-recipe courtesy Foodland Ontario; ontario.ca/foodland
Spiced Apple Fritters
These crispy fritter bites are a mouthful of apple delight! They're best eaten right away but can be enjoyed cold or reheated. Makes about 3 dozen.
4 cups vegetable oil
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp each baking soda and salt
1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 Ontario egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vegetable oil or butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups small diced peeled Ontario apples (such as Empire or Crispin)
½ cup icing sugar, sifted
In large saucepan or deep-fryer, heat oil over medium-high heat to about 360°F on candy thermometer. Reduce heat when temperature is reached. (If not ready to start frying, remove pot from stove.)
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In large bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, 1 tbsp oil and vanilla. Stir in apples. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.
Using small ice cream scoop or spoons, gently drop about 1 tbsp of batter into hot oil. Cook about seven fritters at a time, for four minutes, or until lightly browned. If needed, touch gently on top to flip. With slotted spoon, remove to paper towel-lined plate. Cut one fritter open to check if cooked through and adjust time or temperature.
After draining about one minute, dust with icing sugar.