Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts

Sometimes you just need a good old fashioned cake donut.

Sometimes you need a 

Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnut.

These little deep-fried pieces of dough are so great.

Why, because they taste like a cake donut and are covered in pumpkin-cinnamon-sugar.

Yum.

Sounds fall-ish, but they don't have a strong apple or pumpkin flavor.

They would be good now, in the middle of winter.

These do take some planning ahead, but they are worth the extra effort.

Gluten Free Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts

1/4 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups GF mix

1 T. xanthan gum

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk with 1/2 T. vinegar

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

Combine:

3/4 cup white sugar

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of your heavy-duty mixer.  Mix with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.  

Add eggs one at a time, beating completely after each addition.  Add apple juice concentrate and milk/vinegar.  Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add flour mixture to liquid mixture and beat until just blended.  

The dough will be soft.

Carefully lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of a baking sheet.  Transfer dough to plastic wrap.  Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll out dough until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Place pan in the fridge for 1 hour.  

After 1 hour, using a round cookie cutter, or the top of a drinking glass, cut circles out of the dough.  Using your fingers create a hole in the middle by spreading apart the dough.

Heat canola or peanut oil to 325 degrees.  

Carefully place a few pieces of dough into the hot oil.  The donuts will cook fast, check the bottom after about a minute.   If golden brown, flip over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds.  

They should cook in about 1 1/2 minutes. 

Remove from hot oil and place on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb excess grease.  

Roll hot donuts in the sugar mixture.