Boozy Bourbon Apple Fritters

Apple fritters are such a special fall treat. In my opinion, Apple Cider Donuts are essential and also more available throughout the autumn months. But apple fritters (especially the brioche kind!) are certainly more unique and harder to come by. Don't worry though, now that you have this recipe, you can make it every fall season. You could even make a whole weekend of it! Head out to apple orchard and pick some fresh apples, then head home and start making a batch of these apple fritters! Now that's the kind of tradition I could get on board with.

Now maybe it’s just me, but apple fritters have always felt like a grown-up type of donut, so what better way to make this recipe a bit more mature than by submerging them in a boozy bourbon glaze. What I love about this glaze is that it repurposes the sauce from the apple filling, giving it a warm spiced apple flavor married with your favorite bourbon.

This recipe is from my debut cookbook, Donut Love! If you love this recipe (and donuts in general!), be sure to snag a copy of the book!

For more apple recipes, try Apple Butter Macarons, Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes, Spiced Apple Pie Cookies, and Salted Caramel Apple Pie.

Why you'll love these homemade apple fritters

• Overnight Proof: By letting the dough rise slowly in a cold environment, it not only develops more depth of flavor, but also gives you more flexibility with the timing of frying the donuts. Cold brioche dough is also much easier to work with! I recommend making the dough the night before, proofing overnight, and frying the donuts within 24 hours.
• Pillowy Texture & Buttery Flavor: As an enriched dough, this brioche has a pillowy soft texture with a beautiful even, tender crumb. Its buttery, slightly sweet, and balanced yeasty taste makes it the perfect vessel for just about any coating or glaze.
• Spiced Apples & Bourbon Glaze: The perfectly cooked spiced apples studded throughout the brioche and paired with the sweet bourbon glaze is *chef's kiss*.

Ingredient Notes

• Flour: Use unbleached all-purpose flour for the best flavor and proper gluten development.
• Salt: Add kosher or fine sea salt to the flour to enhance the flavors in the donut. Mix it into the flour rather than the salt to the milk, yeast mixture, or it may kill the yeast.
• Milk: Use whole milk for best flavor, and bring it to about 110 degrees F to help the yeast activate. Be careful not to make it too hot, or it can kill the yeast.
• Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar is mixed in with the milk and yeast to help activate the yeast, as well as give the brioche a richer color on top when it's baked or fried.
• Yeast: Feel free to use instant or active dry yeast.
• Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
• Vanilla: Add a touch of pure vanilla extract for a slightly sweeter brioche.
• Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for optimum flavor and overall result. I recommend Kerrygold.
• Apples: Opt for firm, yet juicy baking apples, such as honeycrisp or granny smith apples.
• Spices: Warm spices truly make this recipe come to life! Use a high quality brand for best flavor.
• Bourbon: Use your favorite bourbon for a signature flavor, or leave it out entirely if desired.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this apple fritter recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Activate the yeast; Mix in eggs & vanilla. In a cup, heat the milk to 110 degrees F (40 degrees C) and stir in the sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, allow it to sit for 15 minutes for the yeast to activate. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step. Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.

STEP 2: Add wet ingredients to dry. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it forms a ball around the hook.

STEP 3: Mix in the butter. Add in a few pieces of butter at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 8-12 minutes. The dough will eventually pull away from the sides of the bowl and have a silky smooth texture with minimal stickiness.

STEP 4: Perform windowpane test. To check if the dough is ready, use the windowpane test - tear off a small piece and carefully spread it out to see if you can see the light through it without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute or two and check again.

STEP 5: Proof the dough. Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof overnight (or at least 6 hours) in the fridge. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

STEP 6: Make the spiced apples. In a large bowl toss together the apple cubes, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom, vanilla, and bourbon. Place a large skillet over medium heat, and melt the butter. Add the apples and mix frequently for about 4-5 minutes until they have softened. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the liquid has thickened. Remove from heat.

STEP 7: Cool the apples. On a small baking sheet, spread the apples into an even layer and allow to cool completely. Alternatively, you can make the spiced apples the day before when you make the brioche, and chill them overnight.

STEP 8: Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼” (.5 cm) in thickness. Dust the dough with some extra flour. Using a fork, add the apples (reserving most of the sauce) to one half of the dough.

STEP 9: Cut the dough. Dust the apples with more flour, then fold the other half of the dough over on top. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut the dough into approximately 1” (2.5 cm) pieces. Use your hands to gently toss the pieces to separate.

STEP 10: Shape the fritters & proof. Divide the pieces into 9 portions, weighing about 100g each. Gently knead the portions with your hands so the brioche pieces adhere to each other. Don't be afraid to use plenty of flour here. Place each on a parchment square, and pat them down to no more than 1” (2.5 cm) in thickness. Cover the donuts and allow to rise for about 30 minutes or until nearly room temperature, but still slightly cool to the touch. When pressed with a finger, the dough will slowly spring back.

STEP 11: Fry the fritters & glaze. Fry the donuts for 2 ½ minutes on the first side, then flip over and fry for an additional 2 ½ minutes until golden brown. Transfer the donuts to the wire rack. Once the donuts have cooled just enough to handle, dip them in the glaze. Enjoy them warm on their own or with some vanilla ice cream!

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x