These Apple Cider Doughnuts Are Worth the Drive to Lafayette

Ah, fall: a time for wandering through corn mazes, yelling yourself hoarse at Broncos games, and, hopefully, eating plenty of apple-cider doughnuts. But until seven months ago, when Denver-born Stem Ciders opened Acreage Ciderhouse & Eatery in Lafayette, you’d have been, ahem, hard-pressed to locate the cakey treats along the Front Range. “Cider doughnuts are part of the feeling of being in a cider house,” consulting chef Daniel Asher says. He wasn’t content to simply fry classic versions at Acreage’s sprawling compound, set on 12 acres that eventually will host a farm and orchard. Instead, Asher’s oh-so-Colorado recipe features Cheatin’ Wheat’s locally produced gluten-free flour blend, Stem’s own pear cider, and diced organic apples. The dough is rolled into just-larger-than-bite-size pastries, fried in Centennial State sunflower oil, tossed in crunchy cinnamon sugar, and served with a ramekin of pear-cider-and-vanilla-bean glaze for dipping. Our suggestion: Pair the doughnuts with a crisp autumn evening, one of Acreage’s fire pits, and a glass (or two) of Stem’s dry, oaky Le Chêne cider. 1380 Horizon Ave., Unit A, Lafayette, 720-443-3007