You know how September rolls around and everything magically becomes pumpkinpumpkinpumpkin? This used to excite me. A lot. I bought pumpkin soaps and candles and dreamed of pumpkin-y desserts.
And then I realized something. You might want to brace yourself. Cover the eyes of any small children wandering through the room.
Pumpkin is not my favorite.
I do love Sara’s Pumpkin Crumble. And there was that time when my husband and I were newlyweds and I was working at Kneaders and I brought home a loaf of pumpkin bread (much like this one) and ate the whole thing and told my husband I gave it to the neighbors. And there are these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (my argument about not loving pumpkin is becoming less and less convincing.) But I would probably (okay, definitely) say no to a slice of pumpkin pie. And all that pumpkin-scented stuff hasn’t appealed to me since I had morning sickness with my second and third offspring during October and November.
But.
I am decidedly, unabashedly, passionately in love with apples and pears. Those are my fall flavors. My love language, if you will.
And ever since I was a little kid, if I had my pick of anything in a doughnut shop, it would either be a maple bar or an apple fritter. Except now, all the apple fritters I can find in central Louisiana are gross and that makes me sad, so of course, I have to make my own.
Turns out it’s easy. So easy. Ridiculously easy. You know how with doughnuts, you have rising and cutting and waiting and rolling and scraps and flour and messes? And that’s all before you fry stuff. Fritters, on the other hand, are like fried biscuit dough. Apple biscuits. Spiced apple biscuits, dropped in hot oil, fried to golden perfection in just a few minutes, then dunked in a sweet, spiced, apple-y glaze. This is a chance for all your dreams to come true (as long as your dreams relate to fall fruit pastries or wearing fat pants.)
You’re going to need 2 cups of all-purpose flour (lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife; that’s 10 ounces if you’re using a kitchen scale), baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and apple cider (the non-alcoholic, murky, dark apple juice that you can find in produce departments and roadside stands; if you can’t find the stuff in the gallon jugs, go for something like Simply Apple.)
You’re also going to need 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 eggs…
and some Granny Smith apples. The recipe I got this from said 2, but the only Granny Smiths I could find at the store were tiny, so I did 2 1/2, which ended up being about 12 ounces of apples.
You’ll want to peel them, core them, and chop them into 1/4″ pieces, then spread the prepared apples in a single layer on paper towels and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Whisk the cider, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl.
Stir the apples into the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients…
and stir until incorporated.
Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees (use a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to check.) Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to carefully drop batter into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan (I can’t make more than 3 at a time.) Fry, adjusting the burner as necessary, to keep the oil between 325-350 degrees. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Carefully remove from the hot oil and allow to drain on the wire rack.
To make the glaze, you’ll need powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
When the fritters have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the top half of each fritter into the glaze and return to the cooling rack. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes.
Apple Fritters
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9
Description
Spiced apple biscuits, dropped in hot oil, fried to golden perfection in just a few minutes, then dunked in a sweet, spiced, apple-y glaze.
Ingredients
fRITTERS
- 12 ounces Granny Smith apples (about 2 medium apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4″ pieces
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup apple cider*
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 cups peanut oil (or other oil suitable for cooking at high temperatures)
GLAZE
- 2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- To make the fritters, spread the prepared apples in a single layer on paper towels and pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk the cider, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Stir the apples into the flour mixture and stir in the wet ingredients until incorporated.
- Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees (use a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to check.) Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to carefully drop batter into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan (I can’t make more than 3 at a time.) Fry, adjusting the burner as necessary, to keep the oil between 325-350 degrees. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Carefully remove from the hot oil and allow to drain on the wire rack.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When the fritters have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the top half of each fritter into the glaze and return to the cooling rack. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes.
Notes
- *When we say apple cider, we mean the dark, murky stuff sold in gallon jugs in the fall, not the alcoholic beverage or the light, clear apple juice that is sometimes called cider. If you can’t find fresh cider, Simply Apple is a good substitute and available year-round.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Deep fried
- Cuisine: American
Questions & Reviews
These are a tad tricky/sticky to get into the pan (I do grease my measuring cup to measure them out, but I worry about trying to flatten them a little as they go in so they’re not just balls), BUT–they are AMAZING!! I have always loved apple fritters and these are typical homemade vs. store bought–so fresh, crisp on the outside but soft on the inside, eaten warm with the glaze just on them–OH MY!! My oldest son is SO happy when I make them, they’re one of his faves. Thanks!!
Every fall I come back for this recipe. Some day I’ll actually add it to my collection so I don’t have to print it every year. These are SO good! Definitely a favorite at our house.
Oh holy night, these are AMAZING! Thank you, Kate!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I just made these and followed the recipe exactly… DELICIOUS! I used a large cast iron pan and, even though I didn’t have a thermometer, I obviously chose the right temperature because every single one came out beautifully. I love the contrast between the slightly crispy outside and the softer inside, as well as the sweetness and tartness of the apple chunks. Thank you for posting this recipe and providing clear instructions that even I (a novice in the kitchen) was able to follow with a successful result!
I’ve been wanting to make these since the day you posted the recipe, and I finally had a chance this morning. They did not disappoint! I love apple fritters also, and these were so much better than any I’ve ever purchased. I had a little trouble getting the oil temp right (even though I was using a thermometer), but I just kept making adjustments and it all worked out fine. I used Haralson apples and cider from a local orchard. I used about a tablespoon less of the cider and added in the same amount of King Arthur’s boiled apple cider to up the apple flavor even more. Delicious!
