The Easiest Apple Fritters Of Your Life Require Just 2 Ingredients

The internet never fails to do the impossible by simplifying traditional recipes to just a few all-star ingredients that can fulfill the job of other components. Easy three-ingredient recipes are common, but the food blog Kirbie's Cravings brings us two-ingredient apple fritters — a dessert that typically calls for over a dozen different elements, not counting the oil they're fried in or the glaze drizzled on top. All you need are apples and self-rising flour.

To make this a truly two-ingredient recipe, the apples are mashed for applesauce and chopped up for the batter. However, buying applesauce as a shortcut is also an option. The applesauce is able to do the work of several common ingredients found in apple fritters: It replaces refined sugar or sweetened apple cider or juice with natural apple sugar and flavor, acts as a binding agent in place of eggs, and provides moisture like butter or oil. The self-rising flour also takes care of three ingredients in one mixture: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. You can even