Cornmeal Cookies with Jam

 I made a batch of delicious jalapeno jelly. And it was pretty to look at to boot. I love it on cornbread, grilled cheese, cream cheese and hamburgers. Then I got a wild idea... Why not make cornmeal sugar cookies and put some jalapeno jelly on top? 

I did it. And I love them! I love spicy sweet! I love cookies! Yum!!!

3/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cup flour

Cream butter and sugars in mixer until fluffy. Mix in egg, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Add cornmeal and flour and mix until smooth. 

Scoop into balls and then roll in sugar. Lightly press in center with thumb.

Bake at  350 for 10-14 minutes or until light golden brown on edges. 

Cool 10 minutes on baking tray before removing to cooling rack. 

After they have cooled, top with jelly just before serving. 

Triple Berry Macaroons

In Montana I had huckleberry macaroons made from desiccated coconut. After a bit of research, I made a batch of my caramel toffee macaroons with a combo of flaked and desiccated coconut. They were a bit dry. But I messed with the ratio and the triple berry macaroons are delicious! I never thought I'd say this but I think I like them even better...

1/2 cup condensed milk

1/3 cup triple berry jam

1 egg white

1/4 tsp salt

Mix well in mixer bowl with paddle attachment.

Add:

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup desiccated coconut

Mix until well combined.

Pack tightly into a cookie scoop (I used a#60) and drop onto a lightly greased silpat mat.

Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes or until bottoms and tops begin to turn slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place baking tray on cooling rack. Let sit 5 minutes. Then remove to rack to cool completely.

Store in zipper bag or airtight container in fridge.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Overall I am not a huge fan of cake. But I like some cakes more than others and carrot cake is pretty high on that list. But cookies are my favorite dessert, so how could I not love carrot cake cookies? Turns out, I do... 

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg and cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar and brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh carrots (do not use pre-shredded)

walnuts or pecans (optional)

dark or golden raisins (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and carrots. Mix well.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in small bowl with whisk. Mix into carrot mixture until just combined. 

Fold in nuts and raisins, if desired.

Scoop onto lightly greased parchment paper on baking trays. 

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until edges turn golden and tops look dry. Cool on racks but let sit on trays for 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. 

Sandwich two cookies with your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. I threw a bit of well-drained and patted dry crushed pineapple into some of my frosting. Delicious! 

Blackberry Orange Cake

 My lemon blueberry coffee cake inspired this cake. I love the blackberry and orange combination and this buttery streusel-topped cake ticks all the boxes for me... 

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. 

Mix in...

1 egg, beaten

3 TBSP melted butter

1 tsp vanilla 

orange zest

Mix with wire whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased and sugared 9" round cake pan.

Toss some dry fresh blackberries with a spoonful of sugar. Use enough berries to cover the top of the cake but not be tightly packed. Gently press into batter.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven. Start streusel as soon as it goes into the oven.

Streusel:

1/3 cup each: sugar, brown sugar & flour

orange zest

5 TBSP butter, softened

Cut butter into sugar, flour, zest mixture.

Remove cake from oven and quickly place streusel on top of cake and return to the oven. 

Bake cake for a total of about 40 minutes or until pick comes out clean when placed in center of cake.

Cool a bit on a rack. When it's cooled on top, drizzle with glaze.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

5 tsp fresh orange juice

Blueberry Coffee Cake

 Not only did I get to make this from blueberries we actually grew in our garden but Chris said it was one of the five best things I've ever made! 

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

5 TBSP butter, softened

3/4 cup buttermilk or thin yogurt

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

lemon zest

2 cups fresh blueberries

Cream butter, lemon zest and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. 

Mix dry ingredients together in small bowl with whisk. Remove a spoonful of the flour mixture and toss into blueberries.

Add half of flour mixture into creamed butter and egg. Mix in buttermilk. Then mix in rest of flour. Fold in blueberries. 

Pour into greased and sugared square baking pan. 

