These autumn apple fritters are great for brunch or alongside ice cream. The secret ingredient of beer deepens the flavor of the fritters.
Simple to make, these autumn apple fritters are great for brunch or alongside ice cream for dessert. Beer not only deepens the flavor, its bubbles make them light and crispy.–Karen DeMasco
LC Nifty Doughnut Dipping Trick Note
Wanna know a doughnut dipping trick we learned from Karen DeMasco? When dipping the apples in the batter, she says, loop the apple rings over your finger both for ease and for the fullest coverage. Nifty, eh?
☞ Contents
Autumn Apple Fritters
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plus 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- 2 large eggs separated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup beer (lager or pilsner)
- 1 large firm baking apple such as Granny Smith, Mutsu, or Crispin
- Peanut oil for frying
Directions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, and vanilla. Whisk in one third of the flour mixture then one third of the beer to the egg yolk mixture, just until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beer in two additions and whisk well to combine. Set the batter aside at room temperature to rest for 30 minutes.
- While the fritter batter is resting, peel, core, and slice the apple into ten 1/8-inch-thick rings. Spread out the rings on a large plate. Stir together 1 tablespoon of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture over the apple slices. Let the slices sit for 20 minutes to soften and absorb the sugar.
- Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and gently but thoroughly fold them into the batter.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Add enough oil to a deep-sided skillet or wide pot to measure 2 inches. Heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Working in small batches, dip the apple rings into the batter to coat both sides, and fry, turning once, until the apple fritters are golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain the fritters on paper towels for a few seconds, then toss the fritters in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Originally published November 30, 2009
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Hi!
Is there any way to make this batter without beer, or with nonalcoholic beer?
Hi Lola, I think that you would be fine to use nonalcoholic beer. We also have an apple fritter recipe on the site that uses milk as the liquid. Let us know which one you choose, and how it turns out.
I made this recipe for Chanukah while my grandchildren were playing with their new gifts and my daughters were keeping me company in the kitchen. I got distracted and added the melted butter into the whites! Oops! Well, I wasn’t about to start all over again, so I just mixed everything together. I never beat the whites, of course. Never-the-less, this fritters came out FABULOUS! Apple fritters will definitely be a part of our Chanukah tradition from now on, but I do intend to make them properly next time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Our pleasure, Gaby. So relieved to hear the recipe is goof-proof! (And don’t feel bad, it happens to us all from time to time…)