What beats the smell of freshly fried apple fritters in the fall?! These caramel apple fritters are a combination of 2 fall favorites, apple cider donuts + caramel apples, and are sure to be your new go-to sweet apple breakfast/ dessert recipe.
The texture is like a moist muffin or an old-fashioned cake donut, similar to a sour cream donut, super soft and melt-in-your-mouth. And they're just bursting with fresh caramel apple flavor!
This recipe is perfect for using fresh apples after apple picking. I love making these around Thanksgiving for breakfast/ brunch when you're celebrating with a big group!
If you're looking for a quick & easy recipe to use up more of the apples you picked from the orchard, you've got to try this one-bowl apple snack cake!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Caramel + Apples is a flavor match made in heaven. This recipe screams fall and will make your house smell amazing!
- The texture is perfect - the apple pieces are soft but still have a tiny bit of bite to them. The cake is so soft and moist!
- Using caramel baking bits gives you all the caramel flavor without the stick-to-your-teeth factor that comes with chewy caramel candy.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need for both the fritters and the caramel glaze:
- Flour - all-purpose, or you could use bread flour for an extra chewy texture.
- Sugar - a combination of granulated white sugar and brown sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Egg
- Milk - I used whole milk, but you can use any type of milk, including plant-based milk.
- Sour cream - the secret to the moist interior texture!
- Apples - I love Honeycrisp for this recipe, but you can use any variety. I'd also recommend Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples as a substitute.
- Caramel baking bits - this is the brand I used and highly recommend (available in most grocery stores). As a substitute, you could chop up caramel candies, which I also tried, but I found they stuck to my teeth more!
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon - or substitute apple pie spice
- Vanilla extract
- Apple cider - you just use a little bit for the glaze, and I love the depth of flavor it adds! But you could substitute water or milk to use one less ingredient.
- Salt
- Butter - unsalted (or if using salted butter, lower the additional salt to just a pinch).
- Vegetable oil - or frying oil of your choice.
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Spotlight: Caramel Baking Bits
Kraft Caramel Baking Bits are great for baking because they’re already unwrapped and melt perfectly. Also, they have a different texture than caramel candies. They have all the caramel flavor, but a soft texture that doesn't stick to your teeth.
I used slightly more than 1 bag for this recipe. Each bag contains about 1.75-2 cups so 1 full bag works perfectly with no leftovers. If you only get one 11 oz. bag, I suggest measuring 1.5 cups for the glaze first and adding whatever is left to the fritter dough.
How to Make Apple Fritter Dough
Here's how to make the fritter dough (it's really more of a thick batter than a dough):
First, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined (try not to over-mix).
Now, fold in the diced apples and ~ ½ cup of caramel baking bits. Then the batter's ready to go!
How to Fry Apple Fritters in Oil
If deep frying seems intimidating, follow the step-by-step instructions below. Also, check out these helpful deep-frying safety tips on my delicious chocolate cake donuts recipe post.
Fill a large Dutch oven with enough frying oil to cover the bottom by at least 3 inches. Then, set the pot over medium heat and heat the oil until it reaches 325-350 °F.
Once the oil is at the right temperature, gently drop ~ ⅓ cup of batter into the oil, 4 portions at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides. It should take ~ 3 minutes per side to cook through.
Remove the fritters with a heatproof slotted spoon or spider and transfer them to a wire rack set over paper towels or a sheet tray. Continue this process with the remainder of the batter, maintaining an oil temperature of ~ 325 °F.*
Can we also take a minute to appreciate these glistening melted caramel bits?! I can practically smell this photo!
How to Make Apple Cider Caramel Glaze
The caramel glaze is super simple to make.
Add the caramel baking bits + apple cider to a small pot and set it over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until completely melted and smooth.
Drizzle the warm glaze on top of the warm apple fritters using a spoon (or dip the fritters into the glaze one at a time). Let the glazed fritters sit for ~ 10 minutes before serving.
Variations
- Glazed Apple Fritters: Use a simple thin vanilla glaze instead of the caramel glaze to make them a bit more traditional. Remember, the fritters already have caramel bits baked in the batter, so you'll still get some caramel apple flavor!
- You can use this base fritter dough for any type of sweet fritter. Substitute the caramel bits and apples for your favorite fruit and seasonings of your choice.
