Glazed Cinnamon Apple Fritters

Apple fritters— the delicious child of donuts and soaked apples. Full of juicy fruit, soft dough, and a perfectly hardened glaze, these fritters are the perfect fall treat.

Donuts are my absolute favorite and I don’t think I’ll EVER get tired of them. And while I still haven’t tried my hand at making the traditional kind, mainly because I’m scared it will never match up to the real thing, today we’re making apple fritters!

I’ll be honest: I never really liked apple fritters—I always felt they were bland and apple-y and why settle for that when you can get a delicious donut with a bucket load of sugar???? But my dad loved them a lot and the lil donut shops either didn’t have them or were always sold out. And so my mom and I made it once (and failed). And then we made it again (success!). And again. And again.

And now I’m in love, but I think my dad’s tired of them 😅

With every bite, you get a mouthful of juicy apples and soft dough sweetened to perfection. So! How do you make these babies? I’ll show you! 🥰

Don’t let these steps fool you! These beauties might look hard to make, but they’re actually really easy! All you knead is a little patience! We’ll begin by gathering the ingredients for the apple part of our fritters.

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter, but be careful not to brown it.  Once the butter has melted, add the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until your apples have softened (around 8 minutes)! 

Add the apple cider, vinegar, and vanilla extract and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the apples are beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, heat the milk until it’s lukewarm. Pour the yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer and pour the warm milk over it. Allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sift the pastry flour on top of the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Then, add the melted butter, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, cider and all-purpose flour. Whisk it all together until the batter is smooth. 

Add the batter to the yeast mixture. Using the dough-hook attachment of your stand mixer, mix on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface— you’re going to want to flour your hands for this step because the dough will be slightly sticky. Knead the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 and a half hours or until doubled in size.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll and stretch it into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread a little more than half of the reserved apple filling over the dough, and fold into thirds. (See picture for a visual).

Pat down and stretch the dough into another 10-by-15-inch rectangle. It will be a bit messy and there will be holes but it’s okay! Spread the remaining apples over the dough, and fold into thirds again. Fold into a square and return the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

We’re almost done! Pour oil into a shallow pot, preferably a wok, stopping at about halfway—just enough room to submerge your fritters. Set it over medium heat and clip a candy thermometer to the side. You’ll want your oil to reach 375°F.

Turn out dough onto a clean surface and stretch into an even rectangle that’s about 1-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles and stretch them into misshapen ovals. Carefully lower the apple fritters into the oil. Depending on the size of your saucepan, you should be able to do 3 to 4 at a time.

When the apple fritters are a deep golden brown—after about 1 to 2 minutes—use a slotted spoon to flip them over; cook until they’re a deep golden brown all over, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the apple fritters to a pan lined with paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

In the meantime, let’s make the glaze! In a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water, whisk together the heavy cream, sugar, and salt until there are no clumps. Heat until thin and runny, while stirring constantly. Use while still warm, but if the glaze thickens, simply put it over the water pot again.

It’s time to give the apple fritters their shiny coat! Dip them into the warm glaze and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature! I always prefer them warm, which is likely why they last so short a time in my house!

All your hard work has finally paid off, and it might seem daunting now but it’s actually really simple once you get the hang of it! It’s more of a waiting game than anything else, and these little guys are definitely worth the wait! Let me know in the comments (or on Instagram!) if you’re planning on making them 😊