Maple Glazed Apple Fritters + Video
Apples and I are having a thing at the moment.

And by that, I simply mean I am in full on apple mode. Gimme all those delicious crispy apples so I can put them in, on and with EVERYTHING. No seriously, that’s how it’s going down these days. All the apples please!
Watch the how-to video here:
Pumpkin Spice, Maple Glazed Apple Fritters from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
So let’s see, where should I start today? I actually don’t have all that much rambling to do. I rambled a whole bunch yesterday about my new cute little black cat, Snape, so I don’t know, I guess I am outta breath today.
Well, maybe not completely.
I mean, I have PLENTY of breath energetic fingers to tell you all about these maple glazed apple fritters!



First? They are AMAZING, but you probably guessed I would say that, huh? It’s the full on truth though.
Basically these are doughnuts, stuffed with apples and drizzled with a maple glaze. Come on, how could they not be good. I find them best enjoyed with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, coffee (guys, can you believe I drink coffee now?!?!) or apple cider…but you know I really just want the hot chocolate.
Hey, you can’t blame me. It was twenty-six degrees this morning, I am allowed to be delving into all things cozy…with mugs and mugs of hot chocolate. Gosh, I really love fall, it’s my favorite….and it officially begins tomorrow…hands clapping, fists pumping, huge dorky smile on my face…yup, that’s me right now.
Also, also!! I am getting way too excited for Halloween. Next week, Asher and I may be having a three-day sleepover filled with all the spooky things we can come up with.
I’m basically filled to the brim with excitement at them moment. Yesssss
Triple also, Asher wants me to buy all these Halloween decorations and make all sorts of spooky foods. Thoughts? Ideas?? Just putting this out there now, but we can chat more on that next week.

For now, let me fill your brain with delicious apple fritter thoughts.
You’re going to want to run to the store now, because in about thirty or so seconds you will quickly realize that you need these fritters in your life. And you need them NOW.
Sorry, I am so dramatic. In real life I don’t really talk like this, but all that I am saying is true.
You start with a yeast dough spiced with….yup, pumpkin spice! I just couldn’t resist, I had too! The dough is also made with apple cider, so it’s extra sweet and special. Perfect – just the way I like it.
The apple filling is pretty simple. Apples, butter, brown sugar and vanilla. You could eat it with a spoon, it’s that good! Or over ice cream would be amazing too. Or, OR, you could serve your fritters WITH ice cream. YES. <— do this.
While these fritters are fairly simple to make, the tricky part is keeping all those apples inside while you are forming the fritters. Try not to fret about any apples that fall out of the dough or that are sticking out. You can just simply pop them back in. The important thing to remember here is that these are fritters, they DO NOT need to be perfect in any way, shape or form. Seriously remember this.
AND you’ll just be covering these little fritters in glaze anyway, so their looks? They really don’t matter. Just stuff those apple in there, fry, glaze and eat! Oh, and eat them warm. These are best warm. Trust me!

So go on now, have a fritter frenzy!!



Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Pumpkin Spice, Maple Glazed Apple Fritters.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple, apples, fritter, fritters, maple, pumpkin, pumpkin spice
Crunchy, sweet and delicious
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/4 cups warm apple cider
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter softened/lightly melted
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Apple Filling
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 Honeycrisp or green apples chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon apple cider
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Maple Glaze
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee optional
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl (I like to use my stand mixer), combine the warm cider with the yeast and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit 5-10 mins or until the mix is foamy and smells like bread. To the bowl, add the butter and egg, mix a little to combine and then add 3 cups flour, the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. Knead the dough using a dough hook or your hands until the dough comes together and is smooth, about 3 minutes with a mixer and 5-10 by hand. If the dough seems too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour. The dough should come together, but be slightly sticky to touch. Grease a large bowl and place the dough ball inside. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place while you work on the filling, but at least 30 minutes.
-
To make the filling, heat a medium size skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the cider and continue to cook the apples until they are caramelized, about 5 minutes more. During the last minute add the vanilla and cook another minute or until the apples are all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
-
When the dough is ready, Punch it back down into the bowl. Add the cooled apples and knead the apples into the dough. Lighlt flour your work suface and dump the dough out. Now roll the dough out gently into a rectangle about an inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16-18 squares. Use your hands to roll the rectangles into balls, pushing any apples that fall out back into the dough. Don't worry if some of the apples are exposed.
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Place the shaped fritters on a parchment-lined baking sheet and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 15 minutes or until the fritters puff and almost double in size.
