Homemade Apple Cider Donuts. These are a favorite treat this time of year when the outdoor colors are changing and the air is filled with the scent of wood-smoke, drying leaves and fresh apples.
Moist and spicy and coated in cinnamon sugar, they go down wonderfully served up on a damp overcast day with a hot drink.
Baked and not fried, I adapted my recipe from one which I found on NY Times cooking site by Erin McDowell. You can find the full sized recipe here.
I didn't want or need a dozen donuts however, so I cut the recipe in half to make just six, deliciously dense, cake-like, cinnamon sugar, cider spiked donuts!
In the UK, all apple cider was hard cider, meaning alcoholic. Here in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, cider this time of year is sweet cider, of the non alcoholic variety.
Made from freshly pressed apples there is no alcohol present in this cider. The alcohol develops a bit later on as the cider ferments. Eventually it will turn to vinegar, but that's a whole different story.
My first husband came from a farming family here in the valley. They had a few orchards scattered here and there. The best pickings are used for selling to eat out of hand.
The drops are pressed and used to make apple cider, apple sauce and the like. I picked drops one year and it is back breaking labor.
Drops are the apples which fall off the trees. Found on the ground, there is a lot of picking involved to fill one of those big wooden bins, which seem to loom larger and larger as the day progresses.
Normally, or at least back in those days, you were payed by the bin, not by the hour. If you were a good and quick picker you could make a decent wage.
But, I kid you not, it was hard work. Farm work always is.
I like to get a jug of fresh cider early in the season when the apples are sweet and the cider sweet as well. In the UK you can use pressed apple juice (the good stuff you find in the chiller section of the shops.)
You can cook the cider down to make a more concentrated flavor for baking, but I am always happy with it just as it is.
If you want to reduce it, begin with approximately 1 1/2 cups (360ml) of the sweet cider and cook it over moderate heat, until it has reduced to approximately 1/2 cup (120ml).
This will take about 20 minutes. You won't need all of it for this recipe, but you can keep it in the fridge to use another time.
Fresh cider is an unpasteurized form of apple juice. It is raw and has not been processed. No filters have been used to remove particles of pulp.
Slightly opaque, it is highly perishable because of this, but it is also very delicious.
It is perfect for drinking fresh out of the refrigerator (it must be kept refrigerated) and it is lovely served warm and mulled with spices as a hot drink.
It is beautiful in baked goods as well. Delicious things such as cakes, muffins and these baked Apple Cider Donuts I am sharing today.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS
Other than apple cider there is nothing very much out of the ordinary here.
- apple cider (in the UK use pressed apple juice, not alcoholic sparkling cider)
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- vanilla
- salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
- eggs
- butter
HOW TO MAKE BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS
One of the things I love most about these donuts is that they are not fried. This means I don't have to feel overly guilty in indulging.
I hate the fuss and muss of deep frying. It makes your house smell. I don't like it when my house smells like a fat fryer.
When I was a very young bride we lived over top of a cafe and bush stop. Our apartment always smelled like deep fried foods. That gets old really quickly.
To start off with, I like to have my butter and egg at room temperature for these donuts. Some of the butter will be creamed to make the batter and some of the butter will be melted to finish them off.
You will need a donut pan to bake these in. I use a six hole Wilton one which I bought on Amazon. It makes medium sized donuts, not small ones.
The butter for the batter needs to be creamed together with both white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. I use my electric hand mixer for this.
Once it is light and fluffy, I beat in the egg and the vanilla. Again with the electric mixer.
I always like to sift my flour, spices and leavenings together.
Baking powder and soda are known as leavenings. Leavenings are ingredients which are used in baked goods to give them lift and make them rise.
By sifting the dry ingredients together you ensure that the leavening and spices are evenly mixed throughout the flour.
I use a large sieve for this. In the old days they would have used a flour sifter, which was a jug shaped thing with several layers of wire mesh in the bottom. Both do the same thing, with the same results.
The dry ingredients get beaten into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined. You then beat the apple cider in slowly so that it also gets combined and the cake mixture doesn't curdle.
Once you have a smooth homogenous batter, I pop it into a zip lock baggie. This makes it easy to pip the dough into the buttered/sprayed donut pan.
Just clip off a corner with some kitchen scissors (1/2-inch opening) and start piping. Try to get them as even as you can so that your donuts are all the same size.
These only need to bake in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes to perfection. You will know they are done when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the thickest portion comes out clean.
Once baked you leave them to cool in the pan for about five minutes before tipping them out onto a wire rack.
