I am on the hunt for the perfect apple cider donut recipe. When I saw that one of my favorite bakeries in Salt Lake City, Les Madeleines, posted their apple cider donut recipe, I couldn't wait to try them!

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The dough, more of a thick batter, really, came together quickly. The reduced apple cider gives a wonderful punch to the donuts. Since I don't have a donut batter contraption for dropping donuts into the oil, I sprayed a sheet of parchment and piped out donut shapes, carefully using a greased spatula to place them in the hot oil.

This is a delicious recipe, but I stink at frying. I'm really not great at it. Frying is all about managing the temperature of the oil and I just don't have the knack. That's why I decided to cut after a few donuts, and use my mini donut pans. I piped in the dough and baked the rings for 6 minutes at 400 degrees. They came out perfectly.

Apple Cider Donuts

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp nutmeg

3 cups cider, reduced to 7 oz.

2 tbl melted butter

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 tbl vanilla extract

Vegetable oil for frying

Boil apple cider over medium high heat until reduced to 7 ounces (a scant cup.) Put into a medium bowl and add butter, whisk until melted, cool. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cream, whisking to combine. Put dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine and break up lumps. Pour in wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop dough into oil and fry over medium heat until golden. Work fast because the leaveners start rising quickly. While still hot, ice with a powdered sugar icing or dredge in cinnamon sugar.

The Mama’s Guide to Christmas Recipes

Christmas. All the things. Are you ready? One of the most exciting aspects of Christmas is the food and treats. We have the recipes we love. The recipes we don’t. We all have our favorites and make no mistake, the foods and goodies we surround ourselves at Christmas time enhance the Christmas spirit and make this special holiday memorable. Today’s Mama wanted to share all of the Christmas recipes, tips, secrets, and hacks we’ve come to love and enjoy. To learn more about why we love Christmas and the foods it brings, check out our extensive guide to Christmas recipes.