Fried Apple Fritters
Fried apple fritters are essentially a chunky apple-studded drop biscuit dough fried until crisp and dark amber. They rely on a quick batter—flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, and a single egg—that holds onto diced apples and a generous dose of cinnamon. You fry them in about an inch of oil until they are mahogany-brown, then dunk them in a simple glaze while they are still hot enough to hiss.
Watch the oil temperature, not the clock.
These fry best at a steady 350°F; if the oil is too cold, they turn into grease sponges, and if too hot, the centers remain raw.
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Thermometer
- Whisk
- Spider or slotted spoon
- Wire cooling rack
What goes in.
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
- 2 tspbaking powder
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 2Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1large egg
- 2/3 cupwhole milk
- 1 qtneutral oil for frying (canola or grapeseed)
Apply glaze while hot
Submerge the fritters in the glaze the moment they leave the oil; the residual heat will thin the sugar and pull it deep into the craggy surface.
The method.
Mix dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Ensure there are no clumps of baking powder.
Add wet ingredients and apples
Stir the egg and milk into the dry mixture until just combined. Fold in the diced apples; the batter should be thick and stubborn.
Heat the oil
Fill your pot with oil to a depth of two inches and heat over medium flame until it reaches 350°F.
Drop and fry
Scoop roughly 1/4 cup of batter per fritter. Carefully drop into the oil, working in small batches to avoid crowding. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until dark brown.
Glaze
Lift out with a spider, let the excess oil drip off for five seconds, then dip the fritter directly into a bowl of powdered sugar glaze. Set on a wire rack.
Other turns to take.
Spiced Rum Glaze
Replace the liquid in your glaze with dark rum for a deeper aromatic quality.
Apple Cider Base
Reduce one cup of apple cider by half and use it to replace half the milk in the batter for a more intense fruit concentration.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Dicing apples uniformly ensures they cook at the same rate as the batter.
Do not overmix the batter, or the fritters will become tough and bready.
If the oil starts smoking, take the pot off the heat immediately and let it cool slightly before continuing.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my fritters fall apart in the oil?
The oil temperature was likely too low, preventing the exterior from setting quickly, or the batter was too thin.
Can I use different apples?
Yes, but use a firm-fleshed variety that won't turn into applesauce under the heat.
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