This year for my Birthday I went to upstate New York to see my cousin's Jamie, Jeff and their beautiful new fur baby Alice! We didn't do too much because, COVID, but it was still the most perfect trip! We did get to go apple picking and have a very relaxing pool day! I've wanted to go apple picking for so long but it's not so simple in Colorado. The experience really turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. We visited this really cute little farm that had small apple and pear trees everywhere in perfect little rows and was absolutely deserted. The three of us were literally the only people there, and we FILLED our bags to the brim. So, for my birthday, I got to knock something off my bucket list and we had hundreds of apples to use. My baking dreams had officially come true.
Walking through the apple orchard was different than I had expected. The trees are smaller, the rows are perfect and you can taste while you are "browsing". (at least at this orchard you can) It was incredible seeing how many different varieties of apples there were, and we even got to pick pears! While strolling by all the perfect little trees, the only thing going through my head was what I wanted to bake! I saw so much potential in each red gem hanging on the trees! With only a couple of days in New York and so many ideas, we better get started. So many apples, so little time!
Look at all those gorgeous apples! After picking Alice up from her amazing training class, we went back to the house and got to work. Our first project was homemade apple cider. You guys, I don't know what we did wrong, but the cider was not a success haha. The next morning though, magic happened! Jamie found a great recipe for Apple Fritters and I started prepping the apples while she mixed up the batter. All the while our oil was getting to the perfect frying temperature in a heavy duty dutch oven.
Apple Fritters
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1 qt - Vegetable Oil or Crisco For Frying
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1 1/2 cup - All Purpose Flour
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1 tbsp - Granulated Sugar
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2 tsp - Baking Powder
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1/2 tsp - Salt
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2/3 cup - Milk
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2 - Large Eggs
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1 tbsp - Vegetable Oil
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3 cup - Apples - peeled, cored and chopped
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1 cup - Cinnamon Sugar Mixture for Coating
Instructions
- Start heating your oil over medium heat in a large dutch even. The oil should get to about 375° for the perfect crispiness and golden brown color. You can use a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature as you go.
- While the oil heats up, peel, core and dice about 3 large apples. We used Macintosh apples, because they were a little tart and had a really great crisp texture and cut them to about the size of a dime.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour in milk, eggs and oil, then stir until everything is combined.
- Mix in apples until they are evenly distributed.
- Once the oil is at 375° or very close, drop large spoonfuls (about 1.5 tbsp) of batter into the hot oil. Fry until the fritters are golden brown, this takes about 3 minutes total.
- Using a spider tool (pictured below), scoop the fritters out and drain on a paper bag or paper towels for a few minutes.
- While still hot, toss the Apple Fritters in the cinnamon sugar mixture until they are fully coated.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Thank you all for cooking with me! This recipe is a real gem, and much easier than I anticipated. Baking all day with my cousin/best friend was so perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Apple Fritters make a great breakfast, snack or dessert and would be great served with any beverage or ice cream. Enjoy this one! Below is a list of my favorite tools, specifically for this recipe.
Ashley Tuttle