Bake at 375 for 55-60 minutes, or until pick comes clean. 

Immediately start making streusel topping and put on top of cake as soon as it is ready. Then continue baking.

Streusel: 

1/3 cup each: flour, sugar and brown sugar

 lemon zest

5 TBSP butter, softened

Cut butter into remaining ingredients.

Cool cake on rack until it's cool enough to drizzle on glaze.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

5 tsp lemon juice

Eat slightly warm. 

Spiced Caramel Apple Cider Doodles

 I really wanted to combine caramel and spiced apple cider into a cookie. I could get the spice and the caramel but the apple part was eluding me. So how would I get that intense apple cider flavor I wanted? Boil down some of our hand-pressed cider into a dark, syrupy goodness. Then combine it with butter, sugar and cream and make caramel. Place on top of a mulling spice snickerdoodle. Yup. That's it...

I used the Smitten Kitchen recipe HERE but only make a half batch for this recipe with a couple of changes.

First... make the snickerdoodles.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp soda

1/4 tsp salt

***************************

1/4 cup sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves & allspice

Heat oven to 400.

Mix butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of tartar, salt, and soda. Stir into butter mixture. Mix well. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in spiced sugar mixture.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. Before removing from pan and while still warm, press an indentation in the top of each cookie. I used my wooden tart shaper from Pampered Chef, but you can be creative.

Then remove and let cool on wire rack. (the cookies in the picture aren't the ones I used for these cookies, so no indentation for caramel... 😊)

Now to make the caramel. And this takes a while. Oh, and prep all your ingredients while you're reducing your cider. You won't have time later...

Reduce 2 cups of cider to 1/4 cup. 

You can't use just any cider for this. It needs to be the real stuff. Not the one you get at the grocery store. This needs to be hand pressed with the sludge at the bottom. Look at your local natural grocer or farmer's market.

Pour 2 cups of cider into a heavy saucepan and turn on a fairly high heat. Not your highest setting but close. And then just let it boil, hard. Stir it every once in a while. This is going to take a bit of time. Like maybe a half an hour. When it starts to get foamy, you know it's getting close. So keep an eye on it, it goes much quicker at this point. Have a heatproof measuring cup for liquids nearby so you can check your amount. 

Ingredients to prep while reducing cider:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix together in small bowl.

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix in small bowl

3 Tablespoons of heavy cream

Pour into small glass

4 Tablespoons margarine (I don't use butter because it makes a stickier caramel and I hate caramel that sticks in your teeth)

Cut the margarine into smaller cubes

When your cider is down to 1/4 cup, immediately pour it back into your saucepan and remove from the heat. Stir in sugars, margarine and cream (in that order) and stir until margarine melts. 

Place back on burner and reduce heat just a bit (still med-high). Put a candy thermometer into the pan. Bring the mixture up to 252 degrees that can't be stirred down, while stirring constantly. You don't want it to burn. 😬

Stir in cinnamon and salt.

Carefully pour the caramel into a bowl and stir until it cools and begins to thicken a bit. 

Then carefully fill the centers of the cookies with the caramel. 

Let cool completely before eating. 

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Muffins

 Inspired by the salted caramel chips at Trader Joe's, we had these muffins for breakfast this morning. Apple and caramel are one of my favorite flavor combinations and apple is my transition food between Summer and Fall. 😋🍎🍂

I was so nervous about how they would turn out, I only baked 6 as a trial. But they were moist, apple-y and sweet, but not too sweet. Next time I'll throw some pecans or walnuts in my half of the batch... 😜

Preheat oven to 425. Grease or place 12 muffin papers into standard sized muffin tin. You may make more or less depending on how full you fill them.

First mix 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a small bowl. 

Next grind 1/2 cup of rolled oats in food processor or blender until they have a flour-like consistency. Then pour them into a new mixing bowl.

Add:

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

3/8 cup or 6 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Grate a cored and quartered apple until you have 1 cup. You don't need to grate it first, but you can if you want.