Once you can handle them it is an easy job to brush the rounded tops and sides with melted butter and then to dredge the still warm and butter covered donuts in cinnamon sugar to coat.
I used a bit more cinnamon in the dough than the original recipe. These smell and taste AMAZING!!
I enjoyed one of these warm for my lunch with a cup of hot spiced apple drink/tea. Oh my but it was some good.
I could have easily eaten another one, but I need to exercise some self control. These are the perfect autumn treat!
Quick and easy to make. Cakey, moist and dense textured, with a lovely cinnamon sugar crunch. These baked apple cider donuts are quite simply fabulous!
I am now wishing I had baked the full recipe and made an even dozen. In retrospect, however, its probably a good thing for my waistline that I did not.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
These delicious baked doughnuts are a real autumnal treat. You do need a doughnut baking pan to make them the right shape. Alternately you can bake in a medium muffin tin. Delicious any shape you decide to bake them!
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 3/4 cup plus 2 TBS (115g) all purpose plain flour
- 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 5 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 fluid ounces (60ml) apple cider
To finish:
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Lightly spray a 6 cavity non-stick doughnut baking pan with cooking spray. Alternately spray a 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Stir in the flour mixture, making sure it is thoroughly combined. Drizzle in the apple cider beating it in thoroughly as you go. The batter should be smooth.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared tin. For doughnuts bake 12 to 15 minutes. For muffins 15 to 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before tipping out.
- Melt the butter in a bowl. Whisk the cinnamon and sugar for the topping together in another bowl. Brush the surface of each doughnut with some of the melted butter and then dredge/roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- For muffins, dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar.
My sister Cindy and her partner Dan were coming over for supper the other night. I made Easy Pizza Casserole for our meal, and served it with a salad and some garlic bread, but I was looking for a lush dessert/cookie/bar to serve for dessert.
Dan is a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies. (Who isn't!) We all love brownies. I decided to make Brookies, which combines the best of both worlds!
Chewy fudgy chocolate brookies combine the best of both worlds. You get an addictive chocolate chip cookie base with a lush rich chocolate fudge brownie layer baked on top! You can't go wrong!
If you can find a bar that is any more moreish or addictive I would like to meet it! These bars are fabulous. I downsized/small-batched my favourite recipe to make a manageable amount for the smaller family.
We each enjoyed one on the night. I gave my sister some to take home with her and kept a couple for myself. Totally manageable. When a cookie bar is as delicious as these are, you really don't want too much temptation hanging about in your kitchen.
I have little to no willpower when it comes to things like this. I know myself well. Small-batching it is the only way to go, even if I am having company! That way I have a manageable amount and cannot overdo it when it comes to pigging out!
I mean . . . just look at that photograph. Can anything be more delicious looking? I think not!
This is a cookie bar that you won't be able to resist sinking your teeth into. I guarantee!
Of course if you are not a glutton like myself, you can easily double the ingredients and make a full batch. In that case you would need to bake them in a 9 by 13 inch pan, and use a whole egg for the cookie base.
The cook time will remain basically the same as with these.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BROOKIES
Simple store cupboard ingredients. I am betting you have everything you need in your kitchen right now!
flour (plain all-purpose flour)
unsweetened cocoa powder (Do not confuse this with the hot drink mix. They are not the same thing.)
eggs (I always use large free range eggs)
semi sweet chocolate chips (I like either the Costco brand or President's Choice Decadent ones)
baking powder
baking soda
salt
butter (I always use just plain salted butter unless otherwise specified)
vanilla (I use pure vanilla extract. This is the kind I buy and it lasts a long time.
walnuts (I always toast my nuts before using them)
Not only are these lush bars delicious, but they are really attractive. You get that beautiful combination of colors with the golden brown chewy chocolate chip cookie base and then the dark fudgy brownie tops.
The walnuts on top give a nice crunch. You could ice them if you really want to, but trust me, these are beautifully perfect on their own without any frosting.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BROOKIES
These are a very simple make, trust me on this. So long as you follow the recipe instructions to a "T," you will have no problem and they will turn out perfectly!
You begin by making the chocolate chip cookie bottoms. Cream the butter and both sugars together just as you would any chocolate chip cookie. If your brown sugar is really lumpy, you may want to put it through a sieve first, or at the very least rub it with your fingers to get all the lumps out.
I use an electric hand mixer for this and it all goes together really quickly. Beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla. You can freeze the egg white for another purpose.
They freeze really well and come in very handy for recipes such as pavlova or angel food cake. You can find my small batch pavlova recipe here. You can find my small batch angel food cake here. Both are excellent recipes.
