These are the kind of apple fritters you'd get at the very best kind of doughnut shop. They are made from soft yeast-raised dough, flavored with a hint of nutmeg and orange, filled with buttery cinnamon-coated apples, and covered in a crackly maple glaze.

"THE Absolute BEST!!! I have made these multiple times to nothing but rave reviews. Greatly remembered. One of those where you made them and months even years later that person goes, remember those fritters you made? Yes!!! they are that good!" - Jeanette

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

This recipe includes instructions for letting the apple fritters rise overnight so you can fry them up in the morning and enjoy them while they are warm and fresh.

These apple fritters are a treat worthy of holiday and birthday mornings, indulgent weekends, and the people in your life that you want to spoil with something extraordinary, including yourself.

"Made these fritters today and shared with friends to rave reviews. Their comments: "I would drive a long way for these" ; "that was a spiritual experience"; "best doughnut I ever had not even close". Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!" - Tina

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

What Are Apple Fritters?

A fritter is essentially anything that's been dipped in batter and then fried, sweet or savory.

Apple fritter doughnuts are something different. Apple fritter doughnuts are apple-filled pastries that are either baked or fried, generally flavored with cinnamon or nutmeg, and covered in a sweet glaze. There are essentially two different kinds of apple fritter doughnuts:

1. "Quick-raised" apple fritters: These are doughnuts made from a baking powder dough that takes about 20 minutes to make and requires no time to rise. They are like a quick-bread version of doughnuts and have a consistency similar to a cake doughnut
2. "Yeast-raised" apple fritters: These are doughnuts made from yeast dough and the kind of apple fritters that you'd expect to get at a really good doughnut shop. The consistency of apple fritters made from yeast dough is similar to a classic glazed doughnut.

This recipe is for apple fritter doughnuts that are yeast-raised.

They are made from buttery, yeast dough mixed with soft, cinnamon apples and fried into craggy doughnuts that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The doughnuts are covered in maple glaze and best eaten while they are still warm.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Pro Tips for Successful Homemade Apple Fritters

• Chop the apples very small - about the size of a pea. Chopping the apples any larger makes it difficult to get them to stay in the dough.
• Lower the fritters into the hot oil on parchment paper "plates". Let the fritters rise on parchment covered baking sheets. Then, rather than trying to lift them off the parchment without squeezing any air from the perfectly risen dough, just cut around the bottom of each fritter so that each one is resting on it's own little parchment paper "plate". Lower the fritter into the hot oil parchment and all. Then, just use metal tongs to lift away the parchment paper, which will come away from the dough easily.
• A fry thermometer is a must! While frying the fritters, it's important to keep the oil between 350 and 360 degrees. If the temperature of the oil is too low, the fritters will absorb too much oil, becoming heavy and greasy. But, if the oil is too hot, the outside of the fritters will burn before the inside is cooked through. The only real way to monitor the oil temperature as you cook the fritters is with a fry thermometer.
• Fry two fritters at a time - no more. If you add too many fritters to the oil at once, they'll stick together and be difficult to flip over. It's much, much easier to just work with two fritters at a time.
• Use Granny Smith Apples. Granny Smith Apples are perfect for baking because they have such a bright, tart flavor AND they hold up really well under hot temperatures. Other varieties have a tendency to get a bit mushy when cooked.
• Shaping apple fritters is messy. Embrace the mess and just have fun with it.
• Glaze them while they're warm. Pouring the maple glaze over the fritters while they're still warm results in that gorgeous doughnut shop crackly glaze.

The Distinctive Shape of Apple Fritters

All those little pieces of dough pressed together are what give apple fritters their unique pull-apart consistency and craggy surface that's perfect for capturing as much maple glaze as possible.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

For Warm Doughnuts in the Morning, Let Apple Fritters Rise Overnight

For yeast-risen treats that I want to eat in the morning, an overnight rise is essential because, call me crazy, but I'm not a fan of getting up at 3 am to get the dough going.

Thankfully, these apple fritters rise beautifully in the refrigerator overnight which means you can prepare the fritters the night before you want to eat them.

All you have to do in the morning is let the fritters sit out on the counter for bit to bring the dough back up to room temperature, fry them, glaze them, and eat them.

