Apple Fritters

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• ¼ cup lukewarm water
• 1 ½ cups whole milk

  warm
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs

  room temperature
• 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 large apples

  peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3-5 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

• 1 In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
  Add the warm milk, sugar, and eggs.
• 2 Add the dough hook attachment, and stir in the flour and salt. Scrape the bottom
  and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Cut the butter into
  small pieces and incorporate into the dough. Scrape the bowl a few times. Beat
  the dough until it becomes smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
• 3 Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, making
  a smooth dough. This dough is going to be sticky when you turn it out.
• 4 After kneading, shape into a round ball and place back into the greased mixing
  bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and drape with a clean kitchen towel.
  Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 5 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a
  few minutes. Turn back into the greased bowl (spray with cooking spray again if
  needed) and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• 6 While the dough is rising, make your apple filling. Place the butter and lemon
  juice in a 10-12-inch cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the chopped apple
  pieces and the brown sugar into the pan.
• 7 Cook the apples over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly
  soft. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water and pour over the apple mixture. Let
  bubble and thicken. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon so it does not
  burn.
• 8 Remove from the heat once it's thickened and add the cinnamon and nutmeg. The
  apple mixture will thicken as it cools. Let cool completely.
• 9 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a
  rolling pin. Making it into a rectangle shape, about ½-3/4-inch thick. Spread
  the apple filling evenly over the dough. Sprinkle generously with all-purpose
  flour. (about ½ cup or so). This will help absorb some of the moisture from the
  filling. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.
• 10 Roll up, starting at the long end, like you would cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough
  on a diagonal, then back the other way. You want to end up with pieces about the
  size of a quarter. Gently push the pieces back into small patties (about 3-4
  inches in diameter). You’ll want to sprinkle the pieces with flour as you go.
  This will be a sticky mess. But well worth the time, effort and mess involved.
• 11 Place the apple fritter patties on lined half sheet pans. (you should get about
  3 rows of 3 on each sheet pan) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate
  for 1 hour, or overnight.
• 12 While they are in the fridge, whisk together your icing. Cover with plastic wrap
  and set aside. You want it to be fairly thin.
• 13 Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F. Use a digital
  thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil.
• 14 Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side. Flip carefully. Once fried, place them on a
  sheet pan lined with plenty of paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil.
• 15 Let cool slightly before dipping only the tops in the icing. Let drip dry on a
  cooling rack, placed on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Once the icing is set,
  enjoy!

Nutrition Info