ITALIAN APPLE FRITTER

Dessert - Vegetarian - Can be lactose & gluten free and vegan (READ footnotes)

Nothing tastes bad, when fried ;-) I love apple fritters, and this is a recipe nicely provided by a Facebook friend: Simo. I slightly changed it, I can't follow a recipe ;-) and they are delicious!!

1 to 4 apples, depending on the size
100 gr Italian 00 flour (1 scant cup)
40 gr. sugar (about 4 tbsp)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk, be flexible with the quantity
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
Italian extra virgin olive oil to fry


Peel, core and thinly slice apples, then arrange in a bowl with the lemon juice; stir to coat all the slices, to prevent them form darkening.

In a large bowl, stir all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and grated lemon zest), then add the egg and enough milk to obtain a smooth, thick batter. Add apples with the lemon juice and adjust with milk, if batter is too thick (refer to our video to check on the batter thickness).

Refrigerate until oil gets to the right frying temperature.

Spoon apple batter in the oil 4-5 fritters at a time, so the temperature won't drop too much. Turn them a couple of times until they are golden on both sides. Remove and line on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

These quantities made 20 medium fritters. The actual quantity (and the cooking time) will depend on how big you'll make them.

- Remember to adjust the heat underneath your oil because it will get warmer with time, resulting in "burnt outside" and "not cooked inside" fritters. I don't use a thermometer, I use my eyes so, if the fritters tend to golden too fast, start lowering the heat little by little: you don't want your oil to be too cold.
- If you want to use cinnamon, don't use lemon and add a pinch of it to the dry ingredients: a pinch, not a truck load... it's supposed to enhance apple flavor, not cover it.
- After frying you can roll them in sugar, or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, or leave them as they are.
- It's vegetarian. Use non-dairy milk to make it lactose free and/or corn starch to make it gluten free. If you are vegan avoid the egg and use a little more non-dairy milk.
- You can find our video here