I remember as a kid my dad going apple picking (that is, went to the Royal Oak farmers market and came home with a bag of apples and a jug of cider). But he did come home and make donuts.  Hot donuts and cold cider is a great combination.  When my kids were young, we would go to the orchard and pick apples.  Either way cider and donuts is the fall thing to do. Here is my take on the classic.

One funny story: my youngest brought a friend with us who had never been apple picking. And my daughter replied matter of factly, “It’s pretty much self explanatory.”

Dry ingredients

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Wet ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoon butter melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Flour the cutting board

Bowl one: Mix all dry ingredients well

Bowl two: mix, eggs, and milk; add sugar, vanilla, butter, and orange zest

Mix dry ingredients into wet 1/3 at a time

Mix until every thing is mixed and no flour is showing.

Let rest for 15 minutes

Place dough on a well floured cutting board

Kneed 7 times

Roll donuts in to 1/2 inch thick

Cut donuts into donuts (I don’t own a donut cutter so I took a glass with a 3” length and used a cannoli tube to cut out a hole.)

I put all the holes in a pile and then rolled them into more donuts but if you like holes, knock yourself out. I’m not here to judge your life choices.

Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

In your fryer or electric skillet or a wok heat 6 cups of vegetable oil to 365 degrees

Gently place donuts in oil

Let cook for 2 minutes then turn

Cook two more minutes

Flip and cook additional 1 minutes

Drain on a rack

Dip and flip in cinnamon sugar or frost