Apple Fritter Doughnuts
A few weeks ago when I made the pumpkin doughnut muffins, I talked about my lack of doughnut consumption while growing up. I guess you could say I’m trying to make up for lost time. I have been borderline obsessed with the doughnut recipes that I’ve come across on Pinterest over the past couple of months, however there is one recipe that has been alluding me… the apple fritter doughnut. Believe it or not, the first time that I tried one of these beauties was earlier this year while taking a tour of a new grocery store. I had previously seen these doughnuts at other grocery stores and bakeries, and I’ve had my grandma’s apple fritters before, but once I took my first bite of an apple fritter doughnut, I immediately realized I had been missing out big-time. What an insanely delicious treat – it’s part fritter, part doughnut, packed full of apple chunks, and covered in a sweet glaze. Otherwise known as heavenly pillows of fall-spiced bliss.
I have seen tons of recipes for apple doughnuts, apple cider doughnuts, apple fritters, and about a million variations of each, but for some reason I had the hardest time nailing down a recipe for apple fritter doughnuts. I had certain requirements – they couldn’t be round with a hole in the middle, they needed to have that bumpy, craggly surface, and they needed to be covered in that barely sheer glaze that grabs hold of every bump, nook and cranny.
I finally found a string of posts on a recipe forum website and was able to piece together a recipe from what I found there. The result was exactly what I had hoped for – a prominent apple flavor… chunks of apple… a soft interior… a thicker exterior… a bumpy surface… and the perfect glaze.
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While I may not have been a doughnut aficionado as a child, I can certainly work to amend that as an adult. I think these apple fritter doughnuts are a fabulous first (or second? or third? or fourth?) step, and a gateway to even more fabulous fried treats!
What is your favorite type of doughnut?
One year ago: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Two years ago: Homemade Cracker Jack
Four years ago: Buttermilk-Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Five years ago: Bostini Cream Pie
Apple Fritter Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2¼ teaspoons (2.25 teaspoons) instant yeast
- ⅔ cup (162.67 ml) whole milk, warm to the touch
- 3¼ cups (406.25 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (78.67 ml) apple cider
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
For the Apples:
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter
- 2½ pounds (7) Granny Smith apples (about 5), peeled, cored and finely chopped
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (236 g) apple cider
- ¼ cup (59.75 g) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (1) vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- ¾ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (59.5 ml) apple cider
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
For frying
- 2 quarts (1.89 l) vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Place the yeast in a mixing bowl. Pour the milk over the yeast a let sit for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour to the yeast and milk mixture, but do not stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the surface of the flour cracks, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the apple cider, melted butter, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, 1¼ cups of the flour and whisk until combined, then add to the yeast mixture. Using an electric mixer, with paddle attachmnt, beat the dough on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium for another 30 seconds. The dough will be VERY soft and sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Make the Apples: Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Heat the butter until it is bubbling, then add the chopped apples, tossing to coat them with butter. Add the sugar and cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apple cider and vinegar, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and transfer the apples to a baking sheet to cool.
- Assemble the Doughnuts: Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat into a rectangle 2 inches thick, flouring the surface as necessary. Spread half of the apples over the dough, leaving space around the edges. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) by folding the bottom up and then the top down.
- Use your hands to again pat the dough into another rectangle about 2 inches thick. Spread the remaining apples on top and fold into thirds again.
- Gather the dough together in a rough ball and return it to the oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F.
- Scrape the dough out again onto a well-floured surface and gently pat it out to ½-inch thickness, flouring the surface and the dough as necessary. Using a pizza cutter, bench scraper or sharp knife, slice the dough into 1-inch pieces in a checkerboard pattern. Shape 4 ounce portions of the dough into round mounds and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Make the Glaze: While the dough is resting, mix together the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water over low heat. Heat and whisk occasionally until the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove from the heat.
- Fry the Doughnuts: Very carefully drop each mound of dough into the hot oil, only adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot so they are not crowded (I found I could do 4 or 5 at a time in my 7¼-quart Dutch oven). Fry until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes, then using a spatula or spider skimmer, carefully turn them over and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown as well, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the doughnuts to a paper towel-lined pan or a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts, allowing the oil to come back up to temperature between batches.
- After removing each batch of doughnuts, allow them to sit for about 5 minutes, then brush with the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I am in the process of making a batch of these lovely little fritters. I find the recipe a bit labor-intense for sure, but I am thinking the final product will be worth it.
I was starting to freak out while I waited for the dough to rise cause this method is new to me, but rise, they did! Now I am waiting for them to rise the second time and then cut and fry and ENJOY!
