There's something magical about warm apple fritters. There is a kosher bakery near my home that creates the most amazing fritters on Earth - not that I am biased. They are warm, slightly crisp on the outside and bursting with fresh fruit ... and they happen to be the size of my head! When I can't get to the bakery for one or I shouldn't because too many will result in me being the size of a buick, I start to let those memories inspire me. Many a lovely breakfast and dessert have been born out of daydreams of fritters. This month's recipe happens to be yet another of those daydream babies.
I didn't deep fry my fritter-inspired treat. Instead, I pulled out a pocket sandwich maker I had and preheated it while I put together a pretty standard apple fritter batter. I sprayed the sandwich maker liberally with nonstick spray - I used the baking-specific kind - and poured about a third of a cup of the batter into each side of the sandwich maker mold. I closed the mold, let it cook for about ten minutes and, presto, I had a fun little apple pocket. They come of out of the maker very hot, so let them rest on a plate for a bit before serving. You can pick them up and eat them with your hands or dig in with a fork a little sooner. They are great with maple syrup or caramel sauce, or just dusted with granulated or powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Apple Pockets
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped apples, skin-on
Combine the first four ingredients and whisk briskly to combine. Add the baking powder, salt and flour and stir until a soft dough forms. Add the chopped apples and fold into the batter.
Preheat a pocket sandwich maker and spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each side of the machine, close the lid and cook for about 7 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check the top of the pockets. If they aren't golden brown, close the lid and cook an additional minute, checking each time for doneness. Mine took about 10 minutes, in total, to cook. Carefully remove the pockets to a serving plate and drizzle with maple syrup or caramel sauce or dust with powdered or granulated sugar. Enjoy while warm.
- Yields: About 8 pockets
- Preparation Time: 25 minutes