Add:

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 beaten egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

the sour cream/baking soda mixture

Stir until mixed but don't over mix or the muffins will become tough. Stir in grated apple and 1/4-1/3 cup caramel chips.  Gently fold them in, making sure they are both well incorporated.

Spoon into prepared muffin tin. The batter will be very thick.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425. Then turn off the oven and turn temperature to 350. Do not open or remove the muffins from the oven. Just continue to bake for 10-14 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes before removing. Continue to cool on rack or enjoy while warm. 😊

Best Irish Soda Bread

 I have tried a lot of soda bread recipes over the years for St Patrick's Day but this one by far was my favorite. It was a very simple recipe with an interesting method. Turns out it was the recipe I've been searching for. And even warmed up nicely the next day... :) 

4 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix dry ingredients together and then mix in buttermilk until all the flour mixture is wet. Be careful not to overmix or your bread will be tough.

Gently knead on lightly floured surface.

Place in greased and floured round cake pan (8 or 9"). Cut cross on top with sharp knife. Cover with second round cake pan of same size, lining up the edges of the two pans. Place carefully into oven.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove top pan and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until dark golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped.

Remove from pan and let cool a bit on wire rack. Serve warm with or without butter. 

Skillet Cornbread

 This is the best from-scratch cornbread I've ever made! And it's the perfect amount of batter for my new little Ninja skillet and makes just enough for two meals for my hubby and I! 

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/8 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add...

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup melted butter

1 egg

Mix until well incorporated. 

Bake at 375 in small greased skillet or baking dish for 18 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter and your favorite toppings. Ours are honey and jalapeno jelly! 

Pumpkin Butter Muffins

 I really love this muffin! I know this sounds strange, but I was inspired by this soap I bought at Bath & Body Works. Don't worry... It doesn't taste like soap. LOL

It was also my first time using my new silicone muffin cups, which, by the way, work great! 

These taste a lot like mini pumpkin coffee cakes. They stay moist for days and have a hint of coconut... You know, the soap. ;) 

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture. 

2 cups pumpkin butter (or pumpkin puree)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (can substitute with vanilla)

/1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour into the flour well. Mix until just combined.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full.

Combine brown sugar with a little white sugar. Mix with pumpkin pie spice, to taste.

Sprinkle generously on top of muffins.

Bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean. 

Cool in wire rack. 

These are good warm or at room temperature. 

Upside Down Plum Cake

 My neighbor's Italian plum tree was full this year, so I picked a big bowl full and made jam and this cake. The jam is delicious but I absolutely LOVE this cake! Warm from the oven it is irresistible! But it is pretty darn fantastic warmed up a bit the next morning for breakfast, too... 😋 

plum jam

leftover plums from making jam

Butter a small 7" cake pan or small cast iron skillet.

Mix 4 Tablespoons +2 teaspoons milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and let sit.

Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter and mix with 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Pour into bottom of cake pan.

Slice 4-5 Italian plums and layer them on top of the brown sugar mixture.

Mix dry ingredients and sift into a small bowl:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

Beat together:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

Add:

1 egg

grated zest from 1/2 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

Alternately add the dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture. Blend until smooth.

Carefully spread the cake batter over the plums in cake pan.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack until you can touch the pan. 

Turn over onto large plate.

Serve warm.

Jalapeno Popper Bread

This is a variation on my Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Bread recipe. A friend from church suggested it might be good with jalapenos in it. So I decided to try a bread with all my favorite jalapeno popper ingredients. Here it is...

Just like the other one, the dough is very thick. Much like drop biscuit dough. I'm guessing you could bake it like you would a biscuit, but I did mine in my mini loaf pans. 

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 cup grated cheddar (I suggest sharp)

1 jalapeno, finely chopped (you can remove or leave the seeds)

1/2 cup bacon bits

1 cup grated zucchini (do not peel but do remove the seeds before grating)

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon vinegar added. Let stand 15 minutes before using)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted 

Mix dry ingredients together, including cheese, chili powder, jalapenos and bacon bits. 

