a deep saucepan, over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until the liquid reduces to about ½ cup, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then whisk in the apple butter, buttermilk and vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine 6 tablespoons butter, 1 cup cane sugar and ½ cup brown sugar together until pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the wet ingredients. The dough will be sticky!
- Spread some flour onto your work surface.
- Pour out the dough. Use your hands to mix some of the extra flour into the dough until it comes together into a loose ball.
- Place the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat out to about ½-inch thickness.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours. (You can also chill the dough for up to two days.) Whisk together ¼ cup cane sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl to make the cinnamon sugar. For the caramel sauce, place the brown sugar, cream, and 4 tablespoons butter into a deep pot over medium-low heat.
- Add a pinch of salt.
- Whisk and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the vanilla and cook another minute or so until the sauce is thick and creamy.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or fryer. Remember to add only enough oil to come up one third of the side of your pot as it will bubble up when you add the donut holes. Use a small biscuit cutter (about 2-inches in diameter) to cut holes out of the dough.
- Fry the holes in batches until golden brown.
- Transfer the fried holes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Serve with caramel sauce for dunking.
The full recipe lives in the Vault
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The Heart of the Table
The scent of frying dough, apple cider, and warm caramel immediately fills the room with festive autumn cheer, drawing everyone close. Serving these warm donut holes with a central bowl of dipping caramel creates a fun, hands-on experience that sparks laughter and connection. It brings a playful, celebratory energy to the table, making the evening feel like a special harvest festival.
- a hand-cut glass mixing pitcher with a diamond-cut pattern
- a sleek, solid brass Japanese double jigger with inner measurement lines
- a seamless, high-heat resistant silicone spatula in a soft slate grey
- unbleached, pre-cut parchment paper sheets for clean releases
- a teardrop weighted stainless steel bar spoon with a twisted stem
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Pile the warm, sugar-dusted donut holes in a wooden bowl, nested next to a small, warm ceramic pitcher of the rich caramel sauce for dipping.
- THE POUR: A cup of hot mulled apple cider or a glass of rich, dark cream sherry to complement the spiced apple and caramel.
- THE VIBE: Hearthside Dining Room: Soft candlelight and the cozy crackle of a fireplace set a warm, comfortable mood that invites everyone to relax and indulge.
