Old Fashioned Apple Fritters are like hand-held comfort bombs. Craggy and crispy, drenched in sweet icing – these things are where it’s at guys. The recipe I’m sharing here is fast to whip up and is utterly delicious. It’s like doughnut-making without the complicated parts, you know? Read on for a little more about fritter making or just jump right ahead to the recipe itself. This post is sponsored by RubyFrost Apples, but all opinions are my own.
Elle asked me for watermelon today as a snack, bless her heart. Tis’ December sweet child, we shant be having watermelon for monnnnnths. So sorry. Instead, let’s look to the fruits that are actually really great this time of year (winter times), and enjoy those while they’re at their best. Apples, being my favorite chilly weather fruit, took center stage in our little chat, and we eventually landed on a solid decision to make some apple fritters. Truly one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while.
Decisions can be hard, and this one wasn’t. This recipe is solid as hell and worth every last calorie. That, incidentally, is the real stipulation for anything that falls under the “treats” category of eating. I’m not going to waste my waistline on just any old thing. It has to be really, really good. Like, everyone-goes-quiet-save-for-the-moans-of-satisfaction-with-every-bite good. Too dramatic? Maybe. But that’s me, I suppose.
Anyway, I’ve partnered with RubyFrost Apples on this post and it is easily one of my favorite recipe collaborations I’ve done to date. There’s just no beating a crisp, sweet/tart, and juicy apple and these beauties from New York State (apple country, y’all!) are as special as it gets. Read on for more about the gorgeous RubyFrost Apple, or simply jump ahead to the recipe itself. It’s a really good one, guys.
How to make apple fritters
Today’s recipe showcases a very standard-op approach to “frittering,” a wonderful verb if ever there was one, right? So. To commence with our frittering, we’ll create a very tasty batter which we’ll then cook inside a vat of hot oil. Okay, maybe “vat” isn’t the greatest word choice of all time, but anyway.
The batter consists of a combination of dry + wet ingredients that we will combine into one cohesive thing.
The dry ingredients are as follows:
All-purpose flour – to provide the all-around structure and body.
Baking powder – to lighten the texture and give these fritters a little bit of Va-Va-Voom! Or, volume.
Sugar – we’re using brown sugar because it’s basically two ingredients for the price of one (molasses + sugar = brown sugar). More flavor, more caramelisciousness (spell check hated that just now).
The wet ingredients are as follows:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Apple butter – to double down on the apple and cinnamon flavors. This is one of my best fritter tricks. You could use apple sauce I suppose, but apple butter is pretty easy to come by these days. If you have any left over (you will), you can use some in my Apple Butter Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Crust.
- Vanilla – the best flavor in the world (okay, tied for first with cinnamon) and it gives a sweetness that you just can’t get anywhere else.
How to make these fritters “old fashioned”
Now, you could absolutely stop with the list I’ve just given. But if you want to really make these fritters special – really make them sing – then you can do what I like to do and give them the “old fashioned” treatment.
And when I say “old fashioned,” I mean like the cocktail, not the olden days. A splash of bourbon and a sprinkle of Angostura bitters make these fritters better than all the rest, they really do. But of course, you can omit those things and keep these just classic Old Fashioned Apple Fritters, not “Old Fashioned” Apple Fritters. You know what I mean.
What is the best apple to use in an apple fritter?
I think you should use whatever strikes your fancy, I typically always advise that. But if you’re fresh out of apples and would like me to steer you down a fun new road – I’d highly suggest you look into the RubyFrost apple. They are a happy combination of Braeburn and Autumn Crisp, and you can find them at many major retailers across the country, and at certain local farm stands (especially in New England), as they are grown by more than 150 family farmers.
I’ve recently started using them in both my sweet and savory cooking, and they’re absolutely the perfect apple in any cooking or baking application.
For these fritters, look for apples that are:
- Crisp (read: not mealy)
- Sweet/tart. You want a balance of flavor, really. I don’t actually love the overt tartness of Granny Smith myself, though I know for many they’re the ride-or-die apple of choice.
- Large. This is mostly to save your from having to wrangle a bunch of small apples, peeling and coring all of them. RubyFrost apples are HUGE and I find that just 2 or 3 of them work in everything from these old fashioned fritters to pie, tarts, and cakes. This is always a loveable trait.
What are RubyFrost Apples?
“10 years in the making and developed by Cornell University’s apple breeding program, RubyFrost apples reach their peak flavor in the winter months. RubyFrost is an excellent choice for warm seasonal dishes, as well as an ideal baking apple thanks to its plump, luscious size. RubyFrost apples are the perfect balance of sweet and tart, deep and rich with a hearty crunch and ideal crisp texture. Be sure to try RubyFrost’s cousin apple, SnapDragon, which was also developed by Cornell University.” – RubyFrost
Best Uses for the RubyFrost Apple
Excellent for eating, RubyFrost is the ultimate baking apple, and are nice in recipes both savory and sweet. RubyFrost is very high in Vitamin C and slow to brown, making it ideal for pies and tarts. No need for that squeeze of lemon – which means we get to use one less ingredient, which we at MKL love a lot.