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Meanwhile, heat a large pot of oil to 350-375 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet
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Carefully lower 3 to 4 fritters into the hot oil. Fry on one side for 30 to 60 seconds or until golden brown, then flip the fritter and fry the other side for 30 to 60 seconds or until golden brown. Remove fritters from the oil with a spider or slotted spoon. Drain on the prepared wire rack. Repeat with the remaining fritters.
-
To make the glaze, whisk together the maple syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla and instant coffee.
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Drizzle the glaze over the warm fritters and EAT!

With a side of hot chocolate…cause YES. Tuesday, you are so sweet!
my favorite apple fritters are the ones that have a ton of apples! i was sitting at home and just sweating today, so i don’t think i’m ready to think about halloween yet (but maple glaze and warm apple fritters are always welcome, hehe).
I bet these fritters are delicious! Great job as always! Xo.
I am so in Fritter Frenzy right now….you have no idea. This will be happening, just got to get the cider !!! I can almost taste these fritters, right now…yum 🙂
I am so into apples right now especially honeycrisp…and it’s starting to get cold here in CT in the mornings so these would make a perfect breakfast.
These look insanely good! Apple fritter doughnuts make me wish it was autumn and I had an excuse to make them (or maybe I will just make them anyway…who cares that it is spring!!). Plus I love that you added instant coffee to that maple glaze- and also just seriously appreciate that whole cutting the dough and squishing them (well, folding them) into little exploding pockets of goodness <3 <3
A spooky 3 day sleepover sounds like a blast and I can’t wait to see what creepy recipes you guys come up with! These fritters, Tieghan, AMAZING! I love the way you did them. So pinned!
SNAPE!!!!!!!
(And apple fitters, which look to die for)
These look amazing! I’m so into apples too at the moment! 🙂 Beautiful photography Tieghan, as always…
I am totally with you – I absolutely want to run to the store now!!! These look amazing!
3 day sleepover ith all sorts of spooky things sounds so much fun!! And the fritters look so delicious!!
Once again, you’ve created something amazing Tieghan. Wow!
Oh wow! Thanks so much, Matt!
Thanks for the recipe! My dad goes crazy for anything with cooked apple. I bet he would love these.
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
these look fantastic, just joined with a cup of tea at the morning it’s just like a dream
these look amazing!!!! is there any way to bake these in the oven? frying things in hot oil scares me 🙂
Yes yes yes yes yes to the spooky good! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
Oh yes!! These look fantastic. We just started making apple fritters at the bakery I work at so I make a batch every morning and it gives me ALL the good fall/apple/cold weather/cozy vibes. So happy it’s going to be fall tomorrow
OH and I love the glaze you put on these! The maple syrup and coffee combination sounds so good. I might use that for other things too!
These look INSANE – I can’t wait to make them over the holiday season!
My dad would bring us home fresh apple fritters every Saturday morning. Man, these are taking me back!
Oh my gosh, I bet those where AMAZING! Thanks Heidi!
Oh.My.Word Thank goodness I live down the road from an apple farm is all I can say. Looking forward to making these – love the addition of the pumpkin spice to the dough!
You’re having a thing with apples, and I’m having a thing with dessert lately so this recipe hits the spot! These look great!
I had such a hard time deciding which picture to pin! They are all so lovely! Can’t wait to make these.
These looks heavenly delicious! I just stared at the apple filling for a full minute- my need for this is real! Can’t wait to give this gorgeous recipe a try!
xx Sydney
These scream fall! I wish I had a plate full of these in front of me now.
Thanks Laura!
I seriously need these in my life asap. Also, I totally vote the hot chocolate too. Pinned!!
First of all, those look amazing! But (sort of) unrelated… Do you have high altitude baking tips or have you found it be a non-issue? I’ve had some problems with ‘yeasty’ recipes and have found it easiest to blame it on living at high altitude…
HI! I never adjust for altitude. When I do I always end up with dry baked good. My secrete is to under bake everything!! My cakes are a little sunken, but they taste yummy! 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
You are making me wish I had a sister to have a three day spooky sleepover with. Oh well, I’ll always have doughnuts.
Apple fritters are so good.
Hot chocolate and warm fritters sounds good to me.
I would not be able to contain myself if these landed in front of me. Not.At.All.
What kind of oil do you use to fry the fritters?
Canola oil. Hope you love these!
Ohmigosh. That shot of the fritters with the steam coming out of the hot cocoa…. be still my heart. You are KILLING it with the fall recipes right now, Tieghan!! Coming to HBH just makes me want to curl up in a flannel blanket in front of the fire and drink a hot cup of mulled cider #fallgoals. 😉
hehe!!! Thank you so much, Sarah!!