Once you have all the wettish ingredients for the cookie bottom combined you need to stir in the dry. I like to sift my flour and soda together with the salt so that the soda is evenly distributed. Just stir it in and then stir in the chocolate chips.
The hardest part is patting it out in the baking tin. I like to lightly flour my finger-tips which makes this a much easier chore. Make sure you get it right into every corner!
Once you have the chocolate chip cookie dough patted out you need to make the brownie topping. This goes together very quickly.
Stir the melted butter, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl. I sift the flour and cocoa powder together with the baking powder and salt, again to make sure everything is combined equally.
Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the wet mixture, combining it all equally, making sure there are no lumps and dry patches.
This is then very easy to pour/spread over top of the chocolate chip dough. I tend to drizzle it over slowly moving it across the cookie dough, using a rubber spatula to scrape out every smidgen of brownie batter!
Just get it as evenly as you can. It will spread on baking. Once I have done that I sprinkle the toasted walnut pieces over the top evenly.
I like to toast my nuts. They just taste better and are crunchier and nuttier. 8 to 10 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet in a moderate oven does the trick. Leave them to cool before using.
I do mine a whole bag at a time and keep them in the freezer in an airtight container. This helps to not only keep my nuts from going rancid, but also means I don't have to stop and toast my nuts every time I need to use them.
It makes sense. You can use them in baking, salads, etc. No need to thaw them out first.
Another handy tip when I am baking is to line the baking tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang to life the finished bakes and cakes out with when done. The finished bake just looks nicer when cooled, with no bar or other unsightly marks from the cooling rack.
Bakes and bars are also a lot easier to cut into squares and bars when they are out of the pan. I have always found that when I try to cut these in the pan, the first bar can be difficult to get out and is often destroyed getting it out of the pan. This doesn't happen if you lift the whole bunch out first!
Because each layer of these amazing brookies is made individually they go together lickety split. Both are very easy makes on their own, and it is a simple matter of layering which is such a simple thing to do.
They also bake up really quickly, meaning you can have this delicious moreish treat ready to eat in not much more than half an hour, depending on if you like to eat them warm, or are happy with them cold.
These are brilliant on their own with a nice glass of cold milk, or you can turn them into a lush brownie dessert by serving them one at a time in a dessert nappy, slightly warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For extra decadence, why not spoon some hot fudge brownie topping over top! I can promise you any way you serve these, they are bound to be loved by whomever.
Whether you serve them as an after school treat, a lush dessert, or enjoy them as a sneaky nibble in the middle of the night, they will always go down a real treat!
Brookies (small batch)
Yield: 9
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min
These fabulous bar cookies are a delicious combination of chocolate chip cookies and brownies. They are seriously moreish!
Ingredients
For the chocolate chip cookie layer:
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50g)light brown sugar
- 2 TBS white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup (83g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (90g) semisweet chocolate chips
For the brownie layer:
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 TBS cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (35g)plain all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 8-inch square baking dish. Partially line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift out the baked squares when done.
- To make the cookie layer, beat the softened butter, light brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until creamy. Add the egg yolk beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the flour, combining well together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish to cover completely.
- To make the brownie layer, stir the sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; add the egg and beat well. Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir into the butter mixture until thoroughly combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Pour brownie batter over cookie dough and spread to cover completely. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts over top evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brookies comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.
- To cut into bars, life the brookies out by the paper overhang onto a cutting board. I make three cuts one day and three the other. Perfection.
I apologize upfront for the quality of the photographs of this recipe for this pizza casserole with pasta that I am sharing with you today. Its not the prettiest crayon in the box.
I also couldn't take a photo of the insides of it as I served it for company. My sister and Dan. Dan loves pasta bakes and so I made it to please him. He likes pasta bakes and he likes pizza. Why not combine the two!
This easy recipe takes everything we like about pizza and combines it with pasta noodles to form one great pasta bake that the whole family is sure to love!
Not only is it very easy to make and bake (it all mixes and bakes together in the one pan) but you can very easily adapt it to your own family's likes and dislikes!
There is literally no faffing about with having to cook pasta ahead of time. If you don't like pepperoni, just leave it off!
If you don't like mushrooms of peppers, leave them out. Love hot Italian sausage or sweet, use whichever one you want, or replace it completely with some ground beef.
Craving a Hawaiian Pizza? Use Ham and pineapple. Its really up to you.
You can do a meat lovers and use all sorts of different meats, add olives, or hot peppers to the top at the end, etc. It really is a delicious and incredibly adaptable recipe!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY PIZZA CASSEROLE
Nothing fancy really, and you can adapt it to your own likes and dislikes.
