My husband is from New Jersey, and because he still has significant attachments in the form of friends and family, we try to get there for a visit as often as possible. When we do, one of my favorite places to visit is Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck (Don't you just love that name?), NJ. Much more than an orchard, this place is a destination! Produce, meats, cheeses, gourmet groceries, oh yes, and bakery goods. They certainly knew what they were doing when they placed the bakery at the entrance of this vast store. I generally spend a good bit of time (okay, most of it, if you must know) in this section just sniffing. It's also where I got my first taste of a cider donut. Here they come covered with powdered sugar or plain. I'm not sure which I like best, so clearly I'm going to have to run more tests.
I'm not sure why these aren't more widely available, but other than this shop I've not been able to find cider doughnuts any place else. Imagine my pleasure and surprise then, when I discovered a mix for cider doughnuts exclusively from Stonewall Kitchen. Naturally I had to give it a try, and owed it to myself, really, since I have that new doughnut pan. I mixed these together, baked them, brushed them with butter, and dipped them into the provided cinnamon-sugar mixture in just under 45 minutes. The kitchen smelled fantastic and I was very pleased with the results. As my husband has been eating cider doughnuts a lot longer than I have, I let him have the first taste. The look on his face said it all. These are good. Now I'm not going to try to convince you that a mix is as good as what can be found in a bakery, but when said bakery is more than 900 miles away, I'm only too happy to have this option. We were both quite surprised that a baked doughnut could be crispy on the outside and wonderfully moist and cake-y on the inside, but these were. Priced at around $10 a box, my doughnuts cost about a dollar each. In my opinion, it was money well spent.
Two thumbs up for this delicious mix!
I'd like to have one right now with my morning coffee!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
You went to New Jersey and didn't stop to visit me!!!! Well, I forgive you since you introduced us to packaged Apple Cider Doughnut mix. How apropos for this time of year! They sure would go quite nicely with that fresh coffee that's perking on the stove "as we speak."
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Pattie...
My husband also grew up close to Delicious Orchards and used to go there all the time. Luckily we're still in NJ so we might just have to stop by there one day for the donuts. :) Thanks for posting the review!
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