Friday, September 30, 2016

Apple Fritters – Not a Raw Deal

Just a few months ago, making something like apple fritters would have seemed crazy, but this time of the year, it makes perfect sense. Whether it makes perfect sense to spend the extra time and effort cooking the apple pieces before adding them to the batter, is something you’ll have to decide.

I didn’t think I liked apple fritters, but turns out I just don’t like chunks of almost raw apple, surrounded by a doughnut. Maybe I’ve just been going to the wrong shops, but I’ve never enjoyed the texture, and always wanted to try them with cooked apples.

For all I know, this is sacrilege to apple fritter purists, if there is such a thing, but it sure worked for me. I also like to use sparkling apple cider, instead of the usual milk, or regular cider. I’m not sure how much lighter it really makes them, but it seems to help. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!  


Ingredients for about 16 small apple fritters:
2 large or 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter to cook apples
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar, (plus 1 tablespoon for cooking apples)
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup sparkling apple cider, or as needed

32 comments:

Unknown said...

My mouth is watering -- actually drooling! Gotta know the brand of the peeler you're using; looks super sharp.

Nise said...

These look delicious--I love the changes you made. I'm going to make them for our annual pumpkin carving party. There's a tiny donut shop around here (Florida Panhandle) called Leon's, and he makes fantastic fresh pineapple fritters. Thanks, Chef John!

Jeff said...

Holy crap!!!! Those look amazing! Going shopping for apples and sparkling cider tomorrow!

Emily Q said...

These look AMAZING! Quick question in regards to these (and other fried foods for that matter...) What type of oil do you prefer for frying?

Thanks for all the great recipes and cooking lessons! My 4 year old loves your videos as well and has started to really take an interest in helping out in the kitchen. :)

Steve C. said...

Hey chef John, your channel is incredible and I've made a bunch of the recipes you've demoed. I'd love to donate $5 to your channel. Do you have a patreon page?

Erald said...

Add a little clove and replace Apple with Butternut Squash and you get "Pumpkin Fritters" 👌🏼

Unknown said...

way back in high school one of the courses was running the lunchroom, which doubled as a professional cooking class of sorts. when we made apple fritters we just cored an apple, sliced it horizontally, dipped in a simple batter, and fried them; afterwards dipping them in cinnamon and sugar. I mention high school because I was high as a kite that day and ended up eating half of them; grade ten's weren't allowed to cook for anyone but ourselves.

beemo said...

Speaking of frying, have you tried those handheld infrared thermometers? You point it at an object and obtain surface temperature. Perhaps you'd care to experiment with one and give us your comments for the amateur cook. I've been using one and I find it very helpful, especially for any frying where accuracy of temp is especially important.

Kevin McConnell said...

well I just saw your video toady and tried this out. I followed your recipe to the letter except for the sparkling apple cider. Couldn't find any so I substituted Manzanita SOL. It is an apple soda. They came out great! First batch got a little dark but man are they crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Great Recipe cant wait to try them again.

Kevin McConnell said...

well I just saw your video toady and tried this out. I followed your recipe to the letter except for the sparkling apple cider. Couldn't find any so I substituted Manzanita SOL. It is an apple soda. They came out great! First batch got a little dark but man are they crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Great Recipe cant wait to try them again.

Debasmita Basu said...

Was expecting a dash of cayenne in the glaze, when you skipped it in the dry ingredients.

oiacob said...

Chef John, the lighting in the video is amazing. The scene at the very beginning with the 2 apples on the cutting board was really nice.

Billy MacKenzie said...

In the video I thought you said "Brown Ginger".

My Mom and Grandma are gonna love these

Todd said...

Making these today...can't wait.

Unknown said...

I noticed you used a non-alcoholic sparkling cider. Do you suppose a carbonated hard cider would adversely affect the taste? (I've always been of the school of thought that if I can't cop a little buzz whilst deep frying, why bother...?)

Todd said...

OMG these were amazing! My son and I made a batch and had to stop ourselves from eating too many. Another win Chef John, thank you!

Food Junkie said...

Sounds like a good use for some extra apples taking up space in my fridge. I must admit though the only apple fritter I have ever had have been yeast doughs so this will be a departure.

spfx said...

Can you use fresh ginger? If so, how much would you recommend? Thank you!

Krista said...

I love anything apple! Do you have a recommendation for the best way to sub out the egg? I have an allergy. Thanks!

Steve Kennedy said...

@spfx
You can google it, but I think the general rule of thumb is for every tblsp of fresh, use 1/3 tbsp ground and vice versa,If it asks for 1 tsp dried, use 3 tsp fresh.
Hope I got that right, google it, its all over the web.
I know for sure 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp.

Unknown said...


These are so good, I made mine with banana by making the batter and adding in small chunks at the end and mixing it in. I had to cook smaller sizes but they were still amazing.

Sam said...

So I'm in Armenia, where sparkling apple cider is not a thing (sad, but bacon is also not a thing and I have to pick what to be upset about). In fact, despite the abundance of apples, neither are apple cider or apple donuts. But we do have apple vinegar. So I substituted some of the baking powder for baking soda and used milk with a little vinegar for the liquid. The crumb was moist and fluffy and donut-like. Highly recommended.

Anonymous said...

Sir can it be bake, in stand of fry ? e-mail is iwalkthelineforher@yahoo.com i us it more. Thank you Sir for the Apple Fritters Recipe

Edward said...

Dear Chef John, I enjoyed these fritters but was unable to achieve the viscosity you did with the drizzle :3 any idea what I'm doing wrong? I used about 2 tbsp of icing sugar, a tsp of cinnamon, and about a tbsp of apple juice... I may be mentally challenged, but I can't seem to get it after a couple attempts...

Susan said...

I just made these. They turned out amazing. I sprinkled them with icing sugar. Going to eat my third right now.. Yummy.

Unknown said...

Besides being a great cook, you have been gifted with a wonderful sense of humor....you make cooking a fun thing...thanks so much Ruth Napier

Barb said...

I just made these fritters, following your recipe. (But I didn't drizzle on the icing.)
They are delicious.
However, I mixed (ordinary) cider vinegar with Pellegrino. I've learned that any carbonated liquid added to batter will create a fine fluff.
I'm going to add shredded coconut next time.
Thanks a lot!
Next I'll try the apple turnovers.

Stacy M said...

I made these today for the first time, following your recipe and methods exactly. SO GOOD!!!!

Madaruba said...

I made the exact recepi but with pumkin... and added some pumpkin spice aswell.. it was delicious!!.. thx chef John

Chelle said...




Going to try these today BUT! Chef John my food wish is Opera Cake! Make one for us, please?!

Beth said...

Just made these, except rolled in cinnamon-sugar. Excellent. Used a Paula Red which has a delicious old fashioned apple flavor. Thanks for sharing.

Teresa said...

These look so so good!! Was wondering where is the rest of the recipe?
Thank you.
Hugs, Teresa