- uncooked pasta (I use penne, but you can also use fusilli or any other similar shaped noodle/pasta)
- pizza sauce (I like the garlic and basil one)
- water
- chopped veggies (I use peppers, onions and mushrooms)
- cooked meats (I used sweet Italian sausage and pepperoni)
- cheese (I use a combo of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan)
- salt and black pepper (I didn't use any at all)
Really you can feel free to use any favorite pizza toppings, etc. that you enjoy! The important thing is to keep the measures of the pasta and the liquid ingredients the same as per the recipe requirements!
HOW TO MAKE EASY PIZZA CASSEROLE
It really is such a simple, no fuss, no muss recipe. If you can stir things together you can make this! It is really as simple as all that.
If you are using Italian Sausage or Ground beef, you will need to crumble the sausage and beef first into a skillet and cook until browned. You could use ground turkey as well if you wanted to make it a bit healthier.
Sometimes we like ham or bacon with our pizzas, and they also work well in here. Just cube the ham if you like that. Or you can fry and crumble the bacon.
In the UK you could get bacon or pancetta lardons, which were like little cubes of bacon or pancetta (an Italian bacon). They were really easy to brown in a skillet.
There is no need to precook the pasta for this recipe. The pasta actually cooks in the oven in the sauce. That is why you need extra water. I adore pasta cooked in this way as it actually absorbs all of the flavors of the sauce you are using, and don't worry, it cooks properly and you do not end up with a watery finish!
It is very important however that you keep the measurements of the past and the liquids as per the recipe. This is the proper amount to use for this recipe, and the proper liquid for this amount of pasta.
You begin by putting the pasta into a buttered baking dish. You don't really need to butter the dish, but I always do just in case things stick. That's just me! I prefer to err on the side of caution.
The pizza sauce and water get combined with all of the add ins and poured over the pasta in the dish. Give everything a good stir together to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
That's probably the hardest part, making sure everything is evenly distributed and you don't end up with all of the meats in one corner, or all of the vegetables in another.
Its okay to stick your fingers in and give everything a little bit of help. But then again, I am a person who doesn't mind getting my fingers dirty.
Once everything is as you want it you combine all of the cheeses. I choose to use three different kinds.
Mozzarella for its stretchy pizza goodness. Cheddar for its flavor, which I really enjoy. Mozzarella can be quite bland. Also Parmesan (or smelly sock as we used to call it when we were growing up). Also for its saltiness and its flavour.
If you have other cheeses which you prefer more, by all means use them. These cheeses get sprinkled evenly over top of the pasta in the dish.
Finally you want to place the pepperoni if you are using it over the top of the cheese. Feel free to use other toppings as well if you wish. Sliced or chopped black or green olives, red onion, hot peppers, etc. Choose and use what you and your family enjoy!
Finally you just tightly cover the casserole dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for half an hour and then uncover and bake for a few minutes longer to brown everything up a bit. Your pasta will be cooked perfectly al dente and everything with be tasty delicious!
Dan really, really enjoyed this. I served it with a tossed salad and some garlic bread on the side. He was in man-pizza-pasta heaven! I confess, I really enjoyed it as well and I thought you would too, which is why I am sharing it with you today! I wish I could have taken a photo of the insides, but everyone was too hungry. It smells amazing when it is baking.
This is a real family pleaser, any way you look at it. I took the leftovers over to my daughter after dinner and she messaged me later on to tell me it was delicious. I love serving and feeding my family. That puts me in my happy place. 😃
Easy Pizza Casserole
Yield: 6
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 45 Min
This is a real family favorite. It makes a lot but you can separate it into individual casseroles and freeze them.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (230g) penne pasta (can also use fusilli)
- 2 cups (480ml) pizza sauce
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
- 1/2 cup (60g)grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 each, red, green and yellow peppers, chopped
- 6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 4 Italian sausages, skinned, crumbled and browned (you decide if you want hot or sweet sausage)
- 12 pepperoni rounds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking dish.
- Pour the dry pasta into the dish.
- Whisk the pizza sauce and water together in a large glass bowl, along with the chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms and sausage. Pour this mixture over the pasta in the baking dish. Stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce and distribute the vegetables and sausage.
- Combine all three cheeses. Sprinkle them evenly over top of the pasta in the dish, then place the pepperoni rounds on top of the cheese, evenly spacing them.
- Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer until the pasta is al dente, the cheese has melted and the pepperoni has browned.
- Serve hot.
All of the content you see here on this page, both photography and written, are the sole property of The English Kitchen, Marie Rayner. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons