Since it’s “technically” almost carnival and fair season, we might as well eat something that tastes like summer. And these healthyish grain-free and gluten-free fried apple fritters are just the ticket. Made with a simple dough, no refined sugar and pan-fried in coconut oil, these are absolute perfection if you’re craving something a little sweet, a little savory and a little nostalgic.
These came about as a bit of an accident. I was attempting to make healthy fried apple pies (in the vein of Mickey D’s), but these are significantly easier to make, and forming the dough isn’t as face-to-palm frustrating.
I’m not a big fan of sickeningly sweet desserts, so the dough for these apple fritters isn’t loaded up with tons of sweetener. Instead, you can dust with as much (or as little) powdered sugar at the end as you like. Kind of like a funnel cake, but with a yummy cinnamon apple filling.
the process
As mentioned, these grain-free apple fritters are crazy simple to make. For the prepping stage, just chop up some apples into a small dice, mix up your dough and combine the two. (I even use my hands because it’s easy to combine that way.) The dough itself is pretty wet and sticky (thus, why the fried apple pies didn’t work). But the good news is that you’re spooning the dough into a pan versus baking it in the oven, so it works pretty darn well for this.
For the frying step, keep in mind that this isn’t a deep-fried situation. So no sweat, my pet (name that TGIF sitcom)! The goal is to just cover the bottom of a heavy or cast iron pan with coconut oil, get it hot and then drop in 1/4 cup of the dough in batches. It’s kind of like a pancake/fried dough hybrid. And that’s not a bad thing.
Once you’ve finished frying, simply drop them off on a plate lined with paper towels, dust with powdered sugar (I use Lakanto’s Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener) and serve immediately. And no matter where you are, you’ll get a taste of those warm summer days walking around the fair.
Gluten-Free Fried Apple Fritters
These grain-free and gluten-free fried apple fritters are made with a simple dough, no refined sugar and pan-fried in coconut oil for a sweet and savory throwback to fair food.
Ingredients
- 2 apples finely diced
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp sugar or natural sweetener I use Lakanto classic monkfruit sweetener
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For dough
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar or sweetener I use Lakanto classic monkfruit sweetener
- 1/2 stick cold butter grated
- 1/2 cup cold filtered water
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Optional
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar or sweetener For dusting
Instructions
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Finely chop apples and mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, sweetener, and lemon juice in a small microwave-safe bowl.
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Microwave apple mixture for 2 minutes on high, stirring after 1 minute.
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Drain liquid from mixture after apples are softened.
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For dough, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar or sweetener.
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Grate in butter until just combined, and then add the cold filtered water in and mix with hands.
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Combine the dough and apple mixture until apples are distributed throughout the dough.
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Heat coconut oil in a heavy cast iron pan until it begins to sizzle.
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Work quickly and drop in 1/4 cup of dough mixture in pan and flip when bubbles appear.
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When fritters are golden brown, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and dust with powdered sugar.
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Serve immediately.