October has finally arrived! Although it is not that apparent in the Bay Area. It is hot – like a heat wave during the day, which is not fun. Where is the sweater weather? Where is that whiff of cool breeze? Hopefully this is the last of the hot days and we can remove all the sweaters, scarves and boots from storage.
Apples are showing up at the farmers markets and so are pears. My favorite apple varieties are HoneyCrisp and Fuji. They are crisp and sweet, and ever so slightly tart in taste. I am not a fan of the Granny Smith since they are too tart – although they are best in apple pies.
My husband loves apple desserts and apple fritters are a cross between a doughnut and a pie – I would think? Apple fritters are made with chai masala spiced apples that are cooked to perfection and then added into a soft brioche like dough, which has very less added sugar. It is then glazed with a chai masala glaze. You could call them rustic doughnuts.
Difference between Chai Masala and Masala Chai?
Folks often confuse Chai Masala and Masala Chai. Chai Masala is the masala blend in powder form that can be made and stored in a glass jar in your pantry, for upto 6 months. Masala Chai is Chai or tea made by adding chai masala and milk to the black tea and boiled for a few minutes. I add chai masala to the cooked apples, the apple fritter mixture as well as the glaze on the top.
I have been making this Chai Masala for many years and it is a recipe that is absolutely wonderful and one that is versatile and has been used in many recipes.
How to make Apple Fritters? Why do I cook the apples?
Apple fritters come together fairly easily. I cook the apples ever so slightly because it removes the moisture from it, and softens it up just a little so that when they are fried they give a nice bite to the apple pieces in the fritter. Also if apples are put directly into the batter, it will release liquid and make the fritters soggy.
The liquid from the cooked apples has to be drained so that it does not add unnecessary wetness to the dough. This helps towards an overall better fritter.
The ingredients of the Masala Chai Apple Fritter batter are:
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar: A little bit of sugar is added in the batter. The glaze and the natural sweetness of the apples provides the overall sweet taste to the fritters
- Baking powder: Doughnuts are made with yeasted dough. However fritters are made with a chemical agent – the baking powder for a quicker version.
- Chai masala: the necessary spice to add to the fritters, and makes it so very flavorful
- Salt: Salt balances out any sweet treat/dessert.
- Milk tea: I add milk tea for that extra flavor from the black tea, which also helps to cut through the overall sweetness of this fritter.
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs: eggs help to lighten the dough
The cooked apples are added to the moist dough. They are just folded in. Fry the fritters in hot oil that has been heated to 350 degrees. Below are some tips for the best fritter results.
Tips to get the best fritter results!
- Use a one tablespoon scoop to scoop batter into the hot oil. Here is the link to the scoop that I use.
- I use an instant read thermometer such as the one linked here to occasionally measure the temperature of the oven, so that I can ensure that it stays at 350 degrees or more.
- Do not overcrowd by putting in more than 2 fritters at a time. It drops the oil temperature and your fritters will soak up more oil than required.
- Once you scoop in the dough, into the hot oil, spread it immediately with the back of the scoop to flatten out the fritter so that it cooks all the way through.
- Place it on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.
- Then place it on a wire rack while it cools completely, before getting glazed.
- The fritters can be stored in an airtight container for upto 4 days with a bit of rice in it as rice helps to absorb any moisture.
- Warm up the fritter in the toaster oven before consumption.
The glaze is a simple chai masala glaze, which gives the fritter so much flavor and a delicious sweetness to it as well.
Other fall recipes that are really delicious, and perfect for the months of October are:
If you do make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
Cheers,
Amisha
Masala Chai Apple Fritters
Ingredients:
Chai Masala:
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 1 ½ tablespoonS black peppercorn
- 1 tablespoon cloves
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 3 tablespoons cardamom pods
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon ground ginger
Cooked apples:
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cored, cut into ⅓ inch pieces (~450 grams)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon *Chai Masala*
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Apple fritters:
- 1 ½ cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons *Chai Masala*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk tea (See Note)
- ½ cup lightly toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- Veg oil for frying
Masala Chai Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon *Chai Masala*
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish:
- Rose petals
- Finely ground pistachios
Note:
- Add 2 teaspoons of loose leaf black tea (or 1 black tea bag) into ½ cup of hot whole milk and steep for about 7 to 10 minutes. Strain and cool completely.
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method:
Chai Masala:
-
Grind all the whole spices except the ground ginger in a high speed blender for 2 minutes. The mixture should form a fine powder.
-
Pour the ground mixture into a glass bottle using a funnel(to prevent spills). Add the ground ginger, and mix it well with a spoon to combine or simply close the jar and shake it to combine.
-
Store in a cool place.
Cooked apples:
- In a medium skillet, on medium heat, add the butter. Once melted, add all the other ingredients and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the apples are slightly softened, and the liquid has reduced.
- Strain the apples through a fine sieve, placed over a bowl to drain out all the excess juices, for about 5 minutes.
Apple fritters:
- In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and chai masala. Whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and the unsalted butter, until incorporated. Add the milk to the mixture and whisk again.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just incorporated. The mixture should not be too wet or too dry. If too wet, add a tablespoon of all purpose flour at a time (upto 2) until it is thick but not too wet. If too dry, add a tablespoon of milk.
- Add the cooked apples to the mixture and fold it in, ensuring that it is well distributed.
- Place a large plate with a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.
- Place a baking sheet with a wire rack on the side.
- Add vegetable oil to a medium pot or a medium skillet, about 2 inches in height, on medium to high heat. The oil should be about 350 degrees (takes about 5 to 7 minutes to reach that temperature).
- Once the oil is heated, using a tablespoon scoop, scoop out the batter and add it into the hot oil. Spread it immediately with the back of the scoop, to sort of flatten it. This will ensure that the fritter is cooked through.
- Repeat with a second fritter. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until dark brown in color. You want it to be a darker brown so that it gets the crispy edges.
- Using a spider, remove the fritters and place it on the plate with the paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Transfer to the wire rack after a couple of minutes.
- Repeat for the remaining fritters.
Masala Chai Glaze:
- Add all the ingredients and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Assembly:
- Dip each fritter into the glaze and place it onto the wire rack. Repeat for all the fritters.
- For the excess glaze, using a spoon drizzle it into the nooks and corners of all the fritters.
- Garnish with the dried rose petals and ground pistachios.
- Enjoy with your choice of beverage.
Note:
- The fritters are best eaten the day of.
- Store in an airtight container for upto a day. Warm it up in a toaster oven.
