I am a sucker for fruit desserts, which probably explains why so many of my dessert recipes are fruit-based. These apple fritter doughnuts are a perfect example.

It’s not that I don’t like chocolate or other desserts, like a rich, decadent Mississippi Mud Cake or a vanilla panna cotta, which always makes me happy!, but there’s just something about fruit in a dessert that makes it so fragrant and light and absolutely pleasing both to my palate and soul that I rarely feel the need to venture away from my harvested friends…

If you too are in love with fruit desserts, then allow me to direct you to some real lovelies sure to make your mouth water…like these honeyed pears in puff pastry, or this nectarine galette by the infallible Deb Perelman, or this cooling peaches moscato, and finally, as a tip of the hat to Chez Panisse and Alice Waters, this apple galette that continues to add to the quality of my life, as well as to my loved ones, each and every time I make it.

But for now, we are talking fritters…ever so lightly fried until they are succulently crispy, only to then be lightly dusted with powdered sugar for a surely blissful experience.

Yum…

making apple fritter doughnuts

Make sure you have 2 room-temperature extra large eggs at hand and separate them.

Prep 4 Gala apples. Now this may sound silly but I don’t like to buy kitchen gadgets if I don’t have to because space is at a preium in my small kitchen, so for these apple fritters I am making due without an apple corer. Probably silly, since it doesn’t really take up much space, I know, but as it turns out I was able to get the job done, and quite well I might add!, without it. And it didn’t take very long to do, either. But to simplify, by all means use your corer if you have one!

I did so by first slicing off the very top and very bottom of each apple.

By the way, you’ve probably noticed that these apples are actually Red Delicious and not Gala…and your eyes are not steering you wrong. I made this batch of fritters using Reds because I wanted to see if I liked them more with this varietal of apple. As it turns out, I do not. While still delicious, I found I preferred the slightly firmer texture that Gala apples give the fritters. So there you have it. Cook and learn. Cook and learn.

Then, insert the knife into the top and the bottom of the apple at an angle to remove the area where the stem grows and the calyx on the bottom.

Remove what looks like a little diamond…

After that, peel the entire apple. Cut each apple into ½- to 1/3-inch thick slices.

To remove the core, make 4 incisions in each apple slice in the shape of a square.

Place the cored apple slices into a medium-sized bowl along with 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 ½ tablespoons of Marsala wine (preferable) or apple cider . Mix well and allow to sit for two hours at room temperature.

After 2 hours, the apples will look like this…

In a separate large bowl, combine the 2 egg yolks, 3/4 cup of milk, 1 cup of white, unbleached flour, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

Mix well with a whisk.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Right before you take the egg yolk and flour mixture out of the refrigerator, beat the 2 egg whites. Click here for a fail-proof way to beat those babies into nice, stiff peaks. 

Fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk/flour mixture.

Mix thoroughly.

Pour just enough oil for frying to amply cover the bottom of an 10-inch nonstick skillet. Turn the flame to medium high and heat until the oil begins to swirl in the skillet without actually smoking (which is when the oil begins to chemically break down).

Dip each apple slice individually into the batter.

The batter will be thick and will stick generously to each dipped apple slice.

Add the dipped slices to the hot oil.

Work in batches to make sure to not overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 2-2 ½ minutes on each side until golden in color.

Once cooked, place each slice on a platter lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Stack the cooked fritters between layers of paper towels as you cook them.

Arrange the fritters on a serving platter. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.