Apple Fritter Donuts with Brown Butter Maple Glaze

• Add the active dry yeast, 1 tbsp of sugar, and warm milk (about 105-110 degrees F) to a medium bowl. Whisk together and let sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy and bubbly. Then add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract and whisk together until smooth. 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast 3/4 cup Whole Milk 2 Eggs 1/4 cup Sour Cream 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• Add remaining ½ cup sugar (100g), bread flour, kosher salt, and nutmeg to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together, then pour in the yeast/milk mixture. Use a flat spatula or wooden spoon to mix together until a shaggy dough forms and there’s no patches of flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for 15 minutes. This gives the flour time to hydrate before adding the butter. 1/2 cup Sugar 4 1/4 cups Bread Flour 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• Place the bowl onto the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and mix together on medium speed. Begin adding the butter, 1 tbsp at a time, ensuring that each addition the butter is fully incorporated prior to adding more, it’ll take about 15-30 seconds between each addition. (the dough may break apart, this is normal, it will come back together once all of the butter is fully incorporated) 8 tbsp Salted Butter
• Once all of the butter has been added, increase the mixer to high speed and knead for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a cohesive ball. (if needed, stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl if the dough begins collecting on the bottom or sides of the bowl). Avoid adding extra flour unless absolutely necessary.
• Lightly flour your hands to make the dough easier to handle. Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Make the Apple Filling

• While the dough rises, make the apple filling. Dice the apples into small ¼ to ½ inch pieces. (no need to peel the apples) 1 lb Honeycrisp Apples
• Add the apples to a skillet with the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and kosher salt. Cook over medium heat for about 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften but still hold their shape. 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 2 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• Whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth, then pour it over the apples. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the juices thicken and coat the apples. It'll begin to look syrupy. 2 tbsp Cornstarch 2 tbsp Water
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer the filling to a shallow bowl or plate and allow it to cool completely before adding it to the dough. Completely cooling the apple filling is important. Warm or overly juicy apples can soften the dough and make the fritters harder to shape and more likely to separate while frying. 1 tbsp Salted Butter

Make the Brown Butter Maple Cinnamon Glaze

• Make the donut glaze so that it’s ready by the time the donuts come out of the oil. Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium low and cook until foamy on top, stirring often, until browned bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan. It should also smell nutty/caramel-like. 1/2 cup Salted Butter
• Pour butter into a medium bowl and add powdered sugar, maple syrup, 4 tablespoons whole milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of kosher salt. 2 cups Powdered Sugar 1/4 cup Maple Syrup 4-5 tbsp Whole Milk 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/8 tsp Nutmeg Pinch Kosher Salt
• Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is smooth and pourable but still thick enough to coat the fritters. Set aside.

Shape the Apple Fritters

• Once the dough has doubled, gently turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat or roll it into a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick.
• Spread the cooled apple filling onto the dough. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of flour (43g) and 1 tbsp of cinnamon on top of the apples, then roll the dough into a log (like when forming cinnamon rolls). ⅓ cup All Purpose Flour 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the log horizontally into 1 inch strips, then cut vertically to create a cross hatch pattern. Roughly chop a few more times so that the apples are mixed well into the dough chunks.
• Gently pile the pieces together and lightly press them into one mass. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon-flour mixture as needed to keep the pieces from becoming overly wet or slippery.
• Divide the dough into 10 fritters, (I used a heaping ½ cup of dough, about 120g) and press each portion together to form a rough fritter shape Gently press each fritter together and sprinkle with flour (don’t be afraid to use a lot of flour here) so that the fritter sticks together and doesn’t fall apart.
• Place the shaped fritters onto individual squares of parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap while the oil heats. Don’t let it sit for too long, they’ll puff up too much and fall apart during frying.

Fry the Fritters

• Heat 1 ½-2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350-375°F. Use a candy thermometer to ensure the oil is heated properly, if the oil is too hot, the fritters will burn. Too cold, the fritters will be greasy and fall apart.
• Working in batches, carefully add 1-2 fritters into the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Keep the oil temperature as close to 350°F as possible between batches.
• Transfer the finished fritters to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and allow them to cool slightly (about 2 minutes).
• (if the glaze has stiffened, microwave for about 10-15 seconds until it loosens up) Dip or spoon the glaze over the warm apple fritters for a thinner glaze. For a thicker set glaze, let them cool completely before icing. Place them back on the wire rack and let the glaze set before serving.