Old Fashioned Donuts -- The Batch That Might Have Saved My Relationship

October in Milwaukee is the best month. I will not accept arguments on this. The leaves are peaking. The air is crisp without being cold. The Brewers are done (they didn't make the playoffs, which is its own kind of October tradition) so all attention shifts to the Packers and the brewing calendar. The taproom at Lakefront is doing Oktoberfest events every weekend. My beer is the star. I am not humble about this.

Megan and I are in that phase after "I love you" where everything feels both different and exactly the same. We still bicker about the fork thing. She still steals my hoodie. I still cook, she still eats. But there's a softness now, an ease, like a muscle relaxing that you didn't know was tense. She leaves a toothbrush at my apartment. I clear a drawer for her clothes. These are the small negotiations of two lives moving toward one, and I am paying attention to every single one.

Made a batch of apple cider doughnut holes this weekend. Not a recipe I grew up with — this is something I picked up from a YouTube video and adapted. Fresh apple cider, reduced by half for intensity, mixed into a simple dough with cinnamon and nutmeg, fried until golden, and tossed in cinnamon sugar while still warm. They are ridiculous. Megan ate eight of them in twenty minutes and said, "If you ever stop making these I will leave you." She was joking. Probably.

Tom and I went to a Packers game — actual Lambeau, not just watching at home. Tom's union buddy had two tickets and we drove up to Green Bay on a Sunday morning, arriving three hours early because tailgating is the point. We grilled brats in the parking lot, drank beer, froze our faces off, and watched the Packers win by a field goal. On the drive home, Tom fell asleep in the passenger seat and I drove through the Wisconsin countryside in the dark and thought about how good this life is. Not exciting. Not dramatic. Just good.

The recipe I keep coming back to after that weekend is the one that started it all — those apple cider doughnut holes, golden and warm and dusted in cinnamon sugar, the kind of thing that makes eight disappear before you even realize what happened. Old fashioned donuts are the closest thing in my repertoire to what I was going for: a simple, slightly crisp exterior giving way to a tender, spiced crumb, the kind of donut that doesn’t need a glaze or a filling or anything fancy because it’s already exactly right. That’s the October I’m living in right now — no frills, no drama, just good.

Old Fashioned Donuts

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 16 donuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 4 cups)
• For the cinnamon sugar coating:
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
4. Rest the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes. This makes the dough easier to handle and gives the leavening a head start.
5. Shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cutter and a 1-inch cutter for the holes, or simply pinch off tablespoon-sized pieces and roll them into balls for doughnut holes.
6. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium to 350°F. Use a thermometer — temperature control is everything here.
7. Fry. Working in batches of 3–4, lower the donuts into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. For doughnut holes, fry 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning once. Do not crowd the pot.
8. Drain. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a wire rack or paper towels for 60 seconds.
9. Coat. While still warm, toss each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 140mg