Christine September 17, 2021 4 Comments
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Baked Apple Fritters

light & moist fritters(Baked not fried) filled with apple and warm spices dipped in a buttery vanilla glaze!

I think I’ve mentioned this a time or two.

But here I go again…

I LOVE donuts.

ALL donuts. ANY donuts! But my MOST favorite donut of all isn’t actually a donut…it’s called a fritter.

Which, if you aren’t familiar is basically a batter that is usually filled with some kind of fruit and then deep-fried until crispy on the outside and moist and delicious on the inside.

Our local bakery always had the MOST delicious fritters when I was growing up. And when I grew up I even made a few batches of my own version from time to time.

But…like with anything, things changed and I decided I didn’t want to fry my donuts. In fact, I try and avoid frying anything if at all possible.

So a few years ago I started testing a ‘baked’ version of my apple fritters. Unfortunately, my attempts were a complete fail! I just couldn’t seem to get that same texture and crunchy outer shell like the deep-fried fritters.

Of course, I wasn’t about to give up trying, but in the meantime, I came up with a recipe last year for Apple Fritter Bread.

It’s definitely not a donut, but this bread is absolutely a close second to my beloved fritters!

With that said, I wanted to try again this year to create and test another recipe and see if I could come a bit closer.

Of course, I knew no matter how hard I tried my recipe wouldn’t be EXACTLY like the fritters from our local bakery.

First off, they were HUGE!

I wanted more bite-sized. Sidenote:  I did make several sizes to see which worked best.

Secondly, there is no substitute for the deep color and crispiness that deep-frying offers. You simply cannot replicate that by baking.

Even so, after making a little tweak here, and another one there, I was able to get my fritters a yummy golden brown. Bonus? I was even able to get them to be crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside too!

And flavor? Well, it’s pretty darn close to my inspiration if I don’t say so myself. Slightly sweet with PLENTY of warm spices and those apples? Well, they just melt in your mouth!

what you’ll need to make baked apple fritters:

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Equipment:

Ingredients:

how long will apple fritters keep?

I store my fritters in an air-tight container and they will usually last up to one week. You can also freeze the fritters and they will keep up to three months.

what kind of apples work best for fritters?

Since you aren’t baking the fritters for a long time, it is best to use a soft baking apple. I like McIntosh apples for this recipe, but you could also use Cortland and Gala.

Print

Baked Apple Fritters

A moist on the inside, crispy on the outside fritter filled with apples, warm spices and drizzled in a sweet vanilla glaze.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword fritters, baked, apples,
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients

For the Fritters

  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup apples peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 egg
  • 4 Tablespoons cold butter diced

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons milk or half and half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

***For a darker outer color you can spray the fritters before baking with spray oil (I use canola).

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray. Warm your milk in a small saucepan. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with a pastry blender or fork. Pour in milk. Add egg. Stir until just combined (do not over stir)Fold in apples. Scoop batter using a two tablespoon measuring spoon or 1/8 cup. TIP: If you want larger scones you can use a 1/4 cup. Spray each fritter with a bit of non-stick cooking spray (I use canola or vegetable). Bake the fritters for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the fritters from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the glaze and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the fritters and allow to harden before storing in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

I hope you enjoy today’s recipe for Baked Apple Fritters!  It’s taken a long time for me to create a recipe that is SUPER close to those in my memory, without deep-frying!

Looking for more apple desserts?

SAVE FOR LATER ↓

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

4 thoughts on “Baked Apple Fritters”

  1. You are killing me with all these fabulous fall dessert ideas, Christine! If we ever meet in person the first place we’re going is to grab some donuts because I love them so much too. I can’t wait to try these. They look amazing and we’re always looking for baked-over-fried recipes as well. Thanks so much for the recipes. I’m pretty sure you made my weekend 🙌 Hugs, CoCo

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