It's Fall.. Time for apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon!

  This time of year is probably my absolute favorite! The colors, smells, and tastes of Autumn are so heartwarming. The weather is perfect too. I love being able to throw on a sweater, hat, and scarf and go for a cool, relaxing, not humid walk. I'll admit it, I do purposely step on every leaf that I can just to hear the crunching sound (hehe).

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  Of course, what is Fall without baking? I get excited when I see apples and apple cider in the store. I start thinking about all the things that I could bake. I can almost smell the cinnamon and apples just standing near them in the store. I imagine making apple pie, skillet apple pie, apple turnovers, apple galette, fresh applesauce, and baked apples.

                                                         http://www.kitchensurvival101.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/apple-cider.jpg

  One of my favorite things to bake with apples are apple fritters. So simple to make but loaded with Fall flavor. There is nothing like having a hot cup of coffee and a fresh apple fritter in the morning.
You will eventually notice that one of my go-to recipe providers will be +America's Test Kitchen . I really enjoy all of their recipes and I feel like I can trust their recipes to always have a positive result. America's Test Kitchen has a cooking show called Cook's Country where they do more traditional recipes. In their Feb/Mar issue they tackled reinventing homemade apple fritters so that they would be full of apple flavor. I had never made fritters before so I was nervous about them turning out but Test Kitchen makes everything clear and easy to understand. After tasting the fritters, I was extremely pleased with the result and couldn't wait to share them with my family. Definitely the best tasting fritter I've ever had. The flavors are way better than anything you could buy from a grocery store bakery. Taking the time and work to make them is well worth it!

  I highly recommend that you try these apple fritters. Below is the recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Enjoy!    

Ingredients

For the Fritters

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup apple cider
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 cups vegetable peanut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon groud nutmeg

Directions:
Spread prepared apples in single layer on paper towel–lined baking sheet and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. 

Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl. Whisk cider, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until combined. Stir apples into flour mixture. Stir in cider mixture until incorporated.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.  Use 1/3-cup measure to transfer 5 heaping portions of batter to oil. Press batter lightly with back of spoon to flatten. Fry, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees, until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining batter. Let fritters cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk confectioners’ sugar, cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl until smooth. Top each fritter with 1 heaping tablespoon glaze. Let glaze set 10 minutes. Serve.