Apple Fritters with Cider Glaze

In this recipe, the basic yeasty donut dough is combined with spiced cooked apples and fried until golden brown and crisp before being dipped in a sticky apple cider glaze. With the smell of the apples cooking in the kitchen and hints of cinnamon hanging in the air this dish immediately puts me into the fall spirit.

Apple Fritters with Cider Glaze

How to Choose Apples for This Apple Fritter Recipe

You can’t generalize apples when it comes to baking. Not all varieties of apples will create the same texture when they are added to the doughnuts. While any semi-sweet apple will work, I chose honeycrisp apples. While they are also great just for eating they are just as great for baking. They are easy to find, very sweet and their crisp texture holds up as the apples bake in the apple crisp.

If honeycrisp apples aren’t available, Golden delicious, McIntosh, Cortland or Jonathan apples are good alternatives. 

How to Make Apple Fritters with Cider Glaze

For the apple fritter donut dough:

1. Warm the milk. Warm the milk in a small saucepan to 105ºF to 115ºF. Set aside.
2. Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warmed milk, vanilla, egg yolks, and butter mixing until the dough is soft and smooth (it will be slightly sticky).
3. Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour (and up to overnight).

For the apple fritters:

1. Cook the apples. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the apples, granulated sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, stirring to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender and thick syrup forms, about 10 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out so that it is ½-inch thick. Spread the apple mixture over half of the dough then fold the other half over the top (so that it looks like a calzone).
3. Cut into strips. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips. Then cut the dough crosswise so the dough forms diamonds. Make sure the apples are well dispersed throughout the dough.
4. Shape the fritters. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and shape into a 12-inch by 3-inch rectangle. Divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a flattened circle and set on a lightly floured baking sheet.
5. Fry the apple fritters. In a heavy bottomed pan or deep fryer, heat enough vegetable oil to reach 2-inches up the pan to 350º. Working a few portions at a time fry the dough until golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes each side.
6. Set aside to drain. Remove from the oil and drain on a drying rack with a plate set under it.

To make the glaze:

1. Glaze the doughnuts. In a medium shallow bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, apple cider and maple syrup until smooth. Dip each fritter into the glaze and set aside.
2. Serve or store. Serve the doughnuts warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• Serve these apple fritter donuts and a big mug of spiced apple cider to accompany them.
• To make things easier the donut dough can be made the day before and set aside to rise overnight.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this apple fritter recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Apple Crisp
• Apple Butter
• Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Fritters

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Serves 12 doughnuts

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the donut dough:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the fritters:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 medium Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and diced into ½-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• All-purpose flour, as needed for rolling
• Vegetable oil, as needed, for frying

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions:

For the donut dough:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan to 105ºF (40.5ºC) to 115ºF (46ºC). Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warmed milk, vanilla, egg yolks, and butter mixing until the dough is soft and smooth (it will be slightly sticky).
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour (and up to overnight).

For the fritters:

• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the apples, granulated sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, stirring to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender and thick syrup forms, about 10 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out so that it is ½-inch thick. Spread the apple mixture over half of the dough then fold the other half over the top (so that it looks like a calzone).
• Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips. Then cut the dough crosswise so the dough forms diamonds. Make sure the apples are well dispersed throughout the dough.
• Sprinkle the mixture with flour and shape into a 12-inch by 3-inch rectangle. Divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a flattened circle and set on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• In a heavy bottomed pan or deep fryer, heat enough vegetable oil to reach 2-inches up the pan to 350ºF (180ºC). Working a few portions at a time fry the dough until golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes each side.
• Remove from the oil and drain on a drying rack with a plate set under it.

For the glaze:

• In a medium shallow bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, apple cider and maple syrup until smooth. Dip each fritter into the glaze and set aside.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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