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Apple fritters are wonderful way to welcome in fall and the bounty of the harvest. But, they’re also a welcome treat year-round. These caramel apple fritters recall the candy-dipped apples of fall festivals. Yet, these delicate, spiced fritters have a soft texture that simply melts in your mouth. The addition of caramel candies into the batter makes them even sweeter and more irresistible – if that’s possible.
You’ll need to peek chop up 1-2 Granny Smith apples finely for this recipe. Then toss them with cornstarch and cinnamon to prevent browning and to help them disperse in the batter.
The batter is a simple one, but includes some brown sugar, as well as some cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg. And, then of course, we have the chewy caramel pieces. These can be a bit hard to chop, but it’s worth it for the rich result.
Then comes the frying. You don’t need the heat to be cranked up on the oil, as a lower temperature does the trick here. If the oil is too hot then the fritters can look done on the outside well before the insides have had a chance to cook properly.
The glaze for the fritters is above and beyond normal powdered sugar glazes. This is because there’s some cardamom and vanilla in the mix. You might not think that it would make a huge difference, but the spiced glaze is the first thing to hit your tongue when you bite into one of these scrumptious fritters. Then as you chew the bits of apple and caramel become the dominant flavors.
For a special dessert that’s oozing with the flavors of a fall carnival, these caramel apple fritters hit the spot like no other treat can!
Caramel Apple Fritters
Diet: Vegetarian
For the fritters:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 12 pieces caramel candy, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
For the glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the fritters:
- Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg. Stir in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and melted butter.
- In a separate bowl combine reserved cinnamon and brown sugar with cornstarch. Toss apple pieces in cornstarch mixture, then fold this into batter, as well as caramel pieces.
- Heat oil to 270˚F in a deep pan. Use 2 spoons to make balls of dough and place them in oil, keeping only 4-6 or so small fritters in the pan at one time to avoid cooling the oil. Fry for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oil to wire rack to cool.
For the glaze:
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl. If too runny add a bit more sugar, if too dry add 1/ 2 teaspoon more milk at a time. Once fritted have cooled off roll each one in glaze then set on cooling rack to drip. Allow glaze to set for at least 45 minutes before serving.
Recipe adapted from Whipped Up Whimsy.