it’s donut time … Fresh Apple Fritters

This time of the year, I’m all about a cider donut. Much to my delight, they start popping up in shops, grocery stores and farmers markets for the next few weeks. Sometimes, when particularly motivated, I’ll make my own but I generally prefer to leave the frying to outside sources. This past weekend my friend Pete had his annual Harvest Party at his Michigan orchard and I did a little apple picking. It didn’t seem like a lot of apples at the time but … it was a lot of apples. Shocker. I came home and started combing my files for apple recipes. When I got to donuts, I knew I was onto something because while I love cider donuts I might love apple fritters more. It was apple fritter time.

I don’t go to chain donut stores often but when I do my default is usually an apple fritter. I bought one recently, took a bite and stared down in disbelief. What have they done to the fritters? While never outstanding, they are now outright bad. Where once used to contain chunks of real apples encased in a tender, buttery dough, it is now a tough bread-like abomination with apple pie filling stipled throughout. Canned apple pie filling! Where the outside used to be crunchy and craggy with a sweet glaze, it is now soft with a flavorless insipid glaze. What the hell? Even the grocery store has a better fritter and that’s really not saying much. This is outrageous. How whole communities have not risen up and protested this horror is beyond me. It is a fritter injustice I tell you.

Like so many things, if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. So I went and made some fritters. A pastry chef told me once that when she worked in a donut shop in high school, their apple fritters were made from the cutting scraps leftover from the yeast donuts, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and pressed together with chunks of real apples worked in. It’s a perfect example of bakery ingenuity – turn your waste into something delicious and sellable.

As much as I love this idea, I didn’t have donut scraps lying about, so I cast about for a good recipe. From the vast stack of unread magazines on my coffee table I stumbled upon a page torn from an issue of Cooks Country years ago. It sounded promising and I liked that the leavening was baking powder rather than yeast. Baking powder is a little easier and more forgiving from a timing perspective than yeast. Things move along faster – rather than 1-2 hours of rise times, you can have hot apple fritters in about 30 minutes. Sometimes when you want a donut, you want a donut.

These were pretty good too. Tender and spiced throughout, studded with lots of apple chunks, craggy and crunchy on the outside and slicked with a slightly sweet apple-y glaze, they were far and away better than that chain store horror. And they were easy, really easy compared to other donuts I’ve made. No kneading, no long rises or complicated shaping. I ate two, while they were still a little warm, and was a happy girl.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: APPLE GOODNESS. C’mon. They’re fresh donuts. There’s not much else that will elicit delight than a fresh, warm donut. Stuff that donut with fat chunks of apples and a delicious glaze and you’ve got a home run on your hands. So pull down the cast iron skillet, peel a few apples and grab some basic ingredients out of your pantry. It’s fritter time.

Other donut recipes: Cider Donuts, Fresh Paczki (homemade Polish donuts), Baked Jelly Donuts
Other apple recipes: Apple Pear Crisp, German Apple Cheese Torte, Classic Apple Pie, Simple Apple Cake, Apple Cider Compote and an Orchard Party, Simple Apple Tarts, French Apple Pie, Salted Caramel Apple Pie, French Apple Tart, Apple Cider Rolls, Cider Apple Pie
Eight years ago: Multigrain Bread
Seven years ago: Chicken Pot Pie
Six years ago: Simple Apple Cake
Five years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
Four years ago: Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes
Three years ago: Sherry Candied Walnut Salad
Two years ago: Thai Peanut Butter
Last year: Chocolate Malt Cookies

FRESH APPLE FRITTERS – recipe from Cooks Country
Makes 1 dozen
For the apples, use a firm apple that will hold it’s shape. I like to use one tart, one sweet like a Granny Smith and a Gala or Jonathan. And don’t skip the cider. Apple juice is just not the same.

For the fritters:
2
 firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼” pieces
2
 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3
 cup sugar
1
 Tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 
teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup apple cider
2
 large eggs, lightly beaten
2
 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
vegetable oil for frying

for the glaze:
2
 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup apple cider
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. For the fritters: Spread prepared apples in single layer on paper towel–lined sheet pan and pat dry.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cider, eggs and melted butter.
4. With a rubber spatula, stir apples into flour mixture to fully coat then add the cider mixture and stir until fully combined.
5. Heat oil in Dutch oven or deep saucepan over medium-high to 350°F.
6. Place a wire rack inside a sheet pan and set aside until needed.
7. When the oil is ready, measure out 1/3 cup portions of the batter and gently ease into the oil, pressing gently with a spatula or the back of spoon to flatten slightly. If the fritters are too fat/round, they won’t cook all the way through.
8. Fry, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 325-350°F, until deep golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side.
9. Transfer browned fritters to the prepared sheet pan.
10. Bring oil back to 350°F and repeat with remaining batter.
11. Let the fritters cool 5 minutes before glazing.
12. For the glaze: sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl and whisk together with the cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth.
13. Dip each fritter in the glaze, rolling to coat the sides, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
14. Place back on the wire rack, glazed side up to dry, drizzing with more glaze if needed to fully coat.
15. Let glaze set 10 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Fritters are best within a few hours of frying.

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