FLAVORFUL CHEF JOHN’S APPLE FRITTERS

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.

Chef John is right on about cooking up the apples before hand; they were delicious and didn’t make the batter too wet like can happen sometimes. I will be incorporating this step into other apple recipes like apple blondies. As for the rest of the fritter, well, it was an utter disaster. they were too airy so that I could barely flip them without them falling apart. So, I added more flour which helped a little but they were still too airy and the flavor was dulled a bit because of it.

I have to blame that on the baking powder. For some reason the listed amount was too much. Does it have to do with altitude? (I’m in a high altitude area) I don’t know, but it never effected any of my other recipes this way. Regardless, I love apple fritters so, I will try again with less baking powder next time. My husband, the guinea pig, said the flavor was good and we will salvage the crispy bits to eat with vanilla ice cream

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon butter
2 large Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup sparkling apple cider
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed
1 tablespoon sparkling apple cider, or as needed to make glaze

DIRECTIONS:

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 …