Add remaining ingredients and stir until just well-mixed. Do not overmix. It will make the bread tough.

Press into greased bread pan of your choice.

Bake at 350 until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Time will depend on size of pan.

Melt more butter to brush on bread.  

Brush with melted butter twice while baking and once more after removing from the oven.

Let cool on wire rack for 10-13 minutes before removing from pan.

Best eaten warm. But it does warm up fine in the microwave.

Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Bread

 This bread was born from my need to find something to do with the giant zucchini we came home to from our vacation! It will become a regular thing though...  I also used chives from my garden. Yum!

Just a warning... The dough is very thick. Much like drop biscuit dough. I'm guessing you could bake it like you would a biscuit, but I did mine in my mini loaf pans. 

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon dry dill weed

3/4 cup grated cheddar (I suggest sharp)

1/8-1/4 cup chopped chives or thinly sliced green onion tops

1/2 cup bacon bits

1-2 large cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

1 cup grated zucchini (do not peel but do remove the seeds before grating)

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon vinegar added. Let stand 15 minutes before using)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients together, including cheese, dill weed, chives and bacon bits. 

Add remaining ingredients and stir until just well-mixed. Do not overmix. It will make the bread tough.

Press into greased bread pan of your choice.

Bake at 350 until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Time will depend on size of pan. 

Melt some more butter. Brush with melted butter twice while baking and once more after removing from the oven.

Let cool on wire rack for 10-13 minutes before removing from pan.

Best eaten warm. But it does warm up fine in the microwave.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

My mom made this cake when I was a kid and I probably haven't had it in about 30 years. But my garden is growing zucchini like crazy and I figured it was the perfect time to pull the recipe out and try it again.

I have to say it's even better than I remember it... :)

Cream together:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup sugar

Blend in:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

Stir in:
2 1/2 cups flour
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Fold in:
2 cups grated zucchini

Pour in greased and sugared 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until pick comes clean.

Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan or cool on rack.

Even Better Soft Pretzels

Every time I think I have found the perfect soft pretzel recipe, I find a better one. This one is a combination of a few recipes that make amazing soft pretzels. Unfortunately it makes 12 and they are best when still warm... ;)

Mix in stand mixer bowl:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sprinkle with:
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast

Let sit 5 minutes until it gets foamy.

Add:
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 cups flour

Mix on med-low speed until sticky dough comes together and becomes smooth.

Add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is not longer sticky and springs back when touched. This takes about 5 minutes.

Place dough in greased bowl and cover with towel. Put in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes.

Punch dough down a few times and cut into 12 equal pieces using a pizza cutter or bread knife.

Roll into long ropes and twist into pretzel shapes.

Boil 8 cups of water in large pot. Add 3/4 cup baking soda and stir to dissolve.

Place pretzels into boiling soda water and boil 1 to 2 at a time for 45 seconds. Flip pretzels half-way through. Remove from water and let drain on baking rack.

Put pretzels on well-greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

There are lots of options for washes and toppings:
1. Egg wash- 1 egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon water (be generous!)
2. Coarse salt
3. Butter - brush with melted butter before and after baking
4. Garlic and Italian seasoning with EVOO
5. Cinnamon sugar (this is best with butter)

Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pumpkin Spice Mochi

I had pumpkin mochi at a hot pot restaurant while in China and I've been craving it ever since. This recipe isn't exactly the same but it still satisfied my craving. It is an interesting cross between cake and mochi and is the perfect accompaniment for a good Asian meal on a Fall day. I think it would be especially tasty for dessert with my Sichuan Style Pork Stew and rice.

1 1/4 cup Mochiko rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix together:
2 eggs
7 oz sweetened condensed milk (regular or coconut)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
15oz can pure pumpkin

Sift dry ingredients into bowl with pumpkin mixture. Whisk until smooth. Pour into greased 8x8 glass baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.

