Apple Fritter Bites
Have I got an amazing recipe for you! These Apple Fritter Bites are the perfect fall snack, and they’re baked, not fried, so they’re light, tasty, and amazing. Imagine fluffy bite-sized apple fritters with an apple glaze – I bet you can’t eat just a couple! Easier to make than you might think, these are the perfect poppable snack.
Light, fluffy, apple-y, and delicious Apple Fritter Bites are the perfect fall snack. And there’s no messing with hot oil to fry these bite-sized delights because they’re baked! Full of amazing apple flavor and with a great glaze, these fun bites always get gobbled up quickly!
Apple Fritter Bites
This recipe is from my good friend Baker Mama and her new cookbook, Brilliant Bites: 75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion. I love the book so much that I had to share one of my favorite recipes with you, and once you taste these little bites, you’ll be in love, too! We love to serve them for breakfast, especially on the weekend.
What are apple fritters?
Apple fritters are usually a deep-fried dessert made from a batter that incorporates chopped or sliced apples. The batter usually contains flour, sugar, and spices like cinnamon and is fried until golden and crispy. These treats are often dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with a glaze for added sweetness.
But we’re making bites! This is a fritter recipe for bite-sized morsels that have all the same baked-in flavors as the fried version.
Why I love this recipe
- These fruit fritters are bite-sized, so I can eat a few of them without feeling guilty for devouring a whole fritter!
- Baked, not fried, means fewer calories and fat, but these baked donut-like fritters still have all the same flavor.
- They’re loaded with apple flavor, and the apple glaze is amazing!
Gather these ingredients
- Non-stick cooking spray
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt – Use less salt if you’re using table salt.
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar – White granulated sugar.
- Egg – Just 1 large egg.
- Vanilla extract – Pure or artificial extract is fine.
- Applesauce – Look for no sugar-added applesauce.
- Apples – About 2 peeled and finely diced apples. See my suggestions for the best apples below.
- Powdered sugar
- Apple cider – Or apple juice.
What apples are best for apple fritters?
My favorite apple for making apple fritters is Honeycrisp. I just love the flavor, which is sweet and tangy, and the texture bakes up perfectly. You can also use:
- McIntosh apples – Not too sweet, not too sour.
- Granny Smith – If you like your fritters less sweet.
- Delicious apples – If you like your fritters a bit sweeter.
How to make Apple Fritter Bites
-
- Preheat your oven to 400-F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined.
- Add the melted butter to a large bowl then whisk in the sugar until combined, then whisk in the egg.
- Stir in the vanilla and applesauce and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until combined, then fold in the diced apples.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into mounds a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 400-F then remove the fritters from the oven.
- Turn the broiler on high, and while it’s heating, make the glaze.
- Whisk together the apple cider or juice and powdered sugar. The glaze should be thin and runny.
- Brush the glaze over the still-warm fritters, letting it drip down the sides, then return the fritters to the oven and broil for 2-4 minutes until the glaze starts to brown lightly on the top.
- Remove the fritters from the oven, brush the remaining glaze over the tops of the fritters, and let them cool and the glaze harden.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh (not expired) so these Apple Fritter Bites bake up light and fluffy.
- You should finely dice the apples so you can get plenty of apple bits inside each fritter.
- Don’t overmix the batter – mix until only just combined.
- Watch the fritters when they’re under the broiler so they don’t get too dark. Rotate the pan to get even browning.
- How to tell if your apple fritters are cooked? Break one apart, and there should be no gooey dough on the inside.
Serving suggestions
These are a fabulous fall treat, but you can make them all year. I love serving them on fall snack boards, but they’re also great as a dessert with a casual meal of lasagna, a casserole, or just a hearty bowl of soup.
Storage
These homemade Apple Fritter Bites can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to two days or up to a week in the fridge. To reheat them, pop them in a 350-F oven for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for just a few seconds.
Check out these awesome apple bites recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Apple Fritter Bites
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup no-sugar added applesauce
- 1 ½ cups peeled and finely diced Honeycrisp apples, about 2 medium apples
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 2 TBSP apple cider or apple juice
Equipment
- Baking sheet (The Gold Touch baking sheets are so great)
- Pastry brush (I like that this set includes several sizes)
Instructions
Make the apple fritters:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C); spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
- Add the melted butter to a large bowl, then whisk in the sugar followed by the egg. Once combined, stir in the vanilla and applesauce. Add the flour mixture and stir until well combined, then fold in the chopped apples.
- Scoop 1 TBSP of batter into mounds a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the fritters from the oven. Turn the broiler on high.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the glaze ingredients. The glaze should be thin.
- Brush some of the glaze over each fritter and let it drip down the sides. Return the fritters to the oven and broil for 2-4 minutes, until the glaze starts to caramelize the tops. Rotate the baking sheet every minute to ensure even caramelization. Be sure to carefully watch the fritter so they don’t blacken and burn.
- Brush the remaining glaze evenly over the broiled fritters. Let set on the baking sheet until the glaze hardens, about 15 minutes.
Notes
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I made these apple fritters today not bite size though but they are so good! I’m glad I made them.
The BEST EVER.
I don’t like baked apples, but I baked these for a holiday party. These are incredible and perfect in every way.
Changes I made:
-added a few spoonfuls of brown sugar
-did not peel the apples
-used slightly less applesauce and added about a tbsp of canola oil
These are tasty! The bites seem not quite sweet enough on their own but with the glaze end up perfect. Made my glaze with items on hand – powdered sugar, applesauce and heavy cream and they were good with just the initial glaze before broiling. No need to double up for me.
These sound amazing. I’m making them for Thanksgiving breakfast for my husband and I. They should be wonderfully delicious. I’ll write after we taste them or before they are all gone!!!
These were easy to make but could’ve been just a bit sweeter (maybe sweetened applesauce) and a little heavier glaze at the very end. With these few adjustments I’d make them again!
Good morning! I love this idea especially with me needing meal prep ideas postpartum and going back to work next week. Do you think oats could be added to this? Would it make them too dry? I may try before you respond so I’ll let you know how it goes!
This recipe is amazing just like it is. We have not tried oats, so let us know!
Hi, can these be made ahead of time and frozen?
Hi Sherri – we have only made this recipe and eaten them fresh, but I don’t see why you can’t. If you try it, come back and let us know :)
Can these be made using gluten free all purpose flour? Thank you.
Hi Nancy, we haven’t tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. If you try it, come back and let us know! The texture might be a little different, but it should be delish!
I just made these with gluten free flour and substituted smart balance for the butter. They are delicious! They are slightly different in consistency-a little less cake-like-but overall hard to tell the difference!