I can only imagine we all have a favorite dish or two from childhood that we remember fondly, even after many years. For me, that includes a simple semolina pudding and delicious Apple Fritters with Vanilla Sauce – or as we call them back home: Apfelküchle mit Vanillesoß. My mother used to make them whenever she was in a good mood and I’d been well-behaved. As a child, of course, I was ALWAYS well-behaved, so that was never an issue, and I got to eat them quite often…
These apple fritters really makes me think of home… However, there is one small catch that keeps me from making these little treats very often. It’s not that they aren’t good. They are delicious! And it’s not because they’re deep-fried. Sorry to my liver, my heart, and anyone else concerned about cholesterol and stuff like that. It is solely the smell of frying fat in the kitchen that bothers me every time. The place smells like grease for hours, sometimes even days. I don’t like that.
But if anyone wants to treat me to some apple fritters… be my guest! I’d happily make them on-site, just not in my own kitchen. Maybe I should come up with a fat-free version for the Air Fryer? You can make pretty much anything in those little machines these days.
Back to the frying fat and the apple fritters. These little fellas only turn out really well if they’re fried in a generous amount of fat. Sorry. Fat is a great flavor carrier, after all. Some people call apple fritters and stuff like that »comfort food«. If sweet and fatty makes you happy, then definitely yes! It’s comfort food!
We like to serve the apple fritters with some vanilla sauce, just as the recipe suggests. You can make it yourself or, of course, just grab a ready-made version from the supermarket. There are some great options out there that can really save you a lot of time. If you keep a carton or jar of vanilla sauce on hand, you can whip up these apple fritters whenever you’re in the mood and get them ready quite quickly.
We often serve our apple fritters with a side of red fruit compote aka. Rote Grütze as well. Something fruity goes perfectly with sweet apple fritters, and our »Sylt-style« red fruit compote is an ideal match for them. The compote is easy to prepare and can be done a few days in advance. Though, of course, there are plenty of supermarket alternatives that work wonderfully too. There’s no need to do the extra work for yourself when you can get the same result faster and with less effort, right?!
Back in the day we used to serve these apple fritters as a regular meal – rarely as a dessert. They work great as a substitute for a savory lunch or as a sweet supper. We don’t really do that anymore today, but if you prefer something sweet, why not?
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(12-14 apple fritters)
For the vanilla sauce:
1 vanilla bean pod*
4 medium egg yolks
2 cups (500ml) milk
3 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 tbsp. cornstarch*
For the apple fritters:
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour*
2 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup (150ml) milk
2 medium eggs, separated
2-3 large apples
some clarified butter for frying
mix of sugar and ground cinnamon
red fruit jelly (optional)
(12-14 Apfelküchle)
Für die Vanillesoße:
1 Vanilleschote*
4 Eigelbe (M)
500ml Milch
3 EL Zucker (fein)*
1 EL Speisestärke*
Für die Apfelküchle:
100g Mehl (Type 405)*
2 EL Zucker (fein)*
1 Prise Salz
150ml Milch
2 Eier (M), getrennt
2-3 große Äpfel
etwas Butterschmalz zum Frittieren
Zimt/Zucker zum Wälzen
Rote Grütze (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start with the vanilla sauce. In a small bowl mix the egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of the milk and the cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
2. Slit the vanilla bean pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds and the vanilla bean pod with the milk and sugar to a small saucepan and bring the milk to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the flavors develop for about 5 minutes. Heat up again and add the egg yolk mix while stirring constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil – the sauce should thicken a bit more. Remove from the heat and let cool down. Remove the vanilla pod before serving.
3. For the fritter batter sift the flour into a bowl and add sugar and salt. Next, add the milk while stirring constantly until you get a thick batter and everything is well combined. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for about 20 minutes. Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks to the batter and mix until combined. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form, then add them to the batter and gently fold them in.
4. Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan (don’t go too high with the temperature or the fritters will burn quickly). Peel the apples, cut them into thick slices and cut out the cores with the seeds (e.g., with an apple corer). Dip the apple slices into the batter so they are covered completely and then place them in the frying pan. Fry the apple fritters until both sides are golden brown. Place them on a paper towel to get rid of excess fat. Roll the apple fritters in a sugar-cinnamon mixture while still hot and serve warm with the vanilla sauce and some red fruit jelly (optional).
