Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze
Betül’s Notes
After multiple rounds of testing and trial and error, I’ve found the perfect apple fritter recipe, largely thanks to baking the apples before adding them to the dough. Apple fritters can often be too claggy thanks to the extra flour needed to soak up the apples’ moisture, but this method allows for less flour in the dough without reducing the apples. The result? A much softer, pillowy fritter studded with sweet apples.
Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
For the Apples:
- 4 medium apples diced (I used honeycrisp apples)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ tbsp butter cut into small cubes
For the Dough:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water 110°F
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar separated
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
For the Maple Glaze*:
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare the Dough:
- In the base of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the flour, milk, remaining sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla. Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until well combined. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Make a hole in the middle of the dough and add the room temperature butter in the middle. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 to 6 minutes. Continue to knead until the dough should look smooth and no longer stick to the bowl. If it is not ready, continue to knead and rest periodically until it is ready.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Slap and fold the dough 5 to 7 times until smooth. Use your hands to form the dough into a smooth ball. Carefully place in a large bowl with the open edge down and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, and then in the fridge overnight.
While the dough rests, Prepare the Apples:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and butter. Toss to combine with your hands, then spread out evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the apples are slightly softened and some of their liquid has evaporated. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- The next day, flour a work surface and place the dough on top. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll 1 portion into a 10-inch-wide rectangle and add the baked apples to one half. Fold over the other half of the dough and roll it out to ½ inch thick. Using a pastry or pizza cutter, crosshatch the dough into small cubes. Sprinkle lightly with flour use your hands to bring the dough together until it forms a uniform shape. Use biscuit cutter to cut 9 circles. Transfer them to a lined baking sheet and let rest for 30-45 minutes until they double in size. Repeat with remaining dough.
Make the Maple Glaze:
- In a shallow bowl, add powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, butter, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth and fully combined.
Make the Apple Fritters:
- Preheat the oil to 350F. Line a large plate with paper towel. Working in batches, fry the apple fritters until golden brown on each side, flipping halfway through. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain.
- While the fritters are fresh, dip in the maple glaze and set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes to allow the glaze to set. Alternatively, drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve immediately with hot coffee or cider.
- Bon appetit!
Notes
*I also love serving the fritters with caramel sauce instead of a glaze. You can use the caramel recipe from my popcorn recipe here!
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