Apple Cider
Mochi Donuts
These donuts are everything I’ve ever wanted in an apple cider donut. I went to college in the midwest, and one thing that I miss most about it is going to the cider mill on a crisp October fall day
and sitting at a picnic table outside with a fresh apple cider donut and a steaming mug of apple cider.
These mochi donuts are fluffy, chewy and soft, and have apple cider flavor in every bit of them. (My one critique of the cider donuts I had in Michigan was that they never tasted apple-y enough to me). For this recipe, spiced apple cider is simmered down into a thick syrup, and the hot mochi donuts are tossed in an tangy spiced apple cider sugar. If you can, splurging on a spiced cider from the farmer’s market will bump these up an extra notch.
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Makes 16-20 small donuts (about 1.5”)
What you’ll need
Mochi donut dough
2 cup Mochiko rice flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp butter (vegan or regular)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup hot spiced apple cider
Neutral oil for deep frying (canola or vegetable)
1/8 tsp salt
Apple cider sugar
3 packets powdered apple cider mix (I used Alpine instant)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp white sugar
or
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp citric acid
Apple cider syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup spiced apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cornstarch
Steps
To make the apple cider syrup: In a pot, combine brown sugar, spiced apple cider, and 2 cinnamon sticks and bring to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Simmer and reduce for 20 minutes. In a small cup, mix together a splash of water with the cornstarch to turn it into a slurry, and stir it into the pot of cider. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until cider is reduced and thickened. If not thickened enough, add 1/2 tsp more cornstarch. Remove from heat, and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together Mochiko rice flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
Add cold butter to the mixture, and break it up with your fingers until crumbly and distributed. Add hot apple cider little by little and moisten the flour and mix just until it comes together in a moist and fluffy dough. (It should be fairly wet and soft) Cover with towel, and set aside for 30 min to an hour. Do not overmix the dough as it will make your donuts tough.
Roll dough into smooth balls to your desired size. If the dough is too wet, the dough balls may deflate and flatten after shaped—if this happens, you can add a bit more rice flour. They should hold their shape loosely.
Heat your oil in a large pot to about 325 F for frying. I prefer 325 over 375 for frying as it allows more time for the mochi dough to fully cook through.
Gently drop the donuts into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pot, make sure the donuts have lots of room.
Fry for about 3 minutes each side or until golden brown.
Toss in apple cider sugar while the donuts are hot so that the sugar sticks.
Enjoy while fresh, dipped in the apple cider syrup.
*Storage: Best eaten day of. To enjoy leftovers, microwave and toss in leftover sugar. The donuts can get hard in the fridge. Leftover syrup good for a week in the fridge, and leftover syrup can be used in cocktails, teas, and coffees.