Saturday, October 12, 2019

This Easy Baked Apple Cider Donut Hole Recipe Tastes Like Fall

easy baked apple cider donut hole recipe with cinnamon sugar

These baked donut holes with apple cider and cinnamon sugar are ultra easy to make and taste like fall. The only special equipment you need is a mini muffin pan, and there’s no yeast involved—and you can change up the flavor as you wish. Jessie Sheehan, who created these beauties, will tell you more:

I like to think of myself as the queen of the simple sweet. Be it a birthday cake for one of my kids, a dinner party dessert for old friends, or a variety of sweets and treats that I am developing for a magazine or newspaper, when I am in the kitchen baking, easy-peasy is always the name of the game. Even when I make doughnuts, which I kind of do on the regular, as they are basically my favorite food group, I keep things super simple.

Now you might wonder how I do that, as doughnuts often require yeast, and seemingly always call for frying, and for sure preparing yeasted doughs and skillfully navigating cooking in big pots of oil is not exactly easy.

Making Doughnuts Easy: Tips & Tricks

The doughnuts I’m making on the regular are not yeasted, nor fried—yet taste so tender and light, and have an almost “fried vibe” (due to a dunk in melted butter and a roll in cinnamon sugar), that I’m pretty sure most peeps can’t tell the difference.

I start with a batter that is leavened just enough that my doughnuts will rise high in the oven and feel light on the tongue. And I treat said batter gently. Rigorously beaten batters result in tough baked goods, so I mix everything by hand in a single bowl using a whisk for whisking the wet ingredients, and then a rubber spatula for folding in the dry.

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I also call for buttermilk in my doughnut recipe, for the tenderness it imparts. And a yolk, in addition to an entire egg, means my doughnuts will be moist, not dry, as well as rich in flavor.

Get More Use Out of Your Mini Muffin Pan

I then portion out my (perfect) batter in my doughnut-making baking pan of choice: my mini-muffin tin. Perhaps it is just me, but I find that nothing makes me happier than a big ole platter of sugared holes. Do I love traditionally shaped doughnuts? Well, of course I do, but a little ball of sparkly dough all baked up, sugar-coated and ready for popping in one’s mouth, cannot be beat. Moreover, due to the ball’s melted butter dunk and sugar roll, the shape imparted by the muffin tin all but disappears, as the edges soften and the doughnuts really do become round and hole-like (in the best way possible, of course).

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In short, this easy to throw together batter, coupled with an ultra short bake time (we’re talking less than 10 minutes in the oven), makes these doughnuts the ultimate simple sweet, and one that I’m hoping you’ll be putting into the rotation on the regular.

Related Reading: This Spiced Walnut Apple Crisp Is Another Perfect Use of Fall Fruit

From Breakfast to Dessert

Moreover, although the ease with which they come together does in fact mean you can wake up and spontaneously make doughnuts for breakfast in the time it takes the oven to preheat, I would be remiss if I did not share with you the most salient of facts: doughnut holes are the new fab party dessert.

I’ve served them at cocktail parties on a buffet table (though they’d be lovely as a “passed” sweet as well, perhaps with a toothpick inserted in each one, if you’re feeling fancy); at kids’ afternoon b-day parties, as an extra treat post-cake (cause who doesn’t love a bunch of little kids amped up on sugar?); at a seated dinner party for an out-of-the-box surprise finish to the meal (I mean, am I the only one who LOVES it when you’re out for a nice dinner at a restaurant and doughnuts are on the dessert menu?!); and yes, of course, I’ve served them for breakfast (and an after-school snack on occasion, cause that is just how I roll).

easy baked donut hole recipe

Jessie Sheehan

Making It Your Own

Finally, my recipe for apple cider doughnuts can be tweaked if you are not an apple lover, or it is not apple season: substitute additional buttermilk for the 1/4 cup of reduced apple cider; omit the spices, vinegar, and the cinnamon in the coating; and give the freshly baked donuts a roll in straight up sugar instead.

