Frankenstein Apple Cider Halloween Donuts

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of apple cider to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
3. Combine 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice with ¼ cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
5. Add the milk-lemon mixture, the cooled apple cider reduction, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1 stick of melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
6. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.
7. Spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray, then pipe the batter evenly into the pan.
8. Bake the donuts for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are springy to the touch. Turn them out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
9. For the icing, mix together 3 tablespoons melted butter, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, green food coloring gel, and 1 ½ cups powdered sugar until smooth. Adjust consistency with more cream or powdered sugar as needed.
10. Once the donuts are cool, dip the top of each donut into the icing, then immediately dip half of the donut into chocolate sprinkles to create the hair. Place on a tray.
11. Press 2 candy eyeballs below the donut hole on each donut.
12. Refrigerate the tray of donuts for 15 to 30 minutes until the icing sets.
13. While the donuts chill, make the neck bolts: cut 12 toothpicks in half, then stick the cut end of each half into a mini marshmallow.
14. Remove the donuts from the fridge and insert two marshmallow toothpicks into each donut, one on each side where the neck would be.