Apple Filled Cider Donuts

4.48 from 17 reviews

Apple filled cider donuts are made with yeast for a light crumb and fried for a crisp texture. The fresh apple filling give these luscious donuts an apple pie flavor.

Prep Time1

Bake Time20

Additional Time12

Total Time13 20

Servings:12 large donuts

Ingredients

Apple Filling

1 ½ pounds apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" cubes)
2 oz brown sugar (¼ cup)
4 oz apple cider (½ cup)
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Dough

32 oz apple cider (4 cups)
2 oz unsalted butter (cold)
4 oz warm water (½ cup)
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
18 ¾ oz unbleached all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups, see note)
1 large egg (room temp)
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon table salt
1 quart vegetable oil (for frying)

Coating Sugar

8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

Make the Apple Filling (day 1)

Combine 1 ½ pounds apples with 2 oz brown sugar,4 oz apple cider, ⅛ teaspoon salt,½ teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Set aside to macerate for at least 1 hour and as long as 3 hours. Drain the apples, saving the juice. Combine 1/4 cup of the juice with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set Aside.
Put the apples and the rest of the juice in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high until the juices begin to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the apples are crisp-tender, stirring often. The apples should still hold their shape. The exact time will depend on the type of apple, estimate 10 minutes.
Add the corn starch mixture to the apples. Increase the heat to medium-high and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until the juices are slightly thickened and become translucent. Transfer the apple filling to a container and cool to room temperature. Chill until ready to use. The filling can be made 2-3 days ahead.

Make the dough (day 1)

In a large saucepan, bring 32 oz apple cider to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the 4 cups of cider are reduced to 1 cup. Transfer the reduced cider to a bowl and add 2 oz unsalted butter to the cider so that it melts. Set the bowl aside until the reduced cider is cooled to about 110°F (a little warmer than body temp).
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl combine 4 oz warm water, 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast and ½ cup (2 ½ oz) of the flour. Mix until it forms a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 30 minutes (while the cider is cooling).
With the mixer running on low, add 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon table salt and the reduced cider to the batter. Add another 2 cups (10 oz) of flour and mix until it forms a thick batter.
Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ oz) of flour. The dough will start out quite sticky. Knead on medium low speed for 5 minutes (speed 2 on my stand mixer) until the dough clings to the hook and clears the sides of the bowl. If working by hand mix in as much of the flour by hand as you can then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and continue kneading in the remaining flour. Knead for 5 minutes. If you have a hard time working with the sticky dough you can sprinkle a few more tablespoons of flour as you knead.
Knead into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover and set the dough aside at room temperature for 1- 1 ½ hours until it's doubled in volume.
Without kneading the dough (kneading will cause it to spring back as you cut) roll to ½" thick on a lightly floured surface.
Use a 4" round cutter to cut donuts. Line the donuts on a well-oiled baking sheet, leaving space between the donuts for the dough to rise (I used 2 baking sheets). Reroll the scraps of dough and continue cutting donuts until all the dough is used up.
Brush the tops of the donuts lightly with oil. Cover the sheet pans with plastic wrap. If you'd like to make the donuts in the morning refrigerate the donuts overnight. If making the donuts the same day, continue with the next step now.

Make the Donuts (day 1 or 2)

Allow the donuts to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. The time will vary based on the temperature of the room and the temperature of your dough (if you refrigerated the dough overnight they may take longer to rise).
In small bowl combine 32 oz apple cider with 2 oz unsalted butter and 4 oz warm water. Set the sugar aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 quart vegetable oil to 350 °F in a large heavy pot. Fry the donuts a couple at a time, about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and puffy.
As you take each donut out of the oil, immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Set on a cooling rack while you fry the rest of the donuts.
Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, use a skewer to poke a hole in one end of the donut. Push the skewer until it's in the center of the donut and move it around to create a pocket in the donut. Use a piping bag with a large round tip to pipe the filling into each donut.
Best eaten warm or within a couple of hours of frying.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition