how do you like them apples
Recipe: apple fritters
Home never felt so good and happy. When I walked up the stairs to the baby gate and peered around for Kaweah, she was lying in her dog bed probably thinking, “It’s that Jeremy guy… ho hum.” But when she saw it was me and I called her name, she jumped up and wagged furiously, pawing at the gate before I could even open it. Then she lunged at her stuffed toy hedgehog and shook it around violently (this is what she does when she’s excited) until I was able to put my bags down and give her a belly rub hello. I’ve got heaps of photos to sort through and will share them eventually, but there is other more urgent business at hand. Like the business of choosing two winners of the Colorado care packages!
meet the executor of selection
We took Kaweah outside into the front yard with the intention of hiding a treat, timing how long it took her to find the treat (in milliseconds), and then calculating the number of the winner based on the number of milliseconds modulo the number of comments (407). A little review of math here… modulo is the remainder after division. Kaweah had a hard time figuring out the rules, so we had a few test runs first to explain the game to her (mostly because she just stood in front of Jeremy wondering why he wasn’t giving her a treat). Eventually, she did get it…
45 seconds (she’s even pointing, if you can believe that)
1 minute and 56.91 seconds (it’s hidden in the wild roses)
So our winners are #23 Cathy and #295 Deb in Indiana!! Congratulations, ladies! I will be in touch with you to get your mailing addresses and your t-shirt choices and sizes. Also, a huge thanks to all of the commenters who entered the giveaway. Your interesting facts about you are not just interesting, but entertaining and touching and awesome. Thanks for sharing a part of you with me (and everyone else – no small feat there!) and thanks, as always, for being the best readers ever.
Summer is over. September is done (in an hour). I think to myself that I will miss summer, until I remember that there is snow on the high peaks. This weekend while I unpacked and put my gear away, I made a note to myself to start transitioning our bins. Soon, the bike and hiking gear bins will be replaced with winter and ski gear bins. Now, when daylight fades, I marvel that I have more than a couple of hours before I should be getting to bed! And the sweet fruits of autumn are making their way into the markets next to the big fat orange pumpkins that signal the arrival of my favorite holiday, Halloween!
colorado organic jonagolds
How thrilled was I this weekend when I went to get groceries and wasn’t limited to things that fit in my cooler, or could be prepared by adding hot water? To really cook again in my own kitchen is a beautiful and happy feeling. I grabbed three varieties of apples and decided we’d have a little treat at the House of Butter. Apple fritters.
apples, beer, sugar, butter, spices (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice), salt, flour, and eggs
separate the eggs, melt the butter, measure the beer
If you walk into a doughnut shop and find apple fritters, they are usually a conglomerate of apple bits and dough and cinnamon and sugar. That’s not the kind of apple fritter I have in mind when I want apple fritters. I like mine to be heavy on the apple with a light batter. The recipe that caught my fancy was the one that called for beer in the batter, because even though I don’t drink beer, I love it in food – especially battered and fried food.
mix the batter ingredients together (except for the flour)
now whisk in the flour until just combined
You can slice your apples up however you like, but I wanted apple rings – thick, juicy, sweet apple rings that you can sink your teeth into. Just peel the apples and core them. I don’t have an apple corer, so I sliced my peeled apples into 1/2-inch thick rings first, then I cut the core out with a cannoli dough ring. If the hole is too small, then the batter will fill it up when you fry it. You may or may not care, but I wanted rings, not disks.
peel
slice
core
Set the apple slices on a couple of paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Place a few more layers on top and press down gently. This results in a better fritter and will produce less splattering when you fry the rings. When the batter is done resting, whip the egg whites until they are just at stiff peaks. Try to avoid over whipping the whites. You’ll know when you’ve done that when the whites are no longer smooth, but clumpy. Fold the whites into the batter.
absorbing excess moisture from the apple slices
fold the whipped egg whites into the batter
I hate frying. You know this. But sooo many awesome foods are fried! One of the things that has helped me reduce my hatred of frying by a teensy tiny bit is having a candy thermometer. Monitoring (and maintaining) the temperature of your frying oil helps to give you consistent results. Another thing that helps avoid mishaps is getting your work station in order. Place the batter next to the frying oil. Set the fruit next to the batter. Have a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a cooling rack at the ready on the other side of the oil. Dip the fruit in the batter, place the ring in the oil. Flip when golden brown on one side. Remove when golden on the other side. Set on cooling rack or paper towels. Repeat.
dip and coat
fried golden and draining on a cooling rack
I prefer the cooling rack to the paper towels because it maintains the crispness of the fritter (or most fried things for that matter) better. If you are making a lot of fritters, keep them warm in a low temperature oven until you are ready to serve them. Dust the fritters with cinnamon powdered sugar (1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1 cup of powdered sugar sifted together) right before serving.
just like snow…
serve hot
These fritters are a nice treat to bite into. I’ve read that you can use any apple you like for this. The Jonagolds have good tartness and sweetness with floral rose overtones. In fritter form, the apple slice turns juicy – a concentrated apple flavor and yielding texture (think apple pie). The fritter batter is light, crisp, and full of autumn spices – a perfect accompaniment to the fruit and sugar. Definitely eat them hot.
an apple a day
Apple Fritters
[print recipe]
slightly modified from Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax
2/3 cup ale or beer
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsps butter, melted (or you can use vegetable oil)
3 tbsps sugar
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3/8 tsp salt
1 cup flour (all-purpose)
4 cups sliced apples or any fruit (I used 3 large Jonagold apples)
cinnamon powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
Whisk the beer, egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the flour in until just blended. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. Peel and core the apples, or if you don’t have a proper corer, just peel the apples. Slice the apples along latitudinal lines into 1/2-inch thick slices. If you don’t have a corer, now is when you can use a round cutter (I used a cannoli dough ring) to punch out the core of each slice. Set the slices on paper towels to drain excess moisture. Flip them over after a few minutes. Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a deep and wide pan or a deep-fat fryer to 365°F (a candy thermometer is really really handy here). Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (but not dry – dry is when it looks clumpy) and fold the whites into the batter. You can preheat your oven to 250°F for keeping the fritters warm as you will have to fry them in batches. Ready your workstation near the hot oil – have the fruit and batter nearby as well as a baking sheet lined with paper towels OR a baking sheet with a cooling rack on it (I prefer the cooling rack to avoid sogginess). Dip each apple ring into the batter to coat, then let any excess drip off before carefully placing it in the hot oil. Don’t crowd the fritters in the oil! When the bottoms turn a deep golden color, use tongs or chopsticks to flip the fritters over. Let the other side turn deep golden and remove from the oil to the cooling rack or paper towels. Repeat until done (store the cooked fritters in the oven if you like). Sift the cinnamon and powdered sugar together and dust the fritters with the cinnamon powdered sugar. Serve hot and serve immediately. Makes 12 (approximately).
October 1st, 2012 at 12:50 am
Thank you for sharing this! This would be perfect to make for friends and family… I can’t wait to make this!
October 1st, 2012 at 1:01 am
I always love your recipes, pictures, and stories! But since I am actually one of first few to be able to comment, I thought I’d take this chance to ask why did you pick that particular beer? And what do you think of using like Apple Cider, the hard stuff, instead?
October 1st, 2012 at 1:16 am
Kaweah is soooo cute! I love that picture of her near the wild roses, she has a great expression on her face, like she is saying “Mom is this how I am supposed to get my treat? Why can’t you just give it to me? This game is good because I get treats, but you guys are seriously making this more difficult than it needs to be.” And I love the anecdote about the hedgehog :) My roommate wrote a short story about my lab and her best friend the hedgehog, with great lines like: “Hedgehog stared at her, unblinking; he was clearly concerned.” and “Hedgehog’s silent, fixed expression betrayed his support of this decision—and also his fear.”
October 1st, 2012 at 1:16 am
Simple and delicious recipes
October 1st, 2012 at 1:40 am
Amazing! Love that this is both kid and adult-friendly!
October 1st, 2012 at 1:52 am
The apple fritters look really good! I have lots of apples, maybe I will make them too :)
October 1st, 2012 at 4:30 am
Delicious and one of the reasons I love the fall!!!!
October 1st, 2012 at 4:47 am
That’s amazing! My father used to make me something like that when I was little, only he was cutting the apples in cubes :)
October 1st, 2012 at 6:32 am
Congrats to Deb and Cathy. I am soooo jealous! I might have to console myself with these apple fritters.
October 1st, 2012 at 7:39 am
I want one right now. How nice that Kaweah was so glad to see you.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:00 am
Man, those look delicious! Being allergic to apples bites! :-/
October 1st, 2012 at 9:00 am
Wow, those look really great, soon to be tested…
October 1st, 2012 at 1:06 pm
This is such a fun idea! Yum!
October 1st, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Congratulations to Cathy and Deb!
I feel like a winner, too, thanks to the sweet photo(s) of Miss K.
This recipe has WINNER written all over it. The idea of keeping the slice whole rather than chopping it into bits is a sure act of genius.
October 1st, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Girl, you KNOW how much I love apple fritters; you’ve witnessed it. Thanks for this terrific post.
October 1st, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Oh, that Kaweah just breaks my heart with cuteness. I will be making these fritters asap!
October 1st, 2012 at 6:45 pm
It’s like apple doughnuts! The Chinese take-out place around the corner always tucks an apple fritter like this into our bag with a wink while we’re checking out and it’s my favorite thing. Now I’ll have to make it at home!
October 1st, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Kaweah is such a total sweetheart.
Don’t you just love the star pattern of the seeds when you cut an apple that way? It’s like a little surprise secret waiting inside.
Thank you for this recipe.
October 1st, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Congrats on making it home! These look delicious — I don’t think I would have considered beer-battering the apples for fritters, but I am strongly tempted to incorporate this into our end-of-summer party menu for Saturday. Thanks!
October 1st, 2012 at 8:12 pm
That dog makes me smiles.
October 1st, 2012 at 11:21 pm
I love Kaweah, she makes me smile.
Apple fritters look yummy. Thanks!
October 2nd, 2012 at 6:53 am
Fritters look soooooo good. Awaiting your Fall photo,s.Welcome home.2
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:44 am
Kaweah…what a sweetheart!
YUM, fritters!
October 2nd, 2012 at 4:04 pm
I cannot wait to eat some of these apple fritters with a mug of hot mulled apple cider.
October 3rd, 2012 at 11:05 am
Apple fritters sound delicious. Last weekend we picked up some beautiful Jonagold apples from the market and I made a brown butter and vanilla bean galette. Yum.
October 3rd, 2012 at 4:24 pm
They look wonderful.
Don’t you just love labs?
xxoo,
RMW
October 5th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
What a lovely idea! Great presentation. I’ve never considered battering as opposed to the classic form.
October 8th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Sheryl – you’re welcome!
Andrea – Oh, no reason. I know NOTHING about beer :) I just picked something local. I wondered about using a hard cider instead, but wasn’t sure it would have enough bubble action to make a nice batter (I think the beer is for the foaminess).
Laurel – ha ha! Those poor hedgehogs ;)
master chef – thanks!
Chung-Ah – yes!
Julia – if you have lots of apples, it’s definitely worth a shot.
Debbie – me too.
Villy – I wouldn’t mind cubes, but then it means more frying ;)
Bobbie – :)
Meghan – she’s a good pup!
Kimberly – oh noes!! :(
Fred – hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Katrina – definitely yum!
Margie – not my genius! My friend served them this way in his restaurant and we were hooooooked.
Ellen – :)
Susanne – thank you.
Diane – wow, I’ve never had this in Chinese restaurants! Pretty cool.
Barb – yes, I agree. I love apples in cross-section. So pretty.
Amanda – sounds like a great idea for an end-of-summer party.
Christa – :)
Ruth Ann – thank you xo
Tina – thanks!
Jill – yay!!
Nicole – mmm, I love apple cider too. Great combo.
Nicole – that sounds lovely. All of these autumny foods and ideas :)
Rocky Mountain Woman – absolutely <3
Laura - thanks :)
October 9th, 2012 at 9:21 am
FYI, someone stole your photos and recipe and their post is FLYING around Pintrest :(
cookmee.com/apple-fritters/
That person is just lame.
October 13th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
It is getting cold up here in the mountains, in fact we had some snow on our lovelies. The Peaks, and Mt. Elden. Winter is beckoning, and this recipe will help me face it. blessings, great website.
October 15th, 2012 at 10:41 am
ducksandbooks – thanks, I’ll get to that when I have the time.
October 19th, 2012 at 9:52 am
I just saw this on pinterest and then the link didn’t bring me here, but thankfully a quick google search did! These are getting made NOW. :-)
October 24th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
I have never seen apple fritters and this look so cool! I have some oil leftover from deep-frying Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken and there are also a few rose apples in the fridge. Just right!
February 14th, 2013 at 8:21 am
I just made these apple fritters for my husband for Valentine’s Day. They were SCRUMPTIOUS! I used Granny Smith apples because they are his favorite. The batter is absolutely to die for. Thank you SO much for posting this recipe! Here’s to hoping that those delectable fritters get me some diamonds this Valentine’s Day!
April 7th, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Hello! I just saw these apple fritters from pinterest. I’ve never made them but they look delicious and not as fattening as I would have imagined! I hope you do not mind if I reblog on my website? :) I will link back to you!
April 7th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
[…] Go to Use Real Butter’s blog to see recipe here […]
July 17th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
This looks like a wonderful fall treat, I can hardly wait til the air starts to crisp and the time is right to try it. You have a lovely blog, I’m looking forward to reading more!
September 17th, 2013 at 7:19 am
[…] RECIPE […]
October 9th, 2013 at 7:10 am
[…] can find the recipe here via Use Real Butter (which I think is a fabulous blog name!) This particular recipe is very […]