Apple Cider Doughnut Holes: Ideal for Autumn

‘Tis the season for apple cider doughnuts, and these intensely cider-flavored holes have got you covered. Not only do they actually taste like apples, due to 1) reducing kind-of-a lot of cider on the stovetop, down to a pretty tiny, extremely concentrated amount and 2) a secret ingredient: apple cider vinegar (shhh, don’t tell), but these cuties are baked, not fried.

Assembly is therefore a breeze, as well as cleanup (you’re welcome), and due to a dunk in melted butter post-bake and a roll in some spicy-sweet cinnamon sugar, most peeps won’t have a clue as to how easy-peasy these are to assemble. A bowl and a whisk (and a spatula) is all you need—and that mini-muffin pan, which maybe you don’t use all that often but is going to become your #1 baking tool once you start churning these cuties out on the regular.

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes

Makes: 24
Ingredients
  • For the doughnuts: 1 1/4 cups apple cider
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 yolk, room temperature
  • For the cinnamon sugar coating: 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray or softened butter.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, boil the cider until it reduces to 1/4 cup, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before using. Once cool, add the buttermilk and vinegar.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, and vanilla to combine. Add the egg and yolk, one at a time, whisking after each. Add the cider mixture and whisk a final time.
  5. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and gently fold with a rubber spatula, until only a few streaks of flour remain in the batter.
  6. Evenly fill each cavity in the mini muffin tin with a generous tablespoon of dough.
  7. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the doughnuts in the center of the pan comes out clean.
  8. While the doughnuts bake, make the cinnamon sugar coating. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl with some depth. Place the melted butter in another small bowl.
  9. Once the doughnut holes have cooled enough to handle, but are still quite warm, remove them from the pan and begin dipping them one at a time in the bowl of butter and then rolling them in the cinnamon sugar.
  10. Transfer the coated holes to a wire rack. Serve immediately with glasses of cold cider or milky cups of tea.
  11. The doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made, but will last a day or so on the counter wrapped in plastic wrap. They also freeze beautifully; once they are at room temperature, place them into the freezer on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a zippered plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to a month. Let them come to room temp before serving.


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11 Organization Tips from The Home Edit to Get Your Kitchen in Shape for Fall

home organizing tips from The Home Edit

These organization tips from The Home Edit will help you get your house in shape for fall (and keep it that way all year round).

For those of us who have already binge watched our way through Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and are now not-so-patiently waiting for the next dose of home organization inspiration, there’s good news. At the end of August, Netflix announced that it will be producing The Home Edit, an unscripted series featuring celebrity organizers Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the duo behind the viral home organization company. The show will follow the Nashville-based duo as they conquer clutter in the homes of  everyday people and celebrity clients alike (which isn’t a stretch for Shearer and Teplin who’ve worked with everyone from Katy Perry to Khloe Kardashian).

Joanna Teplin & Clea Shearer The Home Edit

Terry Wyatt/Stringer/Getty Images

The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, $13.99 on Amazon

Not only does this book offer invaluable advice from Shearer and Teplin, it also includes refrigerator labels.
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If you’ve ever audibly swooned over a rainbow of perfectly aligned cans of La Croix or longed for Busy Phillips’ delightfully organized and colorful pantry, you’re probably familiar with the work of The Home Edit and the beautifully organized spaces they create.

Unlike Marie Kondo’s KonMari method which thrives on the joy of minimalism, The Home Edit takes a highly visual (read: Instagrammable) approach to home organization, using uniform containers, labeling, and color grouping. It’s perfect for maximalists and minimalists alike.

If you’re looking to whip your kitchen and pantry into shape (or simply want some helpful solutions for organizing the things that “spark joy”) here are a few key takeaways from The Home Edit method.

1. Start small and edit.

The name says it all. The Home Edit doesn’t want you to get rid of your possessions, they want you to edit them. If being overwhelmed is an issue, start with the smallest areas of your kitchen, like your junk drawer. Pull out everything and group similar items together. Purge what you no longer use, like, or have in duplicates (for example, do you really need those two can openers?). Next, assess what containers you’ll need to organize your items.

