“Knives Out” joins “Always Be My Maybe” as one of my favorite movies of the last few years and one I find myself rewatching every so often.

Benoit Blanc, one of the characters in “Knives Out,” refers to the death at the center of the film’s story as “a case with a hole in the middle — a donut.”

The film takes place in Massachusetts in the fall, and as someone who once lived in western Massachusetts, I know apple cider donuts are a perfect fall comfort food to go with that setting.

While many consider donuts to firmly belong in the breakfast foods category, I like to eat them for dessert after a long day with a good movie to unwind. This recipe makes 12 gluten-free, dairy-free and delicious donuts.

Donut Ingredients
1.75 cups 1-to-1 gluten-free flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
0.5 teaspoons nutmeg
0.5 cups almond milk
0.5 cups apple cider
1 egg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coating Ingredients
0.5 cups sugar
0.5 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your donut pan.

In a stand mixer or bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the milk, cider, egg, oil and vanilla. Stop when a smooth batter is formed.

Put approximately 0.25 cups of batter in each of the donut slots in your pan. Bake for 18 minutes or until you can insert and remove a toothpick without any residue.

While the donuts are baking, make the coating in a bowl wide enough to dip the donuts in and coat with cinnamon sugar.

When the donuts are baked, swirl them in the cinnamon sugar on both sides then place them on a rack to cool.

This recipe makes 12 donuts and most donut pans only hold 6 donuts, so repeat the instructions for baking and coating for round two. Make sure you re-grease your pan so the second half-dozen doesn’t stick.

Once all the donuts are coated in cinnamon sugary goodness, it’s time to eat one with your beverage of choice (milk, tea, coffee, whiskey — the choice is yours). Then cuddle up on the couch for a fantastic mystery.

The Easy Route
Pick up an apple cider donut from your favorite bakery or grocery store!

The Pairing
The entire ensemble cast of “Knives Out” is absolutely terrific, but Ana de Armas gives a breakout performance as an outsider thrust into the life of an enigmatic author and patriarch.

The plot centers around the death of said author and patriarch, Harlan (Christopher Plummer at the top of his game).

Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Shannon are impeccable as his two children, Linda and Walt. Toni Colette is radiant as Joni, the widow of Harlan’s deceased son, and Don Johnson also has a memorable turn as Linda’s husband, Richard.

Rounding out the family are Chris Evans as Ransom, Linda and Richard’s son; Katherine Longford as Meg, Joni’s daughter; Jaeden Martell as Jacob, Walt’s son; Riki Lindhome as Donna, Walt’s wife; and K Callan as Wanetta, Harlan’s mother.

Marta (de Armas) finds herself entering their world as Harlan’s nurse and confidant.

Harlan’s death appears to be a suicide, but things take a turn when private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) shows up accompanied by a couple of police detectives (Lakeith Stanfield & Noah Segan) a week later.

As excellent as de Armas is in this breakthrough role, Craig and Evans are equally fantastic as they play characters completely different from the franchise favorites fans have come to know them for playing (James Bond and Captain America, respectively).

Plus it’s not hard to look at Evans in those cozy sweaters.

It is a hard to make a modern mystery that truly feels original and fresh without relying on gore and gruesomeness, so I give writer-director Rian Johnson mad props for making that happen.

Johnson is one of my favorite filmmakers of the last couple decades. While “Knives Out” has quickly become my favorite from his body of work, I am also a fan of “Brick,” “The Brothers Bloom” and “Looper.”

Needless to say, I am super excited to see the sequel (also written and directed by Johnson) and the continuing adventures of Benoit Blanc. If it’s anything like the first film, I might include it in a future blog post.

If you decide to make these donuts and/or watch “Knives Out,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes