Apple Fritters

Everyone has that one indulgent treat that’s hard to resist. Apple fritters are mine. Oh my, I love biting through the sugary glaze and crispy crust to get to the tender dough and apple pieces inside. This version is as sweet as you expect with lots of apple-y flavor.

Apple Fritters are my Comfort Food

There’s a shop near me which sells Krispy Kreme donuts and what they call Apple Uglies. These are free form in shape and about as large as my hand.

I could easily eat one every day when we’re in the US.

Except…well, you know.

The sad truth is there’s around 350 calories in a single apple ugly and they aren’t that filling. So these are a treat, not a regular meal.

Take some advice from a food expert

There’s room for treats in a healthy diet. Consider this, from Michael Pollan’s Food Rule #39:

The idea behind Rule 39 is that we’d eat less of the special treats we love if they were harder to come by. Perhaps he’s onto something. I don’t feel the need to make these again for a while, hahaha.

Michael Pollan has written extensively about food, food politics and food production. If you haven’t read Food Rules I recommend you give it a try. Rule Number 1 is kind of the Flexitarian mantra: Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants. (Another rule is don’t buy food where you fuel your car…wise words, y’all)

I think making apple fritters could become a lovely fall tradition, especially after a family apple picking event.

A word about the oil. It’s important to monitor the temperature in order to cook the apple fritters all the way through before overbrowning the outside. A thermometer is helpful for this. Also, avoid making the fritters overly large.

A quarter cup to a third cup portions is probably as large as you should go unless you have a deep fryer. A cookie scoop is a good tool to use for portion control, but they can be made even smaller. A little experimentation will help you determine the best size for your family’s needs.

Apple Fritters

crispy and sweet outside, tender and apple-y inside

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 fritters

Ingredients

For the apples

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 fist sized apples
• pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon white or light brown sugar

For the batter

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon squeeze ginger (or ¼ teaspoon ground)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

For the glaze

• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar or more as needed
• 1 tablespoon apple cider or as needed to make glaze

Instructions

For the apples

• Peel and core the apples, then cut them into a small (¼ inch) dice. You'll have about 3 cups of diced apples (less after cooking)
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet, then fry the apples for a couple minutes until they soften slightly. Sprinkle the apples with a tablespoon of sugar (or to taste) and a pinch of salt (just a pinch). Continue to cook for a couple more minutes. The apples should be cooked, but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

For the batter

• While the apples are cooking, measure a cup of apple cider into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow the liquid to reduce by about a third. Remove from the heat.
• In a large mixing bowl measure the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. If using ground ginger, add it now. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients, creating a well in the center.
• Melt another tablespoon of butter (I use the microwave). In a small bowl, beat the egg and squeeze ginger, if using, then mix in the butter.
• Add the apples and egg mixture to the well in the dry ingredients. Pour over ½ cup of the boiled cider You'll have cider leftover to use in the glaze. Mix all the ingredients together until all the flour is wet.
• In a large skillet, heat about ¼ inch of oil to 325-350°F/163-180°C. Working in batches, spoon about a quarter cup of batter for each fritter into the oil. Fry until the top begins to dry out and the sides have browned. Flip the fritters and fry until the fritters are gorgeous brown, about 3 minutes per side. Regulate the heat to allow the fritters to cook through without overbrowning.
• Remove the fritters from the oil and drain on a rack or paper towels. Let cool slightly before glazing.

For the glaze

• Whisk the confectioner's sugar with some of the remaining boiled cider, a little at a time, until a smooth glaze forms. Drizzle over the fritters.

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This recipe is a mix of Chef John of AllRecipes and Heather of Sprinkle Bakes, plus my own adjustments. My apple fritters turned out to be as good as my faves from Krispy Kreme. All in all, this was a fun recipe and one I’m looking forward to making again next fall when apple picking time rolls around again.