Guest Debra Sennefelder, Apple Cider Donut Holes, Recipe, and a Giveaway

Darci Hannah: Today it's my turn to host a guest, and I'd love to introduce you to my dear friend and fellow cozy mystery writer, Debra Sennefelder! Debra is no stranger to whipping up delicious treats to include in the backs of her books, especially her Food Blogger Mysteries. Not only are her books a delight to read, but she's also a great cook and has shared her recipes on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen before. I know that fall is her favorite season, and she has a special treat for us today. Please give a warm welcome to Debra Sennefelder!

Debra Sennefelder: It’s great to be back at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for another visit. It’s been too long! When I first visited in 2018, I was promoting my debut novel, The Uninvited Corpse, the first book in my Food Blogger Mysteries. Today, I’m eighteen books into this wild ride of a career, and I’m still excited to see what comes next. But today, I’m here to talk about one of my favorite things: delicious fall recipes!

Hands up if you love cooking and baking this time of year! Shorter days, cooler temperatures, and changing leaves make the perfect backdrop for spending time in the kitchen. I love anything pumpkin or apple once October rolls around, and I’m also a fan of a good Halloween story. In fact, that’s what inspired A Corpse at the Witching Hour, a Food Blogger Mystery featuring Halloween, a cursed house with a rumored ghost, and a family secret that turns the world of someone close to Hope Early, food blogger turned amateur sleuth, upside down. For me, one of the best things about fall is whipping up a tasty treat, grabbing a blanket, and settling in with a cozy mystery. Today, I’m sharing a recipe that’s perfect for pairing with a spooky cozy: Apple Cider Donut Holes!

Apple Cider Donut Holes

Makes: about 24–30 mini donut holes

Bake: 10–12 minutes

Ingredients

For the donut holes

1 cup apple cider 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 

½ cup granulated sugar 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For the cinnamon-sugar coating

½ cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Instructions:

Reduce the cider. Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer. Cook until reduced to ½ cup, about 10–15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. 

Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a mini muffin pan. 

Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cooled apple cider. 

Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't overmix. 

Fill the pan. Spoon the batter into the prepared mini muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. 

Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Make the coating. While the donut holes are baking, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. 

Coat the donut holes. Let the baked donut holes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them. While they're still slightly warm, brush each one with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 

Serve. They're best served warm or at room temperature.

Now all that's left to do is grab a cup of coffee or tea, pick up a good mystery, and enjoy a little taste of fall. Happy baking and happy reading!

If you enjoy a little paranormal activity with your cozy mysteries, I have a new book coming this winter that I’d love to tell you about! Spirits and Suspicions, the first book in my Spirits in the Library Mystery series, is written under my pen name, Lexie Cooper, and releases on February 2, 2027. It features a runaway bride, a historic library, a ghost, and a murder that refuses to stay buried. It’s a perfect read for the spooky season and beyond!

Spirits and Suspicions

Preorder your copy today!

A Corpse at the Witching Hour

book six in the Food Blogger Mystery series

Buy your copy today!

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . . 

Recipes included!

A Little Giveaway!

To celebrate my visit, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky reader.

I'd love to know: What's your favorite fall treat to enjoy while reading a cozy mystery? Is it apple cider donuts, pumpkin bread, a slice of apple pie, or something else entirely? Leave a comment below for a chance to win!

                                                              About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is the author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mysteries, and other cozy mysteries filled with murder, mayhem, and plenty of small-town charm. A former food blogger, Debra loves creating stories that combine her passion for food with her love of mysteries. She lives in Connecticut, where she enjoys reading, baking, and embracing all things autumn. She also writes paranormal cozies as Lexie Cooper.

Visit Debra online at debrasennefelder.com.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DebraSennefelderAuthor/

Instagram: Debra Sennefelder