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Apple Fritter Bites, gluten-free & dairy-free

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Apple Fritter Bites, gluten-fre & dairy-free

Rich with the flavors of fall and the comfort of a donut shop staple, today I’m sharing my recipe for apple fritter bites, gluten-free & dairy-free.  But first, how this recipe came to be…

Recently I was shopping at Trader Joe’s with my favorite fella.  It was an early morning, very few folks in the store.  I always browse the “What’s New” display, which is located adjacent to the sample counter.  With few customers in the store, the sample gal was quick to offer samples of the pumpkin kringle.  My fella, who eats gluten away from home, gladly took the sample.  I’m content to just hear his thoughts, but the sample girl wasn’t going to let me leave without having a sample.  She was insistent.  I finally said, “I can’t eat that. I have Celiac disease.”  To which she replied, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. That’s miserable. You miss out on so much.”

So two things on this: I need to learn to say no and not explain myself AND no, it’s not miserable.  Life before was miserable. While it has taken awhile for me to feel optimal (and I still don’t feel optimal every single day, who does?), I feel pretty darned good most days.

We finished shopping and loaded up the car.  My fella said to me while we were driving away, “Doesn’t that just piss you off when people say things like that? Do you ever feel like you are missing out on anything?”  Rarely.  I rarely feel like I’m missing out on anything, especially with so many restaurants taking the time to prepare meals that are safe for me, so many places now offering fresh fruit and other whole, healthy foods for travelers on the go, so many talented gluten-free food writers sharing quality recipes I can make at home.

Apple Fritter Bites, gluten-fre & dairy-free

The one exception to this lately has been apple fritters.  When I was writing about donuts, apple fritters weren’t one of my absolute favorites but my favorite fella and a couple of dear friends really love them, so I see them often.  And I’ve never indulged in a gluten-free version.  In our recent travels, we’ve stopped at a few Tim Hortons.  I’ve had coffee or iced tea, my fella has had copious amounts of donuts.  One thing that caught my eye in Tim Hortons was apple fritter bites, little donut hole sized nuggets of apple fritter goodness.  I kinda wished I could have one.

Here is what I do on the occasions when I do feel like I’m missing out on something: I come home and make a gluten-free counterpart in my own kitchen.  Lots of testing, lots of tasting…and finally, a finished product I’m proud of AND one that soothes my yearning.

So in response to your comment, Trader Joe’s sample counter gal, No, I’m not missing out on anything, not even apple fritters.

You don’t have to miss out either.  Below is my recipe for Apple Fritter Bites, gluten-free & dairy-free.  Go pick some apples at the local orchard and make these today.

A couple of quick notes: This recipe was inspired by a gluten-full, dairy-full recipe I saw over at Spiced. I have modified this recipe and tested it, making it gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free with exception of the glaze. I’ve used slightly different ingredients and amounts in a few additional spots and made it into fritter bites. I want to make sure I always give credit to other bloggers who inspire the recipes I share here!

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Apple Fritter Bites, gluten-free & dairy-free

Author Johnna

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (make sure it is gluten-free, Red Star Platinum is not)
  • 1 2/3 cups Johnna's Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 large eggs from happy hens
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil , liquified or other oil of your choosing
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 4-5 cups grapeseed oil or healthy oil of your choice to fry in

For the apple mixture:

  • 1 cup apples , peeled, cored and diced (I prefer honey crisp apples)
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup hard cider (regular apple cider may also be used)

For the glaze:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Instructions

For the dough:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, gluten-free flour blend, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix to combine.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine almond milk, 2 eggs, coconut oil and vanilla bean paste/extract. Whisk to combine.
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing to combine. This will make a very sticky dough.
  4. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Set in a warm, draft-free area and cover. Allow to rise for 2 hours. (Being gluten-free, this will not rise enormously.)
  5. While dough is rising, make apple mixture.

For the apple mixture:

  1. In a large, deep skillet, melt the coconut oil. Add the apples, cinnamon and coconut sugar.
  2. Stir to coat the apples well. Then add the hard cider.
  3. Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until apple cider has reduced into a thick syrup.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool while the dough is rising. You will want these to be room temperature when you work with them.

Return to dough:

  1. After two hours, turn the dough out onto a well-floured piece of parchment paper. Pat into a 10" x 10" square.
  2. Gently spread the cooled apple mixture evenly over the top of the dough.
  3. Fold as you would fold a letter into third. The third on the left folds into the middle, the third on the right folds over the top.
  4. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Heat oil while dough is resting to 375 degrees. I use this dutch oven for frying.
  6. Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop (this is also a #40 portioner/disher), scoop balls of the dough and place in the hot oil.
  7. Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes, until lightly browned. Roll them over so they can brown evenly on both sides.
  8. Remove from oil and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
  9. Do not fry more than 5 or 6 fritter bites at a time, as they could reduce the oil temperature.
  10. Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl. You may prefer to sift the powdered sugar. In the batch I photographed, I did not sift and I see tiny clumps of powdered sugar. This has no effect on the flavor, as they disappeared quickly.
  11. Roll one fritter bite at a time through the glaze. Place on a cooling rack with parchment beneath to catch any drips. Once glaze sets up, dig in!

Apple Fritter Bites, Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase by following a link from my post, you get the same terrific price AND I earn a small commission.  I only link to products and ingredients I personally own and use. Affiliate links help me offset the cost of maintaining this website. One day I hope they will also help me to pay for the ingredients used in testing the original recipes I share with you at no charge.  I appreciate your support!

 

Comments

  1. David @ Spiced says

    Wow, what a fun variation on this recipe to make it gluten and dairy free! I’m honored that I inspired these delicious looking apple fritter bites. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed the original. 🙂

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Hmm…well, the batter has coconut sugar so it’s an unrefined sugar. But the glaze…well, loaded with sugar. Might still be good without the glaze?

      Reply

  3. Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says

    Those look fabulous, Johnna! I had to share them right away on All Gluten-Free Desserts as I needed a new donut recipe! 🙂

    It doesn’t usually bother me when folks make comments like that because I know they’re clueless and I use it as an opportunity to say, no, actually it’s pretty great to feel well and have figured out what was causing so many health issues. Sometimes I feel a longing for an item like you did, but I usually resolve it the same way … create my own recipe. 😉

    Thanks so much for this recipe! Have to go buy apples now … and safe yeast … and cider … but it will be worth it! Actually this is a pretty busy week for us, so I might not get to this recipe for a while, but it will be fun and so tasty when I do!

    Shirley

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Thanks for sharing, Shirley! I love your positive response to folks who assume we must be miserable without gluten. I’ll never forget a friend saying to me, within a week of my diagnosis, how sad she was that we would never break bread together again. I’m not sad…and I can make or buy really terrific bread. 🙂

      Reply

    • Johnna says

      I have not tested the recipe without eggs, Nancy. That’s a terrific question. If you try it, I hope you’ll report back and let us all know what worked or didn’t.

      Reply

  10. grant says

    i didnt even get through the recipe yet, just your intro – good job standing up for yourself and explaining it isnt miserable and you dont miss much because it’s still doable 🙂

    Reply

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