Gluten-free & Vegan Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze Dip

Good Morning Loverlies!

Am back from being majorly sick, lost my voice and everything! I think I did too much over the month of November and my immune system conked out. It side-lined me and I had to be focused on self-care, that means fewer blog posts but it’s the holidays and I wanted you to have a few tasty noms.
I made this fritter recipe after watching a show on donuts and was absolutely in need of something maple kissed, fried, and filled with tender apples. For years, every holiday season, my grandmama would make her special batch of old school donuts. Christmas just wasn’t the same without them.
I decided to make something that would recall memories with adding a twist. When cold weather sets in, apples picked in fall are usually in abundance at the grocery stores and markets. Late fall we grabbed some apple gems and have been able to keep them in good shape thanks to clutching. (That’s another post for homesteading, not today-fritters, focus people!)
We went out to the country and got some amazing apples, I discovered a new type called Wolf River and it is specifically grown to be used as a cooking apple. It is tart, sweet, not mealy, with a bit lower water content which made it perfect for this recipe. She’s quite a beauty, see below for yourself!

Don’t worry, you can use any Apple you like, usually I lean towards Granny Smiths without the peel, when I need a cooking apple. I like their tartness and that they stand up well to culinary applications.
This fritter is also vegan along with being gluten-free, I always do gf but my sons girlfriend eats vegan and I knew I could veganify this recipe quite easily so she could enjoy them too.
The house went bonkers for these marvellous pillows of sweet delight.

People kept going back for seconds and thirds. They particularly enjoyed the additional maple dip I put on the size which was just extra maple glaze I used on these golden cuties.

This would be a great Christmas morning treat with a lovely cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa. I think a nice hot apple cider would go well with it too. Make these and serve them hot and fresh, as all donuts/fritters should be.

 This dough was light with a bit of goopiness, dotted with apples throughout, to make sure every bite would burst with apple sweet goodness!

 Little golden nugget of happiness getting dunked in sexy maple glaze. Le sigh...

The next pic is with powdered sugar, they were good both ways but I prefer the glaze. I feel these would also be good filled with salted caramel but will have to try it and get back to you.

Have fun trying this out, as always, when working with frying oil and food use extreme caution. No young one’s or pets under foot, do not get distracted by calls or social media, and keep a lid and baking soda close at hand in case of fire becoming an issue. NEVER use water near frying oil!
Without further ado, here’s the recipe you came for, have fun!

Gluten-free & Vegan Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze Dip

Ingredients for the Fritters:

2 Tbsp ground flax with 4 Tbsp water, mixed and set aside to allow to thicken up. (5mins)

3/4 Cup ap gf flour mix (2 Cups white rice flour, 1/2 Cup Brown rice flour, 2/3 Cup potato starch, 1/4 Cup tapioca starch)

1/4 C gf bobs red mill ap mix (not the 1 for 1) 

1/2 Cup brown rice flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 Cup maple sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pie spice mix

2 medium apples, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp evoo

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 Cup buttermilked almond milk (add 1 tsp lemon juice to milk and let sit 1 min, stir and good to go!)

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Ingredients for frying:

1/2 Cup Crisco shortening 

2-3 Cups Vegetable oil

For frying:

-A heavy bottomed pan that evenly distributes heat well, and that has medium height sides to contain the oil.

-Add 1/2 Cup of Crisco shortening to 2-3 cups of vegetable oil to your fry pan. If you have a deep fryer, by all means follow the instructions for set-up and use that baby!

ingredients for Maple Glaze Dip:

1 c icing sugar

5 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp vegan margarine

1/4 cup almond milk

Good pinch pink salt

Method:

Maple Glaze:

-Make glaze first, in a bowl, whisk all ingredients and keep to the side. You will need to double this batch if you’re serving more than 2 people. As this glaze is also used for dipping, you can keep some aside or do what I do, glaze your fritters and then put the leftover in a mini bowl-you can strain it before you serve it in the bowl but I was eating these on a rainy Sunday and did not care. 

Apple Fritters:

-Prepare a large cookie sheet with a double layer of paper towels, keep aside.

-Add wet ingredients together except the apple sauce and apples, keep those for the end

-Add dry together in a separate bowl

-Add wet mixture with the apple sauce (do NOT add chopped apples yet) to dry mixture, stir until combined. Your mixture should be moist and tacky. 

-Add apples into the mix and stir through.

*Before I fry anything I always keep the lid that fits the pan I am using and a container of baking soda without the lid on on it (baking soda lid) close to where I am frying. The reason I do this is that if any oil goes on the burner or a fire breaks out somehow, I don’t panic as I am at the ready with baking soda at hand to be thrown on the flames and douse them quickly. Water is not what we use on oil flames, as oil and water don’t mix, you could be creating a worse problem for yourself. Baking soda and a lid smother flames best and keep you safe.* Alternatively a small fire extinguisher is good too.

-Heat up oil and crisco until reaches 350 degrees, USE A THERMOMETER! 

-Fry by dropping by the scoopful into the hot oil, carefully! I place 6-7 at a time in the hot oil and am careful not to crowd them. 

-Fry on each side until a rich golden brown, about 2-3 mins, I flip them with chop sticks. 

-Remove thé hot fritters to the paper towel lined tray to allow to drain and cool slightly, using a slotted metal spoon or a spider basket if you have one, I use the chopsticks but am really comfortable with them. 

-As you finish dropping the next batch of fritters in the hot oil, you can begin to glaze the fritters you finished frying and allowed to drain on the paper towels. Be careful to keep an eye on the fritters that are frying. If you cannot do both, finish frying then dip the still warm fritters before you fry the next batch or wait until they are all fried and then dip in the glaze. Do what works for you.

Alternatively, you could cover the fritters in powdered sugar you sifted before coating the still warm fritters. It’s important that the fritters are warm as it helps the glaze or icing sugar to coat and stick.

I serve the fritters on a plate and a keep a little bowl of the leftover glaze on the side for people to have as extra to dip in. 

Makes about 24-28 depending on the size of you fritters.

Serve these with a lovely cup of tea and fritters piles up on a plate with that yummy maple glaze extra on the side to dip those bad boys into.

I hope you and yours will enjoy these as much as we did. Let me know in the comments down below how it turned out for you.

Happy Holidays and God bless!

Take care, be well, love freely,

Chef Kiki