CHEF JOHN'S APPLE FRITTERS

Chef John's Apple Fritters image

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.

Provided by Chef John

Time 35m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
2 large Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
¼ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
½ cup sparkling apple cider
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
½ cup confectioners' sugar, or more as needed
1 tablespoon sparkling apple cider, or as needed to make glaze

Steps:

Melt butter over medium-high heat and cook until it turns golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add apples and cook over medium-high heat until apples just begin to soften around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain in a strainer; let cool to room temperature.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
Whisk egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter together in a separate mixing bowl. Add cooled apple pieces and sparkling apple cider; add the flour mixture. Stir just until flour is incorporated.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter per fritter, into hot oil, slightly flattening them out. Cook in batches. Fry on one side until small bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip fritters over and fry the other side until richly browned, about 2 more minutes.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain grease. Cool slightly before glazing.
Whisk powdered sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add enough apple cider, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form a smooth glaze that is just runny enough to drizzle over fritters.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 247.8 calories, Carbohydrate 39.6 g, Cholesterol 30.9 mg, Fat 9.2 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 2.8 g, Sodium 243.4 mg, Sugar 22.9 g