I decided that since I was spending my Thanksgiving alone I would do something that I normally don’t have time for and I am so pleased. Forget all about the calories today! Am Thankful for so many things and my nice full tummy afterwards will be one of them. I hope I can save some for my husband! , we’ll have to wait and see about that :-)
I have been dying to make these but I never have enough time to do it in one go. Can make the dough ahead of time or the apples? I would be best if I could do just about everything the night before and then fry in the morning. Thanks!
Hi Steph, You could definitely make the apples ahead of time, but I’ve not tried making the dough in advance and letting it sit overnight.
I LOVE this recipe! I love the texture and flavor. I love the way the dough feels as I’m working with it. I’ve made these many times now, and each time is better than the last. I’ve made a few changes, but the overall personality of the recipe remains the same. A few of the tweaks are, 1) doubling the amount of butter in the dough, 2) substituting brown sugar for white in the apples, 3) a LOT more spice in the apples, 4) the addition of a tablespoon of whiskey in the apples, 5) halving the amount of apples. I also roll out the dough, cut it onto rounds and pile apples onto the round. I then seal the rounds, making a ball with the seam on the bottom. They go in the fridge overnight to proof and in the morning I fry them. The seam side opens up a little so when I drop them into a big saucepan of the glaze, that’s the side that catches it all and becomes “up”. They are the perfect 2 or 3 bite treat with coffee. I have sampled them out to many people and have received nothing but rave reviews.
I want to play with other fillings, but the basic dough recipe will wrap them all. If you are ever traveling through Colorado Springs, Colorado (in about 3 years), look up Do Girl (long “o” sound) and come taste them! :)
i have been searching forever for a recipe like this! can’t wait to test it out!!!
I am making these literally as I type this! So far they are turning out perfect though there are some minor changes I made:
1. I only used 4 apples and I diced them very small. About 1/4 inch pieces.
2. I added 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice to the dough, but we like a lot of spice in our family!
3. I did not have apple cider on hand, so I used same amounts of apple butter.
4. I deep fried them in my deep fryer.
What I would do differently:
1. This is definitely a sticky dough. It’s SUPPOSED to be! Flour your work surface well and add flour on top…NO PROBLEM. However I would definitely work my dough a bit more before frying, to make sure all the apple pieces were incorporated. I had a lot of apples escape into the fryer and also from folding the dough, I had more layers than that chunky goodness that I think of when I think of apple fritters. That was my fault, I should have worked them a bit more.
2. I would reduce the apples even more. I think 2-3 is sufficient (for my tastes).
3. I used bread machine yeast because that’s all I had. I did not get much rise from my dough. Next time I will use regular yeast and/or add baking powder.
FINAL REPORT: I do not eat these but so far my family is RAVING!!! I will definitely use this recipe again and I can’t wait to try different variations like blueberry as someone mentioned above. Mmmm! Blueberry, cranberry, lemon!! The possibilities are endless!!! Fantastic recipe!!!
PS: READ THE DIRECTIONS BEFORE YOU START!!! ALL of them!! ;)
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It came out amazing. I will admit to tweaking it. I didn’t have apple cider on hand, and at this time of year it’s rarely very good…so I used orange juice in the dough and applesauce in the apples. Cut down the butter in the apples to 2 Tbsp but upped the sugar a little and added a dash of brandy for flavor. Used whole eggs in the dough and didn’t use an electric mixer–just a hand pastry blender.
For the glaze, I thinned and sweetened it by adding more powdered sugar and some regular milk, because that’s just what I’m used to for doughnut glaze. When the doughnuts are still very warm, I drop each in the glaze, face down, then lift it out and turn it over before setting on the rack to cool and drip.
To the person without a thermometer — when heating oil, you can just guess at the proper temperature by tossing in a tiny bit of dough. If it sinks, it’s not hot enough.
I am literally salivating while looking at this recipe!
Do you have to use a vanilla bean? And you just use extract instead? Not even sure where I could pick one of those up at….?
Hi Betsy, Almost all grocery stores sell vanilla beans, and you can also buy them in bulk online. However, if you wish, you can substitute vanilla extract.
How much vanilla extract would you use? Also, is there any part of the dough that you can do ahead of time and let it sit overnight?
Hi Betsy, 1 vanilla bean equates to about 2.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I haven’t tried refrigerating the dough at any point yet, but if you need to, I would do the second rise in the refrigerator (the end of step #2).