Cool on wire rack 2 hours. Turn out onto rack and continue to cool 4 hours.

Cut into small squares before serving.

Blackberry Orange Muffins

After many many years of eluding me, I think I have finally found the perfect berry muffin recipe. They even have a nice round top! :)  Next I will try it with blueberries and lemon and we'll see...

I took some bits and tips from several different recipes and put them together to make these:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and sprinkle them with sugar to coat.

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix 2 cups of flour and sugar in large mixing bowl. Mix the last 1/2 cup flour and remaining dry ingredients in small bowl. Then sieve them into the flour/sugar mixture. Mix well.

Make a well in the flour. Pour in the following ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
grated zest from 1 orange

Stir just until mixed.

Gently stir in 1 - 1/2 cups small fresh blackberries.

Spoon into greased/sugared muffin tin.

Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar and top each one with 1 small blackberry.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425. Without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for about 10 more minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Remove from tins immediately, running a knife along edge to help get them out.

Cool for a few minutes on baking rack before eating.

Orange Bacon Scones

Who said scones have to be sweet? This savory scone is just the right side for a bowl of soup or a nice salad. The bacon and orange make for a very nice combination.

Use a vegetable peeler to take off just the rind (no white pith) from 1 large orange. Bake at 200 for 25 minutes. Blitz in a food processor (I used my coffee grinder to get it really small) along with:
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1 very small beaten egg (or only use 1/2 of a large beaten egg)
Stir the sour cream and baking soda together in a small bowl and set aside

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in butter.

Stir in egg and sour cream mixture.

Mix the orange, thyme and pepper mixture into the dough.

Knead a bit on a lightly floured surface. Pat in a circle 1/2” thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or into wedges with pizza cutter (separating triangles slightly).

Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 for 20 minutes, until light golden brown on bottoms and not doughy in the centers.

5 Spice Pumpkindoodles

I bought Chinese 5-spice this week and discovered that it goes beautifully with pumpkin. I've always wanted to try pumpkin cookies, so I took this opportunity and used my homemade 5-spice pumpkin butter and made snickerdoodles with it. YUM! The warm spicy mix is perfect on sugar cookies warm from the oven...

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup pumpkin butter (see recipe HERE)
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp Chinese 5-spice
Heat oven to 400.
Mix butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of tartar, salt, and soda. Stir into butter mixture. Mix well. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in 5-spice sugar (1/4 cup sugar and 4 tsp 5-spice mixed together).

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes

Apple Cider Donuts

I really wanted a good apple cider donut recipe. I tried one and it was a total flop. So I just tweaked one of my other recipes and it worked. This is a nice small batch of donuts which is a good thing because you really have to eat them right away. They do not hold.

First: Pour 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add milk to the 1/2 cup line. Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir.
Next take 1 1/2 cups of apple cider and boil it on high heat until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Let it cool to the temperature of your hot tap water.
Then pour 1/2 cup of the hot apple cider into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of yeast on top of the water. Sprinkle 1/8 cup flour on top of yeast. Lightly mix and let sit 5-10 minutes, it will start to get foamy.
Add the milk and the following ingredients to the yeast and cider mixture.
3 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour (I used a bit of whole wheat flour, too)
Stir to make a soft dough. Add more flour if needed to make it stiff enough to knead.
Knead for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Knead in more flour if it is sticky. You will end up using about 2 1/2 to 3 cups total.
Roll out to about 1/2” thick. Cut out with donut cutter. (I used a biscuit cutter and an apple corer for the centers)
Place on baking sheet, cover with thin towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 30-45 minutes. (I turn my oven to the lowest temp for about 5-10 minutes while kneading and then turn it off)

before rising

(I also used the scraps)

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375.

Carefully place donuts, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown and then flip to cook the other side. Watch them carefully! They cook kind of quickly and turn dark. I think it is due to the cider in them. 

Place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. 

Then toss in sugar mixed with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

You can also make a glaze from sifted confectioners sugar and apple cider. Pour over while donuts are still hot.