They’re available January through April.
Tips and Tricks for frying at home
- Just remember to keep the oil hot the whole time. You don’t necessarily need a thermometer to check this – I never use one myself. But if you’re at all hesitant here, or intimidated, then just grab one when you’re at the store when you’re getting your baking supplies. Easy peasy.
- I will instruct you to get your oil to 360 degrees, but mostly you just need to make sure the oil is hot enough to fully cook the fritters, but not so hot that they burn. You can absolutely do this by feel – you’ll know right away if the temp is correct. But you may want to purchase a thermometer just in case the idea of this makes you feel a little woozy. It’s okay either way!
- If oil isn’t hot enough, then it won’t only fail to cook the food, it will seep into it – making things a nasty, greasy mess.
- If you don’t have a thermometer, fear not! Simply drop a small bit of the batter into the oil when you think it’s hot. If it bubbles and begins to cook but, you know, doesn’t burn to a crisp immediately, you’re probably good to go.
What is the best oil to use for apple fritters?
You want a neutral-flavored, high-heat tolerant oil. So, canola oil or vegetable oils are going to be your very best bets here.
How to dispose of oil when you’re finished frying?
This is maybe the best question of them all, because I personally find it to be the only real tricky part of the whole frying situation. Please know that any time I share a deep fried recipe with you, it will be so delicious that it will justify not only the calories, but also the whole oil wrangling part of things. These fritters are THAT GOOD.
Okay, so you can’t just go dumping the oil down your kitchen sink. No plumbing arrangement is going to be pleased with that move. You also can’t pour it into a hole that you’ve dug in the very back of your yard (have I done this?). The proper and responsible way to actually get rid of oil that has been used is to let it cool all the way down and then transfer it to a non-recyclable container. Then, you just throw it away. If it’s not recyclable then it may as well get another use before disposing. Recycled goods should be recycled, you know?
If you like the looks of these Old Fashioned Apple Fritters, you might also enjoy:
My first cookbook, Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest which, incidentally, has apples right on the cover.
Apple Fritter Quick Bread with Buttermilk Icing
Apple Slump with Vanilla Cayenne Caramel
Bourbon Brown Butter Monkey Bread
Old Fashioned Apple Fritters (like the cocktail)
A classic, Old Fashioned Apple Fritter, given the “Old Fashioned” treatment with a little bourbon and some bitters. That part, of course, if optional. Delicious, but optional. These sweet, golden brown, and crunchy fritters are truly incredible with or without the whiskey business.
- Yield: Amount varies, depending on size
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup apple butter (apple sauce is fine)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ounce bourbon (optional)
- A couple dashes of Angostura bitters (optional)
- 2 large apples of your choice, peeled if you want, cored, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (I use RubyFrost)
- Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
For the Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract or a shot of bourbon (for adults only!)
- A couple dashes of Angostura bitters (optional)
Instructions
- Position a baking/cooling rack over a large baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to mix evenly. Create a “well” in the center and add the milk, beaten eggs, apple butter, vanilla, bourbon, bitters, and apples. Stir and fold just until combined and no dry clumps of flour remain.
- Add oil to a depth of 2 inches to a large pot set over medium-high heat. Bring the oil to a temperature of about 360 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can wait until it’s essentially shimmering, and then test a very small drop of the batter. If it sizzles right away and begins to turn golden brown (i.e. not burn), the oil is hot enough. You may need to adjust the heat as you cook your fritters, as it will vary depending on how many are cooking at any given time. Just use your instincts.
- Working in batches (don’t crowd the pan) drop about ¼ cup of batter into the hot oil (this is my preferred fritter size, but you can vary it). I find two spoons to be a perfect way to do this, one to scoop and the other to help ease and sort of spread the apple-filled batter into the oil (it will be very sticky).
- Let the fritters cook and brown deeply, turning them once halfway through the cook time; it should take a total of about 4 to 5 minutes. The key is to get the batter fully cooked inside, while not burning the outsides – but dark brown is good. That means they’re crunchy. The bigger the fritter, the longer the cook time, just keep that in mind.
- Transfer the fritters to the baking rack to drip/drain and cool a bit while you prepare the rest.
- Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and, when they’re cool enough to handle, dip/drag the fritters through the glaze to coat, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. You can make more glaze if needed. Let the glaze set and harden (if you can wait) before enjoying.
Notes
I don’t bother peeling my apples almost ever, because I don’t care much for the tedium of the task and I also happen to like pops of color. The peels tenderize so much when they cook, that they won’t affect your fritter enjoyment whatsoever. But of course, peel away if you like.
