I’m not entirely sure about the regional availability of Shopper’s Food Warehouse, but it has always been my mom’s favorite grocery store, and it still is. What stands out most vividly in my memory is the doughnut display. Oh, those colossal doughnuts! Yes, that’s what they were called. For just 59 cents, you could indulge in a doughnut of any flavor imaginable, each one literally the size of my 10-year-old face. It’s no surprise that I was a chubby kid back then.
But beyond the doughnuts, there was something even more remarkable – the apple fritters. Just the thought of them makes me nostalgic and hungry. While the doughnuts were as big as my 10-year-old face, the fritters were as big as my 25-year-old face. Crispy on the outside, with huge chunks of cinnamon-y apple nestled in an ooey-gooey doughy center, and a sugar glaze that was about an inch thick all over… oh, the memories!
Now, my homemade apple fritters aren’t quite as large as my face, nor are they as doughy, or covered in as much sugar as those from the store. But let me tell you, they are incredibly delicious. They’re more like fried apple pancakes, really. There’s just something magical about the combination of apples and cinnamon – fried to perfection to achieve a crispy, crunchy caramel crust all over, and then drizzled with a little honey – it’s enough to make me weak at the knees.
If you’re aiming for super-duper healthiness and want to skip the sugar altogether, you can leave out the honey entirely, and they’ll still be divine on their own or paired with a dollop of almond butter. Ah, almond butter…
**Ingredients:**
– 2 tablespoons of honey (optional)
– 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
– 1/4 cup of flax meal
– Coconut oil for frying
– 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
– 1/4 teaspoon of salt
– 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
– 5 eggs
– 4 green apples
– 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
**Instructions:**
1. Grate the apples using a hand grater – do NOT attempt this in a food processor or you’ll end up with applesauce. We want grated apples, not applesauce. Pat the grated apples dry with paper towels.
2. Combine the grated apples with all the other ingredients and mix well.
3. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Don’t be shy with the oil – we like it generously greased around here .
4. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning. Transfer to paper towels to drain any excess oil.
5. Serve the fritters hot, with honey and/or almond butter if desired!
