I look forward to apple cider donuts every fall and this fall I thought I’d try making my own Italian donut version! These apple cider zeppole are coated in cinnamon sugar and are so delicious, you may eat all of them in one sitting (I did). This recipe makes about 18 zeppole.
Ingredients:
For the donuts:
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3 1/2 cups ap flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the cinnamon sugar:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
Process:
- In a pot, bring cider to a boil and cook until it’s reduced by half (about 15 minutes). Set aside and let cool.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, butter, and cooled cider together until well combined and smooth.
- In the bowl with the dry ingredients, create a well in the center. Pour cider mixture into center of well and begin mixing with your hands until a sticky dough forms.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and roll out until it’s about 1/2 inch thick.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut out the zeppole. Note: Choose any size you like, I used a small cutter to make donut hole sized zeppole.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or dutch oven to about 325 F.
- Fry zeppole until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). Note: Only fry a few at a time, do not crowd pan.
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and arrange on a plate. Coat the donuts in the cinnamon sugar while they’re warm.
- Enjoy with warm apple cider, mulled wine or coffee!
