Appelbeignets are a very common traditional NYE snack in the Netherlands. They are usually made at the same time as Dutch Oliebollen - Great LC Holiday Bakeoff 2024 Entry as both are made in a similar way in a deep fat fryer.
As we only had one guest over I only made appelbeignets this year, no oliebollen. Last year I didn’t include the recipe for appelbeignets, so here we go.
For 15:
3 apples ( I used jonagold)
0.5 cup all purpose flour (125 gr)
slightly more than 0,5 cup of milk (150 ml ) - target for right in between the 1/2 and 3/4 line on the cup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
pinch of salt
Deep fat fryer filled with sunflower oil, heated to 180 C / 375 F. You can also fry on the stovetop but it’s more difficult.
Mix dry ingredients, stir in wet ingredients until you’ve got a batter without lumps. The colour is unappealing because of the cinnamon but it looks better when they’re fried.
Core and peel the apples. Cut each apple in 5 bits about 0,5 inch wide (1.5 cm).
Dreg each apple through the batter. Use a fork to gently lower them in the oil. They drop to the bottom first, then they’ll rise up and float. Turn around after around 3 minutes and fry the other side for a minute. Use a metal slotted spoon to take them out and place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
2
Looks yummy! Do the apples stay crunchy cooked this way or do they soften? I love apples so this would be a nice change from stewed apples or applesauce!
They look so yummy! We have a deep fryer but I seldom use it because it needs so much oil. I wonder if these could be adapted for an air fryer. Maybe with a thicker dough.
@AIMR the apples become soft, but still retain their shape, they aren’t fried long enough to become applesauce.
I like to use Jonagold apples because they’re big, sweet and quite firm. Maybe other apples might turn mushy. Some people add a bit of sugar to the batter but for us, these apples are sweet enough. You might want to add a little sugar to the batter if you’re using apples that aren’t as sweet.
@Tapestry I know some people make them in an airfryer, I don’t know how as I’ve never had one. We have a smaller deep fat fryer that only needs about 3 liters of sunflower oil. Alternatively if you make them on the stovetop I think 2 inches of oil would be enough.
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AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
7
I have found that most batters are too wet for our air fryer. The dough does not set properly. For a small batch, I have used a small saucepan as a deep fryer so as not to use too much oil. It is a pain because you can only do about 4 at a time, but that might be fine!
Thanks for the info. That makes sense regarding the air fryer.
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
9
We tried fried oysters but the oysters had too much water content and did not crisp up at all. I just think some things are best fried the old fashioned way, but not eaten as often if people are concerned with healthier eating. I have a very large container that has fry oil in it. As long as you skim out any of the particles, it seems to store just fine for about a year. I smell it to make sure it doesn’t go rancid.
We use the fryer once a year, if that, so any oil I use is soon diacarded, alas. I do fry things in my pans fairly often, though. Mostly taco shells. My reluctance is more a matter of waste on our part than health (though I probably should be considering that more). I’ll try the small pan method to fry them as that seems more up my alley!
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AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
11
When I purchased a fryer, the only condition Mr. Imma set was it can only come out during the Christmas period. He doesn’t want to be tempted to make fried snacks every time he’s hungry late at night. So I make the most out of it lol. I make homemade fries a couple of time in the past few weeks, I fried some spring rolls, and before I put it away on Sunday I’ll fry a few batches of homemade oven fries. Instead of double-frying them in the fryer like you would normally do, I fry them once in the fryer, then freeze them. Later on when we want to eat them I bake them in the oven (I’m sure this would work in the airfryer too).
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AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
13
I mostly use my air fryer for tater tots and french fries or for reheating things like pizza, which we rarely eat (maybe once every few months?)
I didn’t think of spring rolls or goyza (dumplings!). A bowl of fruit sits in front of ours so it is not so tempting to use…
They sound amazing!!