Fall is indeed the season for apples, but you can definitely make this yummy treat the whole year-round. German Apple Fritters (Apfelküchle) with vanilla sauce is great for snacks or dessert — kids and adults would be asking for more!
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My first German recipe post!
We’ve been living in Frankfurt for three months now – but it took a while to publish a post because we were enjoying our summer too much. So, off we go exploring the charming towns along the Rhine and Mosley valley, sampling wines, of course! 😉
In case you have not heard, they love their apples here in Frankfurt. So much so that their favorite drink is made out of it – ‘Apfelwein‘ (Apple Wine).
Since making that is too complicated, I decided to start with the simplest but deliciously addictive German apple fritters with vanilla sauce.
Ingredients
- Milk – regular full-cream milk
- Flour – although I have never seen so many varieties of flour as I have seen in Germany, all-purpose flour is excellent for these apple fritters.
- Butter – unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs – room temperature
- Vanilla
- Oil – use vegetable oil, not olive oil; any vegetable oil with no taste (neutral).
- White wine
- Apples – you can use whatever type of apple you want.
I generally prefer the green ones, because of their tartness. It goes so well with the sweetness of the vanilla sauce, plus you can sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on these fried apples as well if you think they’re not sweet enough.
Preparation
Start by preparing the vanilla sauce. Combine and mix egg yolks, a quarter cup of milk, and corn starch in a small bowl (photo 1).
Using a small saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, sugar, and vanilla over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Take the pan off the heat and slowly add the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly.
Place the pan back into the heat and bring to a boil; the sauce will thicken at this point (photo 2).
Take the sauce off the heat and set it aside for serving.
Using a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolk, wine, sugar, and salt. Beat until it gets foamy.
Add flour and melted butter while continually mixing to combine (photo 3).
Set this batter aside for at least fifteen minutes.
Take this time to core, peel, and slice the apples into rounds (about ¼ inch thick). Squeeze some lemon juice on them to avoid discoloration (photo 4).
On a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff, then fold it into the batter to combine (photo 5).
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and once the oil is ready, adjust the heat into medium.
Dip a slice of the apple into the batter and coat it evenly (photo 6).
Start frying the fritters by carefully lowering them into the oil (photo 7).
Once the fried apples are slightly brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and place them on top of a paper towel to absorb excess oil (photo 8).
Serve with vanilla sauce or sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, if desired.
Helpful tips
- Do not cut the apples too thick (but not too thin either). No more than ¼ of an inch is alright. For your reference, I usually get eight-round slices from a medium-sized apple.
- If you are concerned about the amount of oil for frying, use a frying pan instead of a saucepan and pour just enough oil to slightly submerge the fritters. It does not need to be deep-fried.
Some locals even use clarified butter, so definitely not deep frying.
FAQs
- CAN I USE BAKING POWDER?
I’ve never encountered a serving of German apple fritters that used baking powder – and in case you’re wondering, yes, I did ask how they do it. 🙂
They said the traditional way is to use white wine or beer, not baking powder. So, no-brainer on what I will be using, right?
- CAN I USE VANILLA EXTRACT?
You can, but I find that using vanilla pod is noticeably better, both in aroma and flavor.
Oh! And this vanilla sauce is more like a custard – so don’t be surprised when you see the consistency of the sauce.
If you want to try another traditional German dish, then you should head straight to German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)!
Or perhaps another easy apple recipe? Check out my post on Tuscan Apple Cake!
German Apple Fritters (Apfelküchle)
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Sauce:
- 1 cup milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pc vanilla pod, seeds scraped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
For the Apple Fritters:
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted
- 3 medium apples
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying
- cinnamon powder & more sugar (optional)
Instructions
For the Vanila Sauce:
- Combine egg yolks, ¼ cup of milk and corn starch in a bowl. Mix.
- In a small saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, sugar, and vanilla over medium heat. Mix and bring to a boil.
- Take the sauce off the heat and slowly add the egg yolk mixture while stirring constantly.
- Place the saucepan back on the heat and bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken at this point.
- Take off the heat and set it aside for serving.
For the Apple Fritters:
- In a medium to a large bowl, combine egg yolk, wine, sugar, and salt. Beat until it gets foamy.
- Add flour, then mix.
- Add melted butter and mix. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, core, peel, and slice the apples into rounds (about ¼ inch thick). Squeeze some lemon juice on the sliced apples to avoid discoloration.
- Beat the egg white until stiff. Fold the beaten egg white into the batter.
- Using a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is ready, adjust the heat into medium.
- Dip a slice of the apple into the batter and start frying.
- Once the fritters are slightly brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and place them on top of a paper towel (to absorb excess oil).
- Serve these fried apples with vanilla sauce or sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, if desired.
Notes
- To save time, you can prepare the vanilla sauce while frying the apple fritters simultaneously.
- Feel free to use your favorite type of apple for this apple fritters recipe.
- If you don’t want to use wine, beer can be an alternative, but not baking powder.
- Make sure you do not cut the apples too thick (or too thin). No more than ¼ of an inch is alright. As a reference, I generally get eight-round slices from a medium-sized apple.
- There is no need to deep-fry the fritters. Use just enough oil to submerge the apple fritters slightly.
Margot says
Guten Tag, from what I saw of the ingredients, the dough making should be a breeze. When I learned how to make Apfelkuechle, there was no wine available. Your recipe sounds just right. I looked it up so I would have the exact measurements. Thank you for reminding me. Bon appetit.
Margot Helquist
Neriz says
Danke Margot 🙂