Creature Comforts: Apple Cider Donuts
The only reason I can let go of summer is knowing that apple cider donuts are in the immediate future. It feels like at the end of September I trade in my bathing suit for a sack of cider donuts, the archetype of Fall that begins to appear just as the leaves start to turn color.
The most authentic cider donuts are consumed right at the source, at an Apple orchard. But I have also been known to cave for the cider donuts that conveniently pop up in the aisles of grocery stores and Stewart's Shops. When Lucca, Gavin and I set out for these donuts we drove to our local orchard and waited about a half hour for a dozen donuts. We were not the only ones craving this fall treat on a bright sunny day. When I went up to pay I got a glimpse of the kitchen/assembly line, about 5 people slowly but surely producing hundreds of fresh apple cider donuts. While we were waiting for our donuts alongside a small (but socially distanced) village, Gavin grabbed some hard cider (also made on the premises) to bring on our rafting adventure we went on later that day.
Well worth the wait, we unmasked and chowed down on our donuts (still warm!) in the parking lot field behind the orchard. Neither super apple-y nor cider-y, these donuts are an enigma within themselves. I am still trying to figure out why they are so damn good and unlike any other fried pastry. Cider donuts are such a seasonal treat that will forever delight me and that continues to help me accept the end of summer and look forward to Fall and Winter.
Miranda Hughes is a recovered vegetarian living in the Berkshires.