Fried Apple Rings

You. Guys. 

There's no fancy photo of these rings on a nice plate, angled to show their best side - mostly 'cause I couldn't get them into my mouth fast enough.

When one has 10 pounds of apples, one needs to get creative on how to eat them. Some are reserved for Mr. S's lunches this week, a few are set aside for an apple pie of some sort, and the rest, well, let's just say that Pinterest's search feature has been earning it's keep.

I'd been seeing a few recipes floating around pin boards recently for these apple ring fritter things and decided to give them a go. 

But I didn't jump at just any old recipe off Pinterest. Oh, no. I went looking at my most trusted sources.

After a quick rabbit-hole jaunt with an apple sharlotka (which I WILL be making soon), I found that Joy the Baker had the recipe I was searching for. It just needed a few tweaks.

First off, panko bread crumbs, coconut, cinnamon and sugar go into a bowl. Mix well.

Then flour, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, nutmeg, and more cinnamon make friends in another bowl. 

Find a large-ish bowl to whisk together an egg, vanilla, and milk, then whisk the flour mix in. 

Let the mixture sit and thicken while you slice up the apples. Use a little biscuit cutter to take the centers out. I used the donut hole maker that my biscuit cutters came with to turn them into donut cutters. Hah. I love having the right equipment for the job. 

Soak the apple rings in the batter for a bit. 

Shake off some of the excess then dip in the panko/coconut breading and toss into a pan of hot oil. 

 
Fry until golden on one side and then flip so they are golden all over.

Drain on a paper towel.

If you want them to look more donut-y, don't bread them. They aren't as crispy, but they are good that way too. 

Mmmmmm. I love apple season!

Fried Apple Rings 
Makes ~10 rings
Adapted from Joy the Baker

For the breading:
1 c. panko bread crumbs
1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 tsp cinnamon

For the batter:
1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1/3 tsp. vanilla

2 Fuji apples
1/2" vegetable oil in a pan, for frying

In a small-ish, wide-mouthed bowl, mix the breading ingredients together. Set aside.

In another small bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt together. Whisk well so all is combined.

In a medium sized wide-mouth bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, and milk together. Whisk in the flour mixture, being sure that it's incorporated so there are no lumps. 

Slice the apples into 1/3" rings. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the center seed pod. Toss them into the batter. 

Heat up 1/2" vegetable oil (or other neutral oil - don't use olive oil) in a large skillet. Drop a small bit of batter in to test and see if it's hot enough to fry. If the batter immediately sizzles and is covered with tiny little bubbles - you're good. If it just sinks to the bottom, the oil needs to be hotter. Be patient. 

Dip the apple rings in the batter, then place in the panko/coconut breading. Be gentle to that the breading doesn't fall off.

If your batter just doesn't stick to the apples, toss them in plain flour first, then batter, then breading.You can also skip the breading part, if you prefer the rings softer and more donut-like.

Toss the breaded rings into the frying oil and allow to cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden. Don't crowd the pan, it will take several batches. 

Keep the rings warm in a 200 degree oven - or just eat them as you go.

Serve warm.