Recipe: Homemade Apple Fritters

For step-by-step photos showing how to shape apple fritter, see the original recipe: Homemade Apple Fritters

For the dough:

• 2 cups (16 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature, between 75 and 85 degrees F (24-30 degrees C)
• ½ cup (100 gram) granulated sugar
• 3 ½ teaspoons (10.5 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 6 cups (720 grams) all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the apple filling:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the maple glaze:

• 3 cups (340 grams) powdered sugar
• a pinch of salt
• ¾ - 1 cup (8-11 ounces) pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Make the dough:

1. Pour the milk into the bowl of a standing mixer, and sprinkle in the sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and then let sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast begin to come alive. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, melted butter, vanilla, and orange zest.
2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook, add 5 cups (600g) of the all-purpose flour and the nutmeg and mix on medium-low speed until the dough begins to come together.
3. Slowly add enough of the remaining cup of flour so that the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky ball. Depending on the humidity in the air, this might take the entire remaining cup or only a bit of it. What you’re looking for is a soft, smooth ball of dough that clings to the dough hook, does not stick to the sides of the bowl, but does stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl. If you stop the mixer and touch the dough, it should feel slightly sticky, but not so wet as to be confused with cookie dough.
4. Once the dough has come together, sprinkle in the salt. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes. The dough should look very soft and smooth.
5. Butter a large bowl and dump the dough into the bowl. Butter a piece of plastic wrap (or spray with non-stick spray) and use it to cover the bowl. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the apple filling:

1. Add the lemon juice to a medium size saucepan. Peel, core, and dice the apples into pieces about the size of a pea. As you chop the apples, add them to the saucepan and toss them around in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
2. Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the saucepan. Stir to mix and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the apples are soft and the liquid in the pan is thick and syrupy; about 15-20 minutes.
3. Scrape the filling into a bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Shape the fritters and let them rise:

1. Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them nearby.
2. Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and roll it into a square that's approximately 16 inches. Spread the apple filling over the dough and roll the whole thing up into a very loose log.
3. Using a dough scraper or the edge of a metal spatula, chop the dough from one end of the log to the other into pieces that are no bigger than 1-inch wide.
4. Push the pieces of dough into a sloppy mound in the center of your workspace and continue to chop the dough every which way, so that you have a gooey pile of small pieces of dough and apple filling.
5. Use your hands to scoop up a palm-sized portion of dough and apples. Gently press the dough together in your hands and lay it down on one of the parchment-covered baking sheets. Continue with the rest of the dough, leaving at least 4 inches in between fritters on the baking sheets. This is a messy job - so have fun with it!
6. Spray a couple of sheets of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and cover the fritters. Let rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until nearly doubled in bulk. OR - place the sheets of fritters in the refrigerator to rise for up to 12 hours.

Make the Maple Glaze:

1. Put the powdered sugar and salt in a medium size bowl and add ¾ cup (8oz) maple syrup and the vanilla and almond extracts. Stir until smooth. Add more maple syrup if necessary to create a consistency similar to cream. Cover and set aside.

Fry the fritters:

1. If the dough has been rising in the refrigerator, let the sheets of apple fritters sit out on the counter for about 1 hour to allow the dough to come to room temperature.
2. Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep saucepan to come up the sides 3 or 4 inches. Heat the oil to 350 - 360 degrees F (176-182 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet or serving platter with a few sheets of paper towels and set it near the stovetop.
3. Cut the parchment around two of the fritters so that it extends around the fritter by a couple of inches. Using a spatula, lower the fritters into the hot oil one at a time, parchment and all. Using metal tongs, gently lift the edge of the parchment paper, flipping the fritter over in the hot oil, and lifting the paper away.
4. Cook the fritters for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are a deep golden brown. Do your best to keep the oil temperature between 350 and 360 degrees F (176-182 degrees C). Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the fritters to the paper towel-lined platter.
5. Within 1-2 minutes of the fritters coming out of the hot oil, drizzle the tops with a generous amount of maple glaze.
6. Repeat with the remaining fritters.

Recipe Notes

How to store apple fritters: Apple fritters are best when served immediately after frying, while still warm. But, they will keep for up to 24 hours when stored in a covered container. For the best flavor and texture, reheat the fritters on a baking sheet in a 350°F (176° C) oven.

How to freeze raw apple fritters: One reader wrote to ask if these can be frozen and I responded that yes, you can fully assemble these fritters and then freeze them raw. Once the fritters are assembled, instead of covering to allow them to rise at room temperature, wrap each fritter individually and then place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can pile them into ziplock bags or another container if you like. After trying this she wrote back and included several really great tips that I wanted to share with anyone who wants to try this:

"Thank you AGAIN! I did exactly that and today about 2.5 months later thawed them and fried them up. Just perfect! One plus, is because they were frozen, all those little apple bits really stayed in place. I found once thawed and you start to fry them barely any broke away. If you have the room to freeze them, I highly recommend preparing a double batch and freeze those you want for later. What I did was froze them individually on the parchment squares and once froze I placed them in a freezer bag with the squares. When ready to fry, remove from freezer, place on cookie sheet with the parchment attached and cover with sprayed plastic wrap. I pulled mine out before I went to bed, covered them and let them thaw and rise overnight. Then in the morning I mixed up the glaze and fried them up. Absolutely perfect!" - Jeanette

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

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