Can I be typical and drop another yummy apple recipe for the fall? Well, these spiced apple and thyme fritters are good any time of year. These are so damn good, y’all. Lots of flavor, great texture, and they’re absolutely not greasy at all. The glaze drizzles down the sides and sets almost immediately. Thyme is a great addition here, complimenting the spice and tartness of the apples without overpowering it at all. Once you see how easy and fast these come together, you’ll make them all the time.
I love mixing herbs with fruit. What a beautiful marriage! Strawberries and basil. Meyer lemons and rosemary. Peaches and…herb *slaps knee*. Okay you get my point. These spiced apple and thyme fritters are not overly sweet at all. As I get older, I have been noticing that I really don’t like cloyingly-sweet-sweets as much. Now, I didn’t say at all lol — just not as much. Like, I’m legit loving the cake more than the icing these days.
Anyway…
How to Make Spiced Apple & Thyme Fritters
The most important element here is oil temperature. If it’s too cold, the fritters will absorb too much oil and become grease bombs. Too hot? They’ll burn before they’re even cooked through. Your success (or failure) relies solely on oil temperature, and that’s that.
When you’re frying these, try to flatten them out before they puff up and turn into huge balls of dough. Reason being, you want all of the batter to cook evenly. When they’re not flattened enough, you’ll find streaks of uncooked batter and these fritters deserve better.
Do you need the coarse sea salt? Yes. Just do it.
This is probably the easiest (dessert) recipe I’ve ever posted. Everything comes together dumb fast. You can use any kind of vessel you want to fry the fritters, but I chose a deep-fryer because I honestly did not feel like tinkering with the oil temperature. Yes, I have instant-read and candy thermometers that tell me how hot the oil is, but again…lazy. However, you are certainly encouraged to go that route if you don’t have a deep-fryer.
While you’re in the apple mood, try my Spiced Apple Walnut Bundt Cake. It’s just as easy and good AF!
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Spiced Apple and Thyme Fritters
Deliciously spiced fritters studded with tart apples and fresh thyme, glazed and topped with more fresh thyme and coarse sea salt. Super easy! Slightly adapted from Cook’s Country.
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 10 fritters 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup apple cider (SEE NOTE)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Fresh thyme leaves, to garnish
- Coarse sea salt, to garnish
Instructions
- Cut peeled and cored apples into 1/4-inch dice. Lay apples in a single layer over paper towels and pat them dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and thyme in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cider, eggs, and melted butter until combined.
- Stir the apples into the flour mixture until they’re all coated. Pour in the cider mixture, and fold with a rubber spatula or spoon until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. You can use a dutch oven, cast iron skillet, deep-sided skillet, or deep fryer for this. When the oil is heated to temperature, scoop 1/3 cup of batter into the oil. Press the batter lightly with the back of a spoon or fork to flatten. Don’t fry more than 4 or 5 fritters at a time so the oil temp doesn’t drop too much. Adjust the heat if necessary to maintain a frying temperature of 325-350 degrees F. Fry the fritters until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a baking rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet to cool 5 minutes. Drizzle about a tablespoon or two over the fritters. Make sure you top with fresh thyme and coarse salt before the glaze sets, that way it’ll stick. Continue frying and adjusting heat until they’re all done. Glaze and repeat.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Don’t use plain ol’ apple juice! It lacks flavor, and you need flavor for this recipe. Use apple cider, trust me.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: desserts
1/8 teaspoon of cloves how can I figure that out