Where To Find The Best Apple Cider Donuts And Apple Fritters In Connecticut
Photos by Alycia Chrosniak
Apple cider donuts and apple fritters mark the changing of seasons. While the Southington Apple Harvest Festival and Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival are great events to get your apple fritter on, I totally understand that you may want them more than two weekends a year. Here are some of my favorite places to get apple cider donuts and apple fritters in Connecticut.
Rogers Orchards
Rogers Orchards is an 8th generation family farm in Southington, CT where you can go apple picking on weekends, and get your apple fix all other days in their farm store. There you can purchase apple pies, cider, baskets of apples and peaches, honey, and either original or cinnamon dusted apple cider donuts.
Clark Farm’s At Bushy Hill Orchards
There is something really special about a donut and ice cream window, ya know? And Clark Farms in Granby has both. Which means, that you can get a scoop of ice cream on your donut if you so please, or a cider slushy, or an apple pie razzle- a slice of their famous apple pie mixed into a soft serve flavor.
Lyman Orchards
A venture over to Lyman Orchards in Middlefield could involve apple picking, a round or two of golf, an adventure through a corn maze, grocery shopping or a trip to their bakery and deli. Here you’ll find multiple kinds of apple cider donuts, including plain, cinnamon and sugar covered and glazed. The bakery also sells apple fritters and a multitude of other pastries (their giant cinnamon rolls are really great also).
Belltown Hill Orchards
Belltown Hill Orchards takes their donuts very seriously. They don’t just make fresh apple cider donuts- oh no- they also make pumpkin donuts, blueberry donuts and cherry donuts (all in season of course.) Besides pies, cheesecake, muffins, breads and crisps, this South Glastonbury gem also serves Dee’s One Smart Cookie gluten free snacks so that no one feels left out. And of course there is pick-your-own, and fresh veggies and fruit for sale at their farm stand.
Silverman’s Farm
Silverman’s is famous in Fairfield County for their apple cider donuts made with their fresh pressed cider, sixteen varieties of pies, their pick-your-own orchards, and their animal farm with everything from bunnies to buffalo. They also offer scenic tractor rides through the orchards on select weekends .
The Old Cider Mill
Operated by Riverview Farms, The Old Cider Mill in South Glastonbury sells fresh apple fritters on the weekends, and has brought fresh, natural pressed apple cider back to the oldest, continuously operating cider mill in the United States. The fritters are sold out of a trailer on the property and are made with large chunks of apple in them, and covered in a cinnamon sugar dusting. The trailer is cash only, but the farm store will do cash back for you if you ask.
Dondero Orchards
Dondero Orchards is yet another example of a Connecticut farm passed down generation after generation. They have two locations in Glastonbury, one on Hebron Ave. featuring a farm stand with baked goods, as well as pick your own. And their main location on Woodlawn St. has a farm stand, bakery, greenhouse, farm dinners during the summer, and pick your own. Their bakery makes every kind of fruit pie you can imagine, and they sell Honey Crisp Apple Fritters every day during the fall months.
Averill Farm
Located in the hills of Litchfield County, this tenth generation family farm is best known for their hard cider and fresh apple cider, but you can also pick apples and pears or grab some off the shelves in the Averill Farm market. And most importantly, apple cider donuts are available daily.
B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill
The oldest steam powered cider mill in the United States is right here in Stonington, Connecticut. B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is run by the 6th generation of the Clyde family and offers cider making demonstrations on Saturdays and Sundays, and tons of apple treats in their store. Cider slushies are a favorite before the temperatures turn chilly, and their hot mulled cider, apple pies and famous donuts will do the trick after that.
The Pickin’ Patch
The Pickin’ Patch in Avon is known for selling plants and produce throughout the year. But in the fall, they also become a great place to take hay rides on weekends while eating freshly made apple fritters. Hay rides are free, and the perfect activity for kids. And while you’re there, you can purchase mums, pumpkins, hay bales and cornstalks and really go out all on the house decorating this year.
Beardsley’s Cider Mill and Orchard
What do you get when you add cider and pureed apple to the donut batter? A perfect apple cider donut from Beardsley’s Cider Mill and Orchard in Shelton. Unlike most places, they finish their donuts in a conveyor oven giving them a slightly crunchy outside. Another unusual thing you can get here is untreated apple cider, which can be used for making hard cider if you’re into that kind of thing.
Buell’s Orchard
Located out in the quiet corner of Connecticut (the northeast, in case it’s so quiet you’ve never heard that saying before), Buell’s Orchard is the spot to go. The 1889 orchard has pick your own apples and pumpkins in the fall, and apple cider donuts, cider, and jams for sale in their store. They also hold a Harvest Festival every Columbus Day weekend.
