Brown Butter Glazed Apple Fritters

In a past life, I owned a little doughnut shop in the mountains of Montana. The most popular flavor was the brown butter glazed brioche donuts. These Brown Butter glazed Apple Fritters have the same popular glaze, but they are the perfect treat for fall! They come together fairly quickly and will have your house smelling like a donut shop.

I like to make the apple filling while the dough rises so they have time to cool. The brown butter glaze can also be made while the dough rises or while the fritters have been formed and are waiting to be fried. If it forms a crust on top, just pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds!

These are best enjoyed fresh, but you can warm them in the airfryer or microwave for a treat the next day!

Ingredients

Apple Fritters

1 cup warm milk

2 ¼ tsp yeast

2 TBS sugar

¼ cup melted butter

2 ½ cups bread flour

½ tsp salt

Apple Filling

1 large apple (I used a honeycrisp)

2 TBS butter

2 TBS sugar

2 TBS cinnamon

2 TBS pumpkin pie spice

Brown Butter Glaze

¼ cup butter, browned

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

⅓ cup milk

1 tsp salt

Steps

Apple Fritter Dough

1) In a medium mixing bowl add warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Stir to combine and let sit 5 minutes until foamy.

2) Add the melted butter and mix with the dough hook attachment.

3) Add flour ½ cup at a time. If the dough is still sticking to the side of the bowl add more flour ¼ cup at a time.

3) Mix with the dough hook until it no longer sticks to the bowl.

4) Grease a bowl and add your dough, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size.

5) Roll the dough out about ¼ inch thick and add the cooled apple filling to the middle.

6) Fold over both sides of the dough, and chop into small pieces.

7) Roll the small pieces into balls of dough about the size of your palm. Try your best to smush the pieces together. You'll lose some of the apples when you fry but try to get them to cohesively stick together.

8) While the dough balls rest, heat oil in a dutch pan to 360 degrees.

9) Fry each donut 1 or 2 at a time until golden brown on each side.

10) Let them rest on a cooling rack on a sheet to drain while you fry the rest.

11) Glaze the donuts while they're still warm and then enjoy!

Apple Filling

1) While the dough rises, peel and chop your apple.

2) Add to a pan with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until the apples are tender.

3) Set aside to cool.

Brown Butter Glaze

1) Brown the butter in a small pan.

2) In a mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, brown butter, milk, vanilla, and salt and mix well until combined.

3) If the icing is too stiff, you can add more milk a tablespoon at a time.