Hi–I’m just making these now. Just a couple of questions: Do you add the spices into the dough when you add the salt? There is no reference to the spices. I would assume they go in at the same time. Also, no reference to when to add the cider to the apple mixture–Again, I would assume it’s when the apples are cooking but I wasn’t sure.
Yes, the spices go in with the flour + salt and yes, when the apples are cooking. I will fix the recipe right now. So sorry about that! Enjoy the fritters!
I actually squealed when I read the title. SO TASTY! And yes, I will serve mine with ice cream because I’m addicted 😉
-Claire
tallgirlbigworld.com
YES! 🙂
Is it possible to prepare these the night before and bake them off in the morning?
Or is it possible to make them the night before and reheat and serve in the morning?
Hi Britt!
These are actually fried and to be completely honest, they are very best just after frying. That said, I did of course re-heat my leftovers and they where still delicious! Thanks! 🙂
My heart stopped when I saw these just now. That steam shot…ahhh!! I need a moment.
hehe! THANK YOU!!! 🙂
Hope you are enjoy the start of fall! 🙂
Please pass me a dozen fritters, these look fab!
Can you use instant yeast? And you don’t say wether or not its light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. Would like to make these, directions are not clear, thankyou
HI, active dry yeast is best, but instant yeast can be used. I use light brown sugar. Hope you love these!
I would like to bake these instead of frying. Will this work?
Hi Dee,
Honestly, I do not recommend it. It would work, but they will be drier and just not as delicious. If you do want to bake them, bake at 350 degrees F. for maybe 20 minutes.
You’ve done it again. I was seduced by your gorgeous photos and said to myself, ‘look at those yummy fritters! Oh I can do that. She makes it sound so easy!’ Let’s just say I was not successful in the slightest (like epic fail level). But your blog is so darn awesome I keep trying your recipes and occasionally one turns out 🙂 I don’t know how you make all these recipes every day, but keep it up!
Megan!
Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry these did not workout for you. I feel horrible! Do you know what might have went wrong? I would love to make this a recipe you can love!! SO SORRY!
These look fantastic! I’m planning on making them Sunday morning while my fiance is watching football…..if I can wait that long! What type of oil did you use for frying?
Thanks so much for sharing such a perfect fall recipe!
Blair
These are the perfect Sunday treat! I like to use canola or vegetable oil. Hope you love these!!
Gee, you’re stealing my apple lover! LOL, apple fritters are such a delicious but such a crazy treat! They taste amazing!
So when I’m feeling crazy or there’s a party coming on, I choose one of your gorgeous desserts to make because they steal the show! I’m half way through making these and have a question/ comment. The apple mixture was still so juicy and running that it turned my dough to goop and I’m not even sure if they’ll rise. Would omitting the cider solve this? I’m scared to deep fry them too because some of them barely have enough goopy dough to hold the apples ? can I bake them? Thanks!
Hi!! Ok, so I am thinking that maybe you should have just cooked the apple mixture a bit longer, but yeah you can totally leave the cider out next time. You can try baking them, but frying is best I think. My dough was pretty thin, so I think it should be ok. Let me know how it goes. Hope you love these!! 🙂
Thanks for the delicious recipe!! A perfect fall treat!! I just made these, and they were actually pretty challenging for me, ha! I ended up adding an extra 1 and 1/2 cup of flour as my dough was extremely sticky, which helped a ton. But then the liquid in the apple mixture didn’t evaporate out with the amount of cooking time in the recipe. I even cooked for 4 extra minutes and they were still really liquid-y. The extra liquid then caused lots of the liquid to leak through the dough, which made rolling it really challenging. I was hesitant to fry them since the dough didn’t seem to hold up, so I ended up baking them instead (350 degrees for 20 minutes) and they turned out great!!! A little more scone-like than fritter-like, but very tasty!! And the frosting is divine!!
Whoa! Nice to know that they turned out great baked too! I will look at the recipe and make I wrote everything correctly though. So happy you loved them, but sorry for the trouble!
These look absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!! I must make ASAP!!! Quick question in the ingredients you mention pepper do you mean black pepper ,like pepper and salt kind of pepper?
Hi Courtney!
I do, the pepper adds a nice spice flavor. I promise it is not weird! LOL! Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love these!
Yum, heading to our local Co-op to get some apples and make these for breakfast!
Oh yes! Hope they are a hit! THANKS!
Could you back these instead of frying them?
*Bake
Hey Liz, yes you can. I like the fired best, but you can bake them at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes. Hope you love these!
Nossa adorei a receita, vou fazer aqui no brasil e fala depois como ficou.
I don’t have fresh apples, can I use canned apple pie filling????
Hmm, I am not sure. I am afraid that the filling might be too liquidy.