I’ve never heard of an apple fritter doughnut and was totally confused when I read your recipe, which was for a regular apple fritter just like I get at any of the dozen doughnut shops around here. Then I read your comment about your grandma making them with a batter. That was something I had never heard of. My mom always used the same yeast dough that she used for making doughnuts. After she had cut out her doughnuts and set them aside to rise the last time, she would gather up all the dough scraps and roll them out again and cover them with the cooked apples and fold the dough and let it rise while she fried the doughnuts. When she finished frying the doughnuts she would check to see if the fritters had risen enough. If it had, she would kind of dimple the dough, Then she would just cup her hand and tear off the corner of the dough and drop it in the oil. She just went down the edge of the dough using her hand to measure and cut the dough. I’m going to try your recipe and I.m going to try it as just plain doughnuts too. I’ve been searching for a doughnut recipe like Mom’s and haven’t found it yet, or maybe I have and your’s is the one.
These look great. I have always loved Apple Fritters. However, they are NOT called Apple Fritter Doughnuts, which would have to be round with a hole in the middle.
You are making it very hard on yourself, with a lot of extra work. All of the bakeries I know of use canned apple pie filling (use your favorite brand).
I used to go to a large family-owned bakery that made not only made apple fritters, but pineapple (my favorite), cherry, strawberry, blueberry, etc. Delicious! Winchell’s Doughnuts makes apple, pineapple, and blueberry.
All I can say is……these were incredible! My first attempt at donuts and it was obvious to me, as I looked at the finished texture of the dough, they were going to be perfect! The raw dough was soft and sticky, just like you stated. It takes me longer to get the dough to double in size, but by placing it in the oven, which I warmed on 500 for 1 minute (and then turned off!) before placing a bowl of boiling water in the oven to help humidify and heat the space, really helped. This morning my smile almost hurt as I gazed at the perfect dough (I made it rather late last night and let it rise in the oven overnight, not on purpose, but because I forgot…). Thus my smile…I thought I might have ruined it. After chopping and cookng the apples (I regret to say, I do agree with another reviewer that “cups” is more helpful than # of apples, I used 6, and the excess was given to my lab, much to her delight) I followed your directions to the letter, placing the apples in the dough, and letting it rise a second time (which took 2 hours for me, using the same oven technique as before), then continuing on, making the glaze before frying the fritters.
But again, I regret to say that I agree with the same previous reviewer who stated there wasn’t enough glaze…I did run out and I only fried a third of the donuts. But then again, I was gifted by a neighbors 6 year old daughter who sweetly helping me glaze them, and she was very generous with her job – she glazed both sides and then helped me sprinkle powered sugar on them, just to make them even prettier! That might have been part of the glaze problem, which is a non-issue. Overall, you hit a homerun. These were the best I ever had, and imagine, made by me, in my kitchen (but a gift from you). And I’m going to state the obvious…nailing the dough recipe is the hardest part and I can’t thank you enough for all the homework you did to create such a wonderful treat. So again, my deepest thanks!!! You truly help me to be better than I really am in the kitchen.
I also feel I should share that I live in Jackson, Wyoming…high altitude, no humidity and cold temperatures aren’t favorable to novice bakers. This was one of two perfect recipes of yours that I used (the lemon-lemoncello cupcakes, I can’t recall the true name, but you should know what I’m referring to) is killer…thank you for both. I look forward to using another of your shared recipes…you’re amazing.
The recipe says it yields 14 doughnuts, the picture shows about 70 cut pieces of dough.
Anne, If you read through the recipe, you’ll see that photo is part of the step-by-step instructions. Each fritter is created by pressing together multiple pieces of dough.
If I could tell you how long I have been looking for this recipe you would not believe me. My first taste of an apple fritter that fits this description was at an apple farm that sold them at the check out, 2 in a bag. I set out to find how they were made to no avail, tried many recipes, but could not get that yeasty donut taste. I asked the orchard owners if they knew how they are made and they told me an Amish woman brings them in. Oh my, I searched thru Amish recipes and always come up with the same type of fritter, but not this. I love, love love you for posting this, and I am going to make it as soon as possible. I think this is really it, it looks just like them and the way you describe it it sounds like it. thankyou so much from my taste buds!!!!
Congratulations on your find! I really enjoyed reading about your quest, possibly because I’m on a quest of my own for a stuffing recipe. Wish me luck.
Just wondering how would these be using Pears..
Can’t wait to make these Fritters. Have to say though, I sure do miss my Grandma’s Old Fashiioned Rice Pudding. So creamy and unbelivable delishiosness!
Will these be good if I make them the night before to take them to work the next day?