I’ve been wanting to make these since the day you posted the recipe, and I finally had a chance this morning. They did not disappoint! I love apple fritters also, and these were so much better than any I’ve ever purchased. I had a little trouble getting my oil temp just right (even though I was using a thermometer), but I just kept making adjustments and everything turned out fine. I used Haralson apples and apple cider from a local orchard. I used about a tablespoon less of the cider and added in that much of King Arthur’s boiled apple cider to up the apple flavor even more. Delicious!
Just made these bad boys after succeeding on Dietbet!!! My father in laws favorite treat our Fritter’s! I just made these for his 88th birthday! My husband is impressed, let’s hope Grandpa is! I have never made a bad recipe from you girls!!! Keep the recipes coming I love them and you two
CONGRATULATIONS on winning DietBet!!! Thanks so much for your sweet words!!
I am a fan of your recipes, and tried making these yesterday (which may have been a bad life decision). They were a huge hit! Thanks for the great recipe! They were so much better than others I had tried.
Oh, yay!! I’m so glad!! I’m here for you in all your bad life decisions, haha.
Canola oil okay to fry these in or should I buy the peanut oil? Going to try making these for conference this weekend!
My hesitation with canola (aside from the mention of the word bringing some very interesting comments out of the woodwork, hahaha) is that it doesn’t always withstand those high temps very well. Sometimes it does and it’s fine, but sometimes it starts smelling fishy and then whatever you’re cooking tastes like fish. Which is fine. If you’re frying fish. 🙂 So if you do decide to use canola, keep an eye on the temperature and don’t let it get too high and if your house starts smelling like Skippers, proceed with caution. 🙂
Thank you! I forgot to even look for peanut oil at the store last night, so canola it was. Thankfully there was no fishy smells going on!
I used to love pumpkin, and then after my second pregnancy my tastes completely changed! I still like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but other than that I’m not a huge fan anymore. These apple fritters look divine!!
I used to love everything pumpkin. Now after being queasy with first trimester during the holidays, it isn’t my favorite. The only thing I look forward to is my great grandmother’s pumpkin pie. :0)
Question: Could I use coconut oil to fry these bad boys?
Yes and no…if you want to deep fry with coconut oil, it needs to be the refined coconut oil, not the virgin coconut oil that’s so good for you. That’s because the smoke point for the virgin coconut oil is much lower, so once you get the oil hot enough to fry, it’s going to start smoking.
Good to know! Thanks! And the peanut oil doesn’t taste peanut-y right?
Nope, not at all–in fact, one of the reasons peanut oil is so widely used is because it’s pretty flavorless. 🙂
I mean, seriously, can I just pay you to make those and ship them to me? This should be in your online store 😉
Apple fritters are my FAVORITE donut!! I only discovered them 4 years ago, but now it’s hard to order anything else when I go to a donut shop. There’s a little place near my house that makes the BEST fritters ever, if we ever move away from hear I’ll have to try your recipe. For now I’m just glad I don’t live in Louisiana and can drive 10 minutes down the road and order a little piece of heaven!
Quick question – if we are overseas and the only thing remotely resembling cider that we can get is plain clear apple juice, can we use it or will it not work? Do I need to make any adjustments?
I would maybe boil it down a little to intensify the flavor. 🙂
Love all the talent! Thanks for sharing so many wonderful recipes. Can’t wait to try the apple fritters.
Made these today to rave reviews. Especially liked the glaze! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad!!! Thank you!
Hooray! Always been an apple girl and fritters are my fav. Thank you!!! So excited to try this. Must have been inspired!
These look sensational! Since most of my dreams center around really great apples (and lead to fat pants), I’ll definitely be making these this weekend!
I’m not a big pumpkin fan either. I like pumpkin loaf (in fact I just made one and keep sneaking crumbs from the end piece!) but that’s about it. Love all things apple though!
I love pumpkin, but I also love to laugh and that’s always what Kate is good for. I mean doesn’t everybody dream of fall pastries and wearing fat pants. I’m on some crazy health challenge where I only get sugar once a week and I daydream of what I’ll eat on my sugar day everyday. If I can have some self-control with these Apple Fritters maybe I can avoid the fat pants that day.
How awesome is it to not see another pumpkin recipe?!? The thought of pumpkin pie makes me queasy. I am fantasizing about finding a way to block all pumpkin recipes from my pinterest feed…
I fell very validated to know that someone with a cooking blog shares my feelings toward pumpkin! I just never have been able to understand the obsession! If it’s eggnog flavored, I am all over it, but I also LOVE apples and apple fritters. Thanks for a delicious and easy looking recipe!
Food Network recently did an online pole for the ugliest apple fritter around. My favorite donut shop made the list- The Donut Shoppe in Jacksonville, FL. It is a little hole in the wall place with the BEST donuts ever, including their apple fritter dubbed “The Ugly”. You may never make it to Jax, but if you do, head to the Arlington area and get one. 🙂
How lovely to see a Fall recipe that isn’t pumpkin! More, please! Here in Australia pumpkin is not a Thing; it’s a year-round staple vegetable. It doesn’t come in cans either, which makes trying out pumpkin-based recipes really tedious. Thanks for posting something different.
Maple bars and apple fritters- yes, yes, yes!
So happy to see I am not the only person alive who doesn’t like pumpkin!!! And my husband will be thrilled to see that I can start making him apple fritters! I had never even tried them till I married him and now I love them too.