Question! Could we make these partially ahead? Like up to forming the fritters and refrigerating the night before and then frying them up for breakfast and covering with glaze?
Hey Sandy! I have never tried that, but I don’t see why that would not work. Please let me know how it goes! Thank you!
Wow, it looks gorgeous! i’ll try to bake it!
Awesome! I hope you love it!
I made the apple fritters for Thanksgiving breakfast. I didn’t have brown sugar on hand so I used sugar, they weren’t as sweet but still tasty.I did all the dough prep last night and let them proof over night in the fridge. I took them out and let them get to room temp. They fried up nicely and I rolled some of them in cinnamon sugar as well as the glaze. I don’t like to fry to many foods so this is a great holiday food. Great recipe for a special day.
Sounds delicious Laurie! The holidays are the perfect cheat day!! So happy you loved them!!
I just watched the video. You put the apples in the dough, but the pics show you rolled out the dough and put the apples on top. Which is best?
Hey Charlotte! So sorry for the confusion. Either way works, but I think it is easier to just stir the apples into the dough as I did in the video. Hope that helps and please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love these!
For those that are wondering whether to bake or fry, I have to put my vote in the fry camp having tried both. I really wanted baking to work just as well (because frying = scary), but the fried fritters just tasted SO much better. When baked, these turned a bit bready and were significantly drier – not bad, but also not at all like an apple fritter. I fried in coconut oil and while I was slightly horrified at the amount I had to use, the results were worth it! I would even go as far to say that the glaze is unnecessary, but I’m a purist at heart 🙂
Hi Rebeccah! These fritters are seriously one of my favs, so I am super glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
The title says there is a video but I don’t see one. Was it taken down? Thanks!
Hi Lindsey! The video is right under the first photo, I linked it down below! Let me know if you have any other questions!
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/maple-glazed-apple-fritters/
I see where it says to “watch the video here” under the first picture but there isn’t an actual video or link there for me to watch it. I had someone else check and they couldn’t see the video either.
HI! I am sorry about that. The video should be there now. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! 🙂
I made these for a family gathering last night and they were AMAZING!! People were still talking about them as they left. I used Einkorn all purpose flour and fried them in avocado oil. I also added more powdered sugar and a little cream cheese to the glaze. Definitely will make again!
I am so happy to hear that! I am so glad you and your guests loved this recipe Dena! Thank you!
Do you think I could bake these instead of frying?
Hey Amanda! Yes! I would bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
So I made these tonight… and your directions say to add the apples to the dough but your pictures show the dough rolled out and apples added on top one side and covered wit the other half of the dough. I didn’t pay attention to the picture and did what your directions said, added the apples to the dough which caused the dough to be so incredibly sticky it was impossible to work with until I added a TON of flour. The fritters ended up coming out too doughy. I’m sure the original fritters taste much better but maybe edit your directions so that no one makes the same mistake again?
Hey Irene,
I am so sorry for the trouble and confusion. I do actually like to mix the apple into the dough as I found too many of the apples fell out while frying the other way. How long did you cook your apples for? Maybe they needed to be cooked longer to remove the moisture before adding to the dough?
Help do I make these with apple cider vinegar?
Hi there, these sound fantastic…who doesn’t love anything pumpkin spiced? I’d can’t wait to make these fritters, but have one question. When you say Apple cider is this the same as Apple cider vinegar?
If not, do you have a recipe for Apple cider? I can’t seem to find it anywhere in our grocery stores.
Hi Melanie! No, it is not the same as apple cider vinegar… it is more of a juice! Here, it is seasonal, so it really only shows up near the fall. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
WOWOWOWOW!!! Are you kidding me?!! I’m eating a warm one as I type this and I am in absolute heaven (my husband too. He even told me I’m amazing…but the credit goes to you!) ! Slightly crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside with the perfect amount of spice. And the apples! These can not be beat. I wish I could post a photo here! These are SO much better than any apple fritter I’ve ever had from a good bakery! Only problem is my apple fritter standards are now wayyyyyy higher than they were. I don’t think I can even buy them anymore. I’m not sure why other commenters had issues. I made this exactly as written (with the addition of 1 extra apple just because) and I would not change a thing!! You did it again!! I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again on another recipe within the next few days. Everything you create is just TOO good. 😀
Wow this was so amazing to read!! I am really glad these turned out so well for you, Alyssa! Thank you so much for trying these! xTieghan
I absolutely love this recipe and Apple fritters are some of our favorite donut pastries. We just got an air fryer for Christmas and I’m wondering how to alter cook time to make these with the fryer!!??!!
Hey Amy,
I am so glad you have enjoyed this recipe, so I have not tested this in the air fryer. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan