Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes tickle the taste buds with the flavors of fall. A touch of sweetness and the warm spices of apple cider make these donut holes the perfect morning treat to eat with a cup of steaming coffee.

Photography Credit: Cindy Rahe

Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes are my cheat for getting some of those orchard vibes into my own home.

These donut holes are a hybrid between a classic cider donut and my favorite sour cream old-fashioned donuts. The result is a crispy donut with a fluffy interior, fragrant with essence of apples.

Just like an old-fashioned donut, the exterior of these are cracked and craggled, making them perfect for catching the sweet, cider-spiked glaze.

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WHAT’S THE BEST CIDER FOR APPLE CIDER DONUT HOLES?

I like to use fresh, unfiltered apple cider for this recipe—preferably the kind from an orchard, but any cloudy cider or juice works. It has the most apple flavor—the donuts themselves use cider, as well as the glaze, so the apple flavor really comes through.

HOW TO FRY THE PERFECT DONUT HOLE

These donut holes are deep-fried to ensure perfectly browned outsides and a soft, fluffy inside.

To make sure the interior of the donut holes are cooked though, I like to check the temperature of the oil with a thermometer. Use a thermometer that can either clip to the side of the pan or one that will instantly read the temperature.

It’s important to maintain the oil frying temperature at 350˚F. Each time you add a batch of donut holes to the oil, it will drop the temperature. You will want to wait until the oil temp increases to 350°F again before adding your next batch.

If you don’t have a thermometer, gently drop a small amount of batter into the hot oil. If it sizzles aggressively, the oil is hot enough.

HOW TO STORE DONUT HOLES

I think most fried things are best eaten still warm from the fryer, and these donuts are no exception. The glaze sets after a few minutes, and the still-warm donuts are fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

That said, these keep surprisingly well, covered at room temperature, for a day or two. The glaze keeps them from drying out too quickly, but after a few days, they do become kind of dense and dry.

I don’t recommend freezing these at any stage, as the end results aren’t really worth the effort.

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