1. Mit der Vanillesoße starten. In einer kleinen Schüssel die Eigelbe mit 3 EL von der Milch und der Stärke glatt rühren. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Die Vanilleschote der Länge nach aufschneiden und das Mark herauskratzen. Beides mit der Milch und dem Zucker in einen kleinen Topf geben und unter ständigem Rühren kurz aufkochen lassen, dann vom Herd nehmen und 5 Minuten ziehen lassen. Die Milch dann noch einmal erhitzen und die Eigelbmischung zugeben und unter ständigem Rühren erneut aufkochen lassen. Vom Herd nehmen und abkühlen lassen. Vor dem Servieren die Vanilleschote entfernen.
3. Für den Apfelküchleteig das Mehl in eine Schüssel sieben und mit Zucker und Salz vermischen. Die Milch unter ständigem Rühren dazugeben, bis ein dickflüssiger Teig entsteht. Die Schüssel abdecken und etwa 20 Minuten quellen lassen. Die Eier trennen. Die Eigelbe in den Teig rühren, das Eiweiß steif schlagen und dann vorsichtig unter den Teig heben.
4. Eine gute Portion Butterschmalz in der Pfanne erhitzen (nicht zu heiß, sonst brennen die Küchlein schnell an). Die Äpfel schälen und in dicke Scheiben schneiden, dann die Kerne mit dem Gehäuse ausstechen (z.B. mit einem Apfelkernausstecher). Die Apfelscheiben durch den Teig ziehen und dann im heißen Fett frittieren, bis beide Seiten goldbraun sind. Auf einem Papiertuch überschüssiges Fett abtropfen lassen. Die noch heißen Apfelküchle in einer Mischung aus Zimt und Zucker wälzen und noch warm mit der Vanillesoße und Roter Grütze (optional) servieren.
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Apple Fritters aka. Schwäbische Apfelküchle with Vanilla Sauce
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 00:50
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Sweet Snacks
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A delicious childhood memory on a plate – sweet Apple Fritters aka. Swabian Apfelküchle with vanilla sauce, just like my mother used to make. An absolute treat!
Ingredients
For the vanilla sauce:
1 vanilla bean pod*
4 medium egg yolks
2 cups (500ml) milk
3 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 tbsp. cornstarch*
For the apple fritters:
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour*
2 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup (150ml) milk
2 medium eggs, separated
2-3 large apples
some clarified butter for frying
mix of sugar and ground cinnamon
red fruit jelly (optional)
Instructions
1. Start with the vanilla sauce. In a small bowl mix the egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of the milk and the cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
2. Slit the vanilla bean pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds and the vanilla bean pod with the milk and sugar to a small saucepan and bring the milk to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the flavors develop for about 5 minutes. Heat up again and add the egg yolk mix while stirring constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil – the sauce should thicken a bit more. Remove from the heat and let cool down. Remove the vanilla pod before serving.
3. For the fritter batter sift the flour into a bowl and add sugar and salt. Next, add the milk while stirring constantly until you get a thick batter and everything is well combined. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for about 20 minutes. Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks to the batter and mix until combined. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form, then add them to the batter and gently fold them in.
4. Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan (don’t go too high with the temperature or the fritters will burn quickly). Peel the apples, cut them into thick slices and cut out the cores with the seeds (e.g., with an apple corer). Dip the apple slices into the batter so they are covered completely and then place them in the frying pan. Fry the apple fritters until both sides are golden brown. Place them on a paper towel to get rid of excess fat. Roll the apple fritters in a sugar-cinnamon mixture while still hot and serve warm with the vanilla sauce and some red fruit jelly (optional).
Notes
Enjoy frying!
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lieber marc,
deine apfelküchle sehen fabelhaft aus! und dank dem eau de frittierfett, der sich als feine geruchswolke über die wohnung legt, hat man ewig was davon, gell? :)
herzliche grüße!
christine
Hahaha – ja dank “…dem Duft, der Frauen provoziert” hat man noch tagelang was davon :P Eigentlich sollte man den Ofen rausschmeissen und nur noch frittieren!
LG
Marc