Equipment
Here's everything you'll need to make this caramel apple fritter recipe:
- Dutch oven - when deep frying anything, you need a large heavy-bottomed pot that retains heat well. Using a thin pot or a pot that's too small can lead to big swings in oil temp which can lower the quality of the finished product. It can even be dangerous because it can cause the hot oil to splatter. Not to scare you, I'm just making sure you know the importance of the pot you choose for frying!
- Spider - or heatproof slotted spoon meant for deep frying.
- Deep frying thermometer - I highly recommend the Chef Alarm from ThermoWorks. It constantly monitors the oil temp with a clear light-up display. You can also set high and low alarms which will alert you if the oil gets too hot or drops too low to easily maintain the proper temperature range.
- Wire rack - another must-have for deep frying, used as a landing spot for items hot out of the oil. This allows excess oil to drip off and prevents the bottoms from getting soggy.
- Mixing bowls - you'll need 2 for this recipe. Use the smaller one for the wet ingredients - a bowl with a spout for pouring is ideal!
- Balloon whisk
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Peeler - I recommend 2-way Y-shaped peelers.
- Rubber spatula - large flat rubber spatulas are best for folding batters without over-mixing.
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Small pot or saucepan to melt the caramels for the glaze.
Storage
Like all fresh donuts, these caramel apple fritters are best served soon after frying and glazing, while they are still warm. They begin to lose their crispness pretty soon after glazing.
If you have leftovers though, they're still pretty good even the next day, but I wouldn't recommend keeping them past 1-2 days. Store leftover donuts at room temperature in an airtight container. You can't reheat them if they're already glazed, but if you have some fritters that haven't been glazed yet, you can refresh them in the air fryer to quickly reheat and re-crisp.
FAQ
My easy answer is that they're essentially the same thing - they're both fried dough. A fritter is like a freeform doughnut and usually has chopped fruit mixed in. Fritters can also be savory and have chopped seafood or vegetables in them (e.g. corn fritters).
Doughnuts are usually round, and frequently filled or glazed. They're more often sweet, but savory donuts exist too.
📖 Recipe
Caramel Apple Fritters
Freshly fried apple fritters are already amazing, but this recipe is made even better by adding caramel flavor! In addition to mixing in caramel bits for pockets of caramel throughout, they're topped with a delicious apple cider caramel glaze.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Inactive Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-12 fritters 1x
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast & Brunch
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Caramel Apple Fritters
- 2 cups flour, all-purpose
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, ~ 2.5 cups apples, peeled and diced*
- ½ cup caramel baking bits*
- 1.5-2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Apple Cider Caramel Glaze
- 1.5 cups caramel baking bits
- 4 tablespoons apple cider (or water)
Instructions
- Make apple fritter batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, sour cream, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Then, fold in the diced apples and ~ ½ cup of caramel baking bits.
- Fry apple fritters in oil: Fill a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with at least 3 inches of oil. Set the pot over medium heat and heat the oil until it reaches 325-350 °F. Gently drop ~ ⅓ cup of batter into the oil, 4 at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides, ~ 3 minutes per side. Remove the fritters with a heatproof slotted spoon or spider and transfer them to a wire rack set over paper towels or a sheet tray. Continue this process with the remainder of the batter, maintaining an oil temperature of ~ 325 °F.* Let the fritters cool slightly while you prepare the glaze.
- Make Apple Cider Glaze: Add 1.5 cups of caramel baking bits + 4 tablespoons of apple cider or water to a small pot and set it over medium-low heat. Allow the mixture to melt, stirring frequently until it's completely smooth. Remove from heat.
- Carefully dip the top half of each fritter into the warm glaze, invert, and return to the wire rack. Alternatively, you can drizzle the glaze on top of the warm apple fritters using a spoon. Let the glaze sit for ~ 10 minutes before serving.*
Notes
- Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples are also good substitute options.
- An 11 oz bag may leave you just short of the quantities listed above but will work great for this recipe. Measure 1.5 cups for the glaze first, then add whatever is left to the fritter dough.
- Use a candy thermometer to constantly monitor the oil temp. Be careful not to let it get above 350 °F or drop below 300 °F for best results.
- Apple Fritters are best served warm. After glazing them, let the fritters sit just long enough for the glaze to mostly set before serving.
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