As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
These baked apple fritters have a biscuit-like dough packed with juicy apple chunks, no deep fryer required. They get a double glaze, a thin one broiled on top to caramelize, then a thicker one brushed on after they cool slightly. From mixing bowl to cooling rack takes about 45 minutes.
Baked Apple Fritters Without the Deep Fryer
Most people know apple fritters from the fair, fried to order and dripping with glaze. This version skips the fryer and gets its crunch a different way.
The dough is kept flatter on purpose instead of tall and fluffy, so more of it turns crisp and caramelized at the edges. The apple matters too, since Fuji or honeycrisp hold their shape and stay juicy in the oven while Granny Smith turns out too firm and doesn’t soften during the bake time.
Baked fritters can end up dense or short on crunch, but the flatter dough and that caramelized glaze layer bring the same crisp, craggy edge you’d expect from frying. And if you’re already deep in apple mode, take a look at this moist apple sheet cake with caramel frosting too.
The Fried Texture, Without the Mess
I developed this recipe because I love the way a fried apple fritter tastes, crisp shell, tender center, but I didn’t want to stand over a pot of hot oil to get it. It took a few tries to get the dough and the glaze working together, but this version gets close enough that I don’t miss the fryer one bit, and your kitchen won’t smells like grease for the rest of the day.
Cold Butter Does the Heavy Lifting
The dough comes together more like a buttermilk biscuit than a cake batter, cold butter cut into the flour until it breaks into pea-sized pieces, the same starting point I use for my chocolate chip biscuits finished with a chocolate glaze. Those little pockets of butter are what give the fritters their crispy, caramelized edges once they bake, instead of a smooth, even crumb. Skip this step, or let the butter soften first, and you’ll end up with something closer to a muffin than a fritter.
Somewhere Between a Biscuit, a Donut, and a Cookie
Once these come out of the oven looking a little rustic and get glazed twice, they land somewhere between a biscuit, a donut, and a cookie. A little crisp, a little tender, not overly sweet. That’s exactly why they work as a mid-morning treat, or let’s be honest, a second breakfast.
What You’ll Need (Just a Sneak Peek)
Only a few essentials get this going:
Making Delicious Baked Apple Fritters: Step-By-Step
Step One: Whisk Dry Ingredients
Step Two: Make The Dough
Step Three: Bake
Step Four: Make a Glaze And Broil
Make the glazes. Glaze the tops of the fritters with the first glaze and broil. Then add the second thicker glaze.
These baked apple fritters give you that same crisp-edged bite people love from the fried version, proof that from-scratch doesn’t have to mean complicated. If you’re building out your breakfast rotation, take a look through our breakfast and brunch recipes for more ideas.
Don’t Forget!
Like and review this post – it helps our website grow so we can give you more delicious Southern recipes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons butter cold and cut into cubes
- 1 ½ cup apples peeled and chopped, 1 large apple
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
1st glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
2nd glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut cold butter into 1 inch cubes and add to flour mixture. Incorporate the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until you have pea sized pieces.
- Gently add the apples and stir to combine.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla and fold it into the flour mixture, just until combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Use a spoon to form rough looking mounds of dough, about ¼ cup, on the baking sheet, or if you want perfectly shaped rounds, use an ice cream scoop.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the tops are slightly brown and the top springs back when pushed in with your finger. Make the glazes while they bake.
Glaze
- For each glaze, combine powdered sugar with milk and whisk until smooth. The first glaze should be thin and the second thick.
- Remove the fritters from the oven and turn it to broil. Place the oven rack about 4 inches from the top. Brush the tops of the fritters with the 1st glaze and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. It will caramelize on top and turn the tops brown. Watch carefully so that they don’t burn.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool slightly. While still warm, brush with the second thicker glaze.
Notes
- Keep the butter cold until it’s cut into the flour. If it starts to soften while you’re working, chill the bowl for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Check doneness by look and touch, not just the timer. Tops should turn light brown and spring back when pressed gently.
Let the fritters cool for a few minutes before brushing on the second glaze. Adding it too soon melts it into a thin, uneven coat instead of a set finish.
can the butter be substituted with oil or yogurt? tks
I don’t think oil would work. I have used mayonnaise instead of butter in biscuits and it has worked, so I would try that before anything else. Let me know if you try it with anything other than butter. The worst that can happen is that they are flat but should still taste good.