Baked Apple Fritters with Maple-Cider Glaze
These baked apple fritters get brushed with a maple-cider glaze and briefly broiled so the tops bubble and caramelize just like a classic doughnut-shop fritter, no deep fryer required. Packed with both diced and grated tart-sweet apples in a tender, brown-sugar spiced dough, each bite finishes with a crisp, crackly glaze shell.
- Total Time40 minutes
- Yield24 mini fritters (serves 12) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Apple Fritter Dough
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (4.5 g) fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.3 g) freshly grated nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 (6-ounce / 170 g) container whole-milk vanilla yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) finely diced peeled Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple (from 1 medium-large apple)
- ⅓ cup (45 g) coarsely grated peeled Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple
Maple-Cider Glaze
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, divided
- ¼ cup (60 ml) apple cider, divided
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Prep the oven and pans: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven (about 6 inches below the broiler element) and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Coat a standard 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick baking spray and line a large, broiler-safe metal baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cut in the butter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add the cold cubed butter and work it into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
- Fold the dough: In a small bowl, whisk the vanilla yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the flour bowl and stir gently with a flexible spatula just until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Fold in the diced apple and grated apple until evenly distributed.
- Portion and bake: Divide the dough evenly among the 24 mini muffin cups, mounding about 1 ½ rounded tablespoons into each cup so the tops stay craggy. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the fritters are puffed, firm to a light touch, and golden brown around the edges.
- Glaze and broil to caramelize: Remove the muffin pan from the oven and switch the oven to high broil. Run a thin knife around the warm fritters and transfer them upright onto the foil-lined metal baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. In a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup (90 g) of the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the apple cider, and the maple syrup until thin and smooth. Brush this mixture generously over the tops and sides of the warm fritters, reserving what remains in the bowl. Broil on the center rack for 1 to 2 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the glaze bubbles and develops caramelized amber spots; stay at the oven door so the sugars do not burn.
- Apply the crackly finish: Remove the sheet from the oven. Whisk the remaining ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider into the reserved glaze bowl until thick and opaque. Brush immediately over the hot fritters and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes until the glaze hardens into a crisp shell.
Notes
- Why it works: Combining finely diced apple with a small amount of grated apple weaves orchard flavor throughout the crumb while keeping pockets of tender fruit intact, and broiling the first thin layer of maple-cider glaze creates the blistered, caramelized exterior of a fried fritter without a pot of oil.
- Cut the apples small: Dice the apple into ¼-inch pieces (no larger) so the chunks soften fully during the short bake and hold together neatly in mini muffin cups.
- Storage and re-crisping: Store cooled fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Rewarm on a baking sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 5 to 6 minutes to restore the crisp exterior rather than microwaving, which softens the glaze.
Nutrition (per serving — estimates)
Calories: 235 | Total Carbs: 40g (Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g) | Fat: 7g (Saturated: 4g) | Protein: 3g
Nutritional values are approximate, based on standard reference data (USDA FoodData Central). Actual values vary by brand and exact measurements. For precision, use a tracker like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 mini fritters
- Calories: 235
- Sugar: 28g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g