Bye Bye Summer! Hello Fall!

If there's one thing that excites me about summer being over, it's the sweets and treats of fall. After Starbucks announced that they are changing their pumpkin spice latte to have real pumpkin puree, I nearly did a back flip! Now now, I know that here in Wisconsin we literally have 3 months of summer unless mother nature decides to start us late or cuts us short and gives us just 2. It only makes it an easy transition when I see the farmers markets and grocery stores turn their produce over to pumpkins galore. I have literally had everything pumpkin--milk, fudge, the obvious carbs, ravioli, butter, beer, so on and so forth. But today is not about pumpkins but rather apples. At the Milwaukee County Fair I had for the first time ever Apple Cider Donuts. I must have been hung up on pumpkin that I never even heard of this sugary spiced deliciousness. This is not my recipe by any means, but I did tweak it ever so slightly. This is a great weekend treat that you need two days for. One day for prep which took about one hour and the second for frying.

DOUGH
2 Apples--I used Red Delicious
1 1/2 cups Apple Cider--grab at your local farmers market YUM!
3 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Eggs--1 whole, 1 yolk
1/4 cup Buttermilk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 T Vegetable Shortening
Vegetable Oil--for frying

Doughnut Cutter

GLAZE

1 cup Apple Cider

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

TOPPING

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 cup Sugar 

Peel the apples and depose of the core. Chop the apples up coarsely. Combine the apples with 1 1/2 cups of apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat. Cover and let the apples soften for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the cover and allow the cider to completely reduce--approximately 20 minutes. Grab a blender and puree the apples until it is a smooth sauce. You should have about 1 cup. Set aside to let cool.

In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set that aside and grab a large bowl. Combine the shortening and sugar in the large bowl and beat until you are left with a wet sand. Next beat in a large egg along with an egg yolk followed by the apple puree. Beat in half the flour, then the buttermilk, then the vanilla, and then the remaining flour. Don't over mix.

On a cookie sheet spread some flour. Take the dough (will be VERY sticky) and lay that on the cookie sheet. Form into a large ball and place dough into a plastic zip lock or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. 

Once your dough has chilled, heat a cast iron skillet on the stove with about 2 inches of vegetable oil. Meanwhile simmer 1 cup of apple cider in a small saucepan. Once it has reduced to about 1/4 cup whisk in the powdered sugar. You want to have a smooth and sticky consistency for the cinnamon/sugar topping to stick. 

Mix your topping together in a shallow bowl. Your oil should be heated up by now. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Flour a surface and roll out your dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Press the doughnut cutter into the dough to form the shape. Once you have a couple cut out, put them into the hot oil. You need about 30-45 seconds per side. Take the doughnuts out of the oil and allow them to cool on a drying rack. After they are cooled down, dunk them into the glaze and top with cinnamon and sugar. Repeat the procedure.

Serve warm with a cold glass of milk.

Bye bye Summer. HELLO FALL.