Easy Apple Fritters
There are few things as delicious or as comforting as a warm homemade dessert. These Easy Apple Fritters are a home run any time of the year!
Just a few pantry staples and a handful of apples are all you need to earn yourself warm, fragrant, decadent Apple Fritters. These are worth every calorie, you can easily justify eating a few because of the apples…right, after all “an apple a day” (at least that’s what I tell myself, haha).
The way I see it, a homemade sweet of some sort beats a pre-packaged cookie, sweet, candy or (gasp) Tastycake. As a gal from Philly…talking any kind of trash on any sort of Tastycake can get me into trouble, lol!
Tips for the Best Apple Fritters
In the instructions, I suggest starting to heat your oil after the batter has come together. The first few times I made these I would start the oil right away (trying to save time) and I would always forget and the oil would get too hot and burn the batter. Boo, hiss! Be sure to give yourself a few minutes to allow the oil to get to 375°F after the batter has come together. Try to also use a pan that is bigger than you would need, as there can be hot oil splattering and that is never a good thing.
The batter itself appears to be thin and you may wonder, how is this ever going to puff up into a beautiful fritter? But trust me, it will.
I prefer to use Granny Smith apples in this recipe as they hold up beautifully when baked or fried. We did try Honeycrisp apples and liked it, but when we tried Red Delicious apples, it wasn’t our favorite. The texture of the apples was almost the same as the donut and there wasn’t as strong of an apple flavor. When possible, opt for a Granny Smith!
Ingredients
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Glaze
Instructions
Just a few pantry staples and a handful of apples are all you need to earn yourself warm, fragrant, decadent Apple Fritters. These are worth every calorie, you can easily justify eating a few because of the apples…right, after all “an apple a day” (at least that’s what I tell myself, haha).
The way I see it, a homemade sweet of some sort beats a pre-packaged cookie, sweet, candy or (gasp) Tastycake. As a gal from Philly…talking any kind of trash on any sort of Tastycake can get me into trouble, lol!
Tips for the Best Apple Fritters
In the instructions, I suggest starting to heat your oil after the batter has come together. The first few times I made these I would start the oil right away (trying to save time) and I would always forget and the oil would get too hot and burn the batter. Boo, hiss! Be sure to give yourself a few minutes to allow the oil to get to 375°F after the batter has come together. Try to also use a pan that is bigger than you would need, as there can be hot oil splattering and that is never a good thing.
The batter itself appears to be thin and you may wonder, how is this ever going to puff up into a beautiful fritter? But trust me, it will.
I prefer to use Granny Smith apples in this recipe as they hold up beautifully when baked or fried. We did try Honeycrisp apples and liked it, but when we tried Red Delicious apples, it wasn’t our favorite. The texture of the apples was almost the same as the donut and there wasn’t as strong of an apple flavor. When possible, opt for a Granny Smith!
Ingredients
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 1 1/2 cups apples* peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4" pieces (215g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour 250g
- 1/3 cup sugar 66g
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 cup milk 235ml
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled several minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 250g
- 1-2 Tablespoons apple cider, water, or milk**
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine your apples and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and toss until apples are coated with cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Crack your eggs in a separate bowl and use a whisk to beat until pale yellow and frothy (about 15 seconds). Add milk and vanilla extract and whisk together.
- Slowly, while whisking, pour melted butter into wet ingredients and whisk until well-combined (mixture may look slightly curdled).
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and use a spatula to fold ingredients together until about halfway combined. Add cinnamon coated apple pieces and continue to fold into batter until all ingredients are just combined.
- Set the batter aside and fill a Dutch oven or large saucepan 2-3" deep with oil for frying. Fix a candy thermometer to the edge (make sure it is in the oil but not touching the bottom of the pan) and set your heat to medium-low. Oil will need to reach 360-365F (175-185C) before you can continue.
- While oil is heating, prepare your glaze by whisking together sugar, apple cider (or substitute) and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
- Once oil has reached temperature, use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop (this is my preferred method) to scoop about 3 Tablespoons of batter and *carefully* drop into the oil. Repeat with 2 more scoops of batter and fry each for 60-75 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.
- Use tongs to remove apple fritters to a paper-towel lined plate and allow to cool several minutes before dipping in glaze and transferring to a cooling rack to allow glaze to set. Be sure to allow the oil to return to the correct temperature before frying more fritters.
- Apple fritters are best enjoyed warm the same day they are made for best quality.