2. Be consistent.

According to The Home Edit, when it comes to organizing consistency is key. As Shearer tells House Beautiful, “if people have a hodgepodge of containers, it is the worst thing in the entire world.” We can think of worse things (like steak that’s been warmed up in the microwave or overcooked calamari), but I think it’s safe to say that when your organizing strategy is consistent, the space flows better.

Depending on your needs, choose one kind of clear container (in various sizes) along with one style of basket and go from there. FYI, The Home Edit swears by these Rubbermaid Brilliance containers.

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3. Ditch the packaging.

Look through The Home Edit Instagram and you’ll instantly notice that items like rice, pasta, and cereal have been removed from their original packaging. The idea here is that excess packaging creates visual confusion. Emptying contents into clear containers and labeling them accordingly, not only looks amazing, it also helps maximize whatever space you have (so long, awkward bulky bags and boxes that never seem to fit anywhere!).

4. Label everything.

I know what you’re thinking. “Why do I need to label a clear container of cornflakes when I can see what’s inside?” It may seem counterintuitive, but The Home Edit suggests labeling everything—even the obvious items. A labeling system creates a visually cohesive look while also making items incredibly easy to find.

You can use a label maker or printed labels, however The Home Edit is known for labeling everything by hand with their signature loopy handwriting. They sell these labels pre-made in their store, but a white Sharpie paint marker works just as well.

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5. The “label everything” directive includes your spice rack.

Truly take charge of your spice rack and decant spices into uniform bottles. Label everything and organize alphabetically. It may seem a bit extreme, but it’s so much easier to find a specific seasoning when you know that your stash of cumin is right next to your jar of curry powder and so forth.

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6. Group items in categories.

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but open your cupboards or fridge and you’ll likely find sauces mixed in with proteins, alongside breakfast foods sharing space with snacks. The Home Edit recommends grouping like items together, while also being mindful of how you use the space. For example, try grouping items by meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) and creating a separate beverage or snack “station” so you can easily grab items on the go.

7. Allocate space in the fridge.

Use a similar approach when organizing your fridge by allocating specific areas to designated categories. Remove everything from your fridge and wipe it down. The Home Edit suggests, “once everything is emptied out of the fridge, create groupings: Dairy, Meat / Poultry, Veggies, Fruit, Snacks, etc.”

Related Reading: Fridge Organizing Photos to Inspire You to Do Your Own

8. Contain it.

Squeezy packs of baby food. Mini yogurts. Small packages of snacks. Instead of letting these items float around aimlessly in your fridge or pantry, contain everything in clear plastic containers or fridge bins. Containing items will help keep them in their zone, making cleaning easier. The Home Edit recommends these plastic refrigerator and freezer storage bins from iDesign.

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9. Invest in a lazy Susan.

Or three. The Home Edit are big fans of lazy Susans—in particular those made out of clear acrylic plastic like this Turntable Storage from mDesign, $17.99 at Amazon. Grouping like-items together in a turntable style container (for example, sauces, cooking oils, etc.) means you can easily see what you have, reducing the risk of “forgotten cans” at the back of your cupboard (container of expired canned pumpkin from last fall, we’re looking at you).

mDesign Divided Lazy Susan, $17.99 on Amazon

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10. Use drawer organizers.

A cluttered kitchen junk drawer becomes a work of art thanks to plastic drawer organizers. Simply group items into categories (for example, elastic bands, sauce packets, menus etc) and purge what you don’t need. Next, place each category of item into their own section.

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Related Reading: How to Organize Your Junk Drawer

11. Indulge in your love of rainbows.

Who doesn’t love rainbows? One of The Home Edit’s most well known and visually appealing signature looks involves using pops of ROYGBIV (an acronym for the sequence of hues that make up a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) to organize items. From books to your favorite snacks, it’s hard not to feel a spark of joy when you open your cupboard or pantry and see a literal rainbow of all of your favorite foods and kitchen essentials.



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