Baked Apple Fritters
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These Baked Apple Fritters are so delicious. With hints of warm cinnamon and nutmeg, these fluffy delights are so tasty, you will be popping one after another into your mouth.
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Apple fritters that are baked and not fried!!
That’s right. These little pillows of goodness are just as good as the ones from the fair without all the added fat from frying.
Yep. You can forget about greasy fingers while enjoying these baked apple fritters that are also made without yeast. Say what!!
They’re a must-have for cold weather! Just like these easy baked apples I made the other day!
You probably already know, I am all about apple desserts. Well, anything apple really. Especially when it’s an apple cinnamon scone or apple streusel muffin (omg, they are delightful!).
Not too long ago I devoured an apple pie with brown butter crust AND apple streusel bars. I just can’t help myself. Apple is my happy place at the moment.
So let’s talk about how to make another fabulous apple treat.
These fritters are like a cross between a muffin and a donut. Soft but sturdy and full of apple chunks, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
To keep them moist I use a mix of butter and plain Greek yogurt. They bake up so rich, tender, and fluffy.
The fritters come together with basic ingredients like sugar, butter, egg, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, yogurt, vanilla, and of course apples.
I like to Granny Smith for the fritters since the batter is quite sweet. But feel free to experiment and use your own favorite variety or mix a couple of different varieties together.
These baked apple fritters are basically mini muffins. The batter is your typical muffin batter and it can be baked in a mini muffin pan or a donut hole pan.
I baked half the batter in each of the pans mentioned and had excellent results with both.
The tops of the fritters don’t brown as nicely as the bottom. To solve this issue, I set the fully cooked fritters under the broiler for a couple of seconds.
With a quick toast, they became more uniform in color the way a fried fritter would be.
Just stay close by because they will burn quickly. It only takes a second or two to go from brown to burnt.
I enjoyed these baked apple fritters with a light dusting of powdered sugar and a generous dunk in homemade caramel sauce. It was phenomenal!
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Baked Apple Fritters
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (200 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling, optional
- caramel sauce for dipping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly coat the cups of a mini muffin pan or a donut hole pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in the egg followed by the vanilla. Add the yogurt and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir with a whisk. Add to the butter yogurt mixture and gently fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together. Gently fold in the apples.
- Fill the cups of the prepared pan with about 1 tablespoon of batter. (There will be extra batter. Use a second pan if you have one or refrigerate the batter until the first set of fritters has finished baking. Repeat with the remaining batter once the pan has cooled completely.)
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the fritters from the oven.
- Using oven mitts, adjust the rack to the second position from the top. (Use caution, the oven is still very hot) Turn the broiler to high and wait 3 minutes.
- Return the fritters to the oven until the tops are lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. (Stay by the oven and keep a close eye on the fritters. The broiler is very hot and can easily burn the fritters if left unattended.)
- Transfer the fritters to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Dust the tops with powdered sugar and serve with caramel sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Apple: I used Granny Smith apples because I like the tart contrast with the sweet batter. You can use any variety you desire.
- Fritters are best enjoyed right away.
- You can keep leftover fritters for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
- They can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat before serving.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
I substituted almond milk for the Greek yogurt and I add vegetable oil to the mixture instead of the butter so we shall see if they turn out. I had to add more flour to mixture because of the milk. The batter tastes really good so we shall see what they turn out to look like.
Looking forward to hearing an update!
Can you use a regular sized muffing pan? Why does it need to be mini? Thanks!
I used a mini muffin pan so they are bite-sized. If you want to bake them in a regular muffin pan, you can. The bake times will need to be adjusted slightly.
This is a good recipe. I used sugar crystals on top before i baked them & it made a ni ce crunch!
Hi, I have 2 donut pans, can I use this method of baking? Thank you!
That should be fine.
These were SO good ! The whole family devoured them. I used 2 apples because they were on the small side. I also used vanilla Greek yogurt because that was all I had. The vanilla flavor was a little overpowering so next time I will plan ahead and have plain to use. When they were done I brushed a little melted butter on them and rolled them in a cinnamon sugar mixture. Delicious ! I will definitely make these again. Thank you for a great recipe.
These are my grandpas favorite food! He usually doesn’t eat a lot of sweets but he devoured these! Thank you for this recipe that makes him so happy!