Hi Sara, They won’t be as good as freshly-fried, but they should still be okay. I’m sure your coworkers won’t turn them down :)
I think many of you are having problems with the apples because you are using the wrong apple. Granny Smith is a very firm cooking apple that retains it’s shape when cooked. Galas while a cooking apple is best suited to dishes where the apple should be either softer or breaks down to more of a sauce. I prefer winesaps for just about everything, with Johnathan a close second. Also I would not suggest you deep fry anything without a candy thermometrr, even if you use an electric fry pot. Wait until oil (peanut or sunflower) reaches temperature and add food in small batches as cold food will cause oil temps to drop and make your food greasy. Hot oil will seal the outer surface and the food will not absorb excess oil. Under temp oil will cause batters to fall apart rather than cooking as a “lump”.
Tried several times to print your recipe but copy shows headings but no recipe. Pictures look great. Would love to try this recipe. No, my printer is fine. Thank you.
Just click the “Print” button at the top of the recipe. It will open a printer-friendly version of the recipe that you can send to your printer. I just tested it and it’s working fine.
I don’t have a scale because I have no place to keep it where it’s handy in my very compact kitchen. How many of the 1 inch squares does it take to make the 4 oz. you indicated to make one fritter?
I haven’t deepfried in years, but for apple fritters…YES
Thanks
Hi Marsha, Unfortunately I don’t know, I didn’t count the squares. However, you could just try to evenly distribute the squares so that you have about 14 fritters (how much I got out of the recipe).
Hi!! can I substitute apple juice for apple cider?
Thanks
Hi Sebastian, It might be a little sweet, and I haven’t attempted it, but you could certainly give it a shot. Let me know how it turns out.
Massive Fail for me – the recipe seems fantastic and if you have any cooking abilities this will probably be awesome for you – I on the other hand, am a regular kitchen failure and this was no exception. I used half whole wheat flour on another poster’s suggestion – big mistake – the dough had a very heavy consistency and wheat flavor – if you don’t bake with wheat regularly stick with the white. The dough also never rose…I would guess that’s something I did but can’t be sure. The recipe doesn’t state what size to cut the apples but, since others had been concerned that they became mushy with cooking, I cut them larger (1/2″-1″ chunks) and took them off the stove as soon as they were tender, draining the extra liquid. If I had waited for them to absorb the liquid, as the recipe stated, they would have been applesauce…I also didn’t understand the reason for the vinegar, it made the apples smell and didn’t seem to add/change the flavor in anyway from past experiences making cooked apples with the same ingredients – it could have been omitted I think. The real problem came during frying. I don’t have an oil or candy thermometer or deep fryer…just a pan with oil, so I had no way to tell when the oil was ready. The first time it was too hot and they burnt quickly on the outside while being raw inside. The second one came out perfect, but by the third the oil wasn’t hot enough and the next three came apart, took forever, and tasted like big oil balls….that would have been fine (really, I only need one) but I gave the one good one away thinking I had it in the bag! The whole process took several hours and $20 in ingredients I didn’t have on hand…had they come out the way I know they could have it would have been worth it…but…
Some notes: stick with white flour, get a candy thermometer or deep frying machine (do not use your meat thermometer – the readings won’t go high enough and it will ruin the inside of it), cut the apples to the size you want and remove as soon as tender – drain and cool as noted…when you make the final dough cuts use a kitchen scale to measure out the 4oz, using as many 1″ squares as needed, then grab them in a handful and roughly mush together, throwing them on the counter/tray to rest…this will give you the bumpy texture – I got between 10 and 12 donuts this way – the ones that fell apart were either not mushed together enough or from oil that wasn’t hot enough…fry one at a time, or at least one first, to make sure that your oil is the right temp. The suggestion about apple pie filling would be good, but messy, so beware…I saw another recipe that called for the apples/pie filling to be mixed in with the dough…I didn’t see why that couldn’t happen here and then spoon them into the size you need like drop biscuits…but this is coming from someone who once cooked a potato so long the inside disappeared…and the words “cake” and “level” have never been in the same sentence…also, “real” apple cider (the thick kind, like you get in Fall) would have been best for flavor, the jar from the juice section looked like regular apple juice and wasn’t very flavorful or potent, but sparkling apple cider and apple juice would have worked too…also, the juice left over from cooking the apples (if you cooked them first and not in the middle of the recipe) would have worked great too – it was more flavorful than the bottle stuff I bought.
