The first time I made these was on a rainy Monday when we needed cheering up and now I bake them for my kids and watch every last one disappear before they have even cooled.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Gives the structure and softness you want in a fritter. Bite into these and you taste just enough chew. Select unbleached flour for best texture.
- Baking powder: Creates a fluffy lift so your bites are airy not dense.
- Kosher salt: Brightens all the sweet apple spice notes. Use a flaky, clean-tasting salt for balance.
- Ground cinnamon: Provides deep autumnal warmth. Always use fresh cinnamon for maximum flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Delivers richness without making the bites greasy. Choose a high-quality butter for best results.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and rounds out the batter. Look for a fine white sugar to help everything blend smoothly.
- Large egg: Binds everything and gives a tender crumb. Fresh eggs from happy hens work best.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a whiff of bakery-level aroma. Pure vanilla is worth the splurge here.
- Unsweetened applesauce: Moistens and flavors each bite. Make sure to buy plain, no-sugar-added applesauce.
- Honeycrisp or Gala apples: Stay crisp and juicy as they bake. Dice them finely for even distribution and pick the brightest red fruit you can find.
- Powdered sugar: Gives the glaze its silky finish. Sift first for a flawless coating.
- Apple cider or juice: Brings orchard-fresh zing to the glaze. Try to use real apple cider for robust apple flavor.
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep:
- Set your oven to three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit and spray a mini muffin tin generously with nonstick cooking spray. This ensures the bites will release perfectly after baking.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- In a medium bowl whisk together all purpose flour baking powder kosher salt and ground cinnamon. Whisking helps distribute everything evenly so no clumps.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients:
- In another bowl whisk the melted unsalted butter with granulated sugar until completely combined. Add your large egg vanilla extract and unsweetened applesauce. Whisk until the mixture looks creamy and smooth.
- Bring the Batter Together:
- Gently add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Stir with a spatula just until you no longer see any streaks of flour. Do not overmix as this keeps your fritter bites tender.
- Fold in the Apples:
- Add the finely diced apples to the batter and use a spatula to fold them in until they are evenly spread throughout the mixture.
- Fill the Muffin Tin:
- Using a spoon fill each opening of your mini muffin tin about three quarters full. This ensures enough space for rising without overflowing.
- Bake the Bites:
- Slide the tin into the oven and bake for twelve to fifteen minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a bite. It should come out clean with no wet batter.
- Make the Apple Cider Glaze:
- While the fritter bites are cooling whisk powdered sugar and apple cider together in a bowl. The glaze should be smooth thick but still dippable.
- Glaze the Fritter Bites:
- While the bites are still warm dip the tops into the glaze. Let the excess drip off and place the bites on a cooling rack for the glaze to set up perfectly.
- Enjoy:
- Let them cool slightly before eating so the glaze fully sets. They are irresistible warm and even better the next morning.
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