It’s mid September and I feel like it’s finally starting to feel a little like fall! The mornings have been a little chilly, and I’ve noticed some color on the leaves. And with that, there is the arrival of cozy autumn recipes!
This is recipe two of September, with three more on the way. I have to say that this month is a pretty good one in terms of recipe content. September through December tend to be my most busy months, but also the most fun to make recipes for. September is fun because everyone is super excited about fall, so I get to go crazy with cozy flavors like pumpkin, apple, coffee, and sweet spices.
Looking back at last September’s recipes, I had a lot of pumpkin going on. And while this is justified because pumpkin is the most popular and widely desired flavor of the fall, I wanted to focus more on the other flavors of fall this year. Don’t worry, there’s still pumpkin, but also some more interesting cozy flavors. Like these apple, bourbon, maple brown butter fritters.
What are Apple Fritters?
Apple fritters are often considered to be donuts, or at least donut adjacent. They are made by folding cubed apple into a batter, which is then scooped into clumps and deep fried. Apple fritters are a fall staple, and the perfect recipe to throw together if you’ve just gone apple picking.
Describe These Fritters to Me
Taste: These fritters are filled with nutty brown butter, bittersweet bourbon, warming spices, and sweet apples. These flavors mix together perfectly to create the perfect balance of cozy autumnal flavors.
Texture: When served warm, these fritters are slightly crisp on the outside and soft. on the inside, with juicy pops of apple in every bite. The glaze adds the perfect amount of moisture to make these melt in your mouth delicious. Because of the apples and the glaze however, these fritters get soggy very quickly if you let them sit, so it’s best if you serve them right away.
Ease: The batter and glaze for this recipe are both quite simple, quick, and easy to throw together. The only difficult part about this recipe is the deep frying, which truly isn’t as bad as it seems once you get the hang of it. The first few fritters might be a little off, but practice makes perfect!
The Batter
This batter is very simple to whip up. Flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg are whisked together before adding in eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, and bourbon. Finally, the apples are tossed in and folded until coated in the batter. Then all we have to do is drop the fritters into hot oil in clumps, and they will turn into delicious apple fritters.
The Glaze
In my opinion, the glaze is what takes this recipe to the next level. It starts by browning butter on the stove, which gives the glaze a warm and nutty taste. Then we whisk in the maple syrup, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract. Dunk the warm fritters in this glaze and enjoy immediately!
Bourbon Apple Fritters with Brown Butter Maple Glaze
Ingredients
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Add in the eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, and bourbon and whisk until smooth. Fold in the apples until evenly coated in the batter.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 3 cups vegetable oil over medium high heat. The oil should be around 350℉ on an instant read thermometer. Scoop/drop 2 Tablespoon sized balls of the batter into the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the finished fritters from the oil using a slotted metal spoon and place on a wire cooling rack set over a layer of paper towels to drain the oil. Once all of the batter has been fried, make the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to sizzle and foam before it starts to brown. Once the butter has reached and amber color and has a nutty aroma, remove from the heat and let the butter cool in the saucepan for 5 minutes.
- To the slightly cooled brown butter, whisk in the maple syrup, followed by the confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract. Dunk the warm fritters in the glaze and place back on the cooling rack to drain the extra glaze.
- Enjoy the fritters while they're warm! These get soggy as they sit and cool, so they must be served while they're fresh and warm.