I have a friend who bakes regularly and I know she could have pulled this off in a way that would have made her even more popular and me even more fat – but I will stick to the $1.49 pre-made version I have come to love so much from the convenience store down the street…I guess there is a reason it’s called a “Convenience Store”…I’ve already forwarded the recipe to my baker friends though, with reminders that my birthday is coming up!! Perhaps, I just need to focus less on baking and more on the “convenience” of other people doing it for me!! ;) Good luck!!
Can’t stand it when people post fail reviews when they change the recipe so drastically; especially when they are an admitted kitchen failure. Perhaps that’s a clue as to why you fail in the first place? I truly don’t get it, making changes to a recipe is for the experienced and successful cooks. Next time, don’t kill the yeast or use yeast that is expired and the dough will rise just fine. Cook the apples at a fairly high eat and the liquid *will* evaporate before the apples turn to mush. Try lemon juice if you don’t like vinegar. Also, buy a thermometer, nowhere in the recipe does it say “guess the temperature of the oil”. I guess you set out with the intention of failure so you could write your negative review. Totally uncalled for.
I made this as a gift for Father’s Day , I decided todo it the morning of but turns out that was a mistake as this is a lengthy process. I was a bit confused on how the flour instructions asked for “3¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided” , so I fudged along as best I could. The dough was (as per noted in the recipe) Very wet, I think mine may have been too wet and I should have followed my instincts to make it a little more substantial.
Not really sure why the recipe called for 7 Granny Smith apples, as it were I ended up throwing out a good it of apple (2 large Granny Smiths would have been sufficient. I also found the apples could have used a lot more sugar, they were too tart and coupled with the over abundance of apple in the recipe, not something easily overlooked.
Oil: I was confused as to what process I should use in frying the fritters, but then I read in the recipe ” fry until underside is golden brown (about 4 minutes) and then turn over…) so I thought was I not suppose to deep fry this? Because, you see when you deep fry there is no need to turn anything over. So then I threw out as much of the oil I I needed in order to have the fritters cook a side at a time…that was a mistake! :( I much preferred the fritters that were deep fried, they looked more like the ones in the photos.
I give this recipe a 2.5 out of 5 rating, because it was not as clear as I would have liked, and that increased the difficulty. And also because I much more prefer the store bought fritters that made me fall in love with Apple fritters in the first place.
Looked for the past few months for “The Fritter”
This is it! These are what I had as a kid from the Bakery in town.!
Thanks for sharing!
Since I have never liked apples in any form but raw, I am not a fan of apple fritters. That said, I am a freak for blueberry fritters! We use to have a bakery in our town that made them and I bought a dozen every week. (Maybe why I developed type 2 Diabetes?). But the bakery closed and I have not found any in 6 years! Could you substitute blueberrie? But what about a juice to use? And prepare the berries as the apples? I would think not as they would probably be better just dumped in the dough? Just doing a little mind travel here. Would love a good recipe!
Hi Lyn, I’m not sure how blueberries would work as a substitution since apples and blueberries have pretty different properties. You could definitely try it; if you do, let me know how it turns out!
First off, let me say that these are delish! Perfect recipe on the dough and flavoring, it is truly bakery quality. That being said, there are some things I wanted to point out. First off when I finely chopped seven apples, it was over eight cups of apples before I cooked it. A measurement in cups would be nice. Apples very so much in size, you could have twice the amount needed for the recipe and have no idea. I had so much, the apples they were exploding out everywhere. I would have had to double the dough recipe to make the ratio correct. Second, I had to make 3X the amount of glaze as listed on the recipe. Not sure if it was because I made larger doughnuts (12 total), or due to an issue with the thickness or it just plain wasnt enough. Over all though, this recipe is a keeper after I tweak those two things on the recipe.
Great recipe, i made them for some people at work and now they want me to make them every week for them! Thank you for the great flavor!
So, so good! We got about 30 fritters out of this recipe and they were the perfect size. Very tasty and not overly sweet (at least, not for me – but I may have a high tolerance).
Hi, and thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried making these last night and it was very frustrating. When I tried to cook the apples down to evaporate the cider and vinegar, it took so long that it turned into mush. Still, I tried using the apples and when I put them on the dough it made the dough very wet. How should I cook the apples to retain the texture of a crisp apple yet not so wet that it soaks through my dough?
Hi Nemat, If your apples are soft, I would make sure to pat them completely dry.
IMO, donuts turn out better when solid fat is used. Best is a high quality leaf lard which should be available from local farms. Most will ship to you. Lard can be frozen for at least a year.
What do you think?
These remind me of my childhood and going to Apple Hill in Northern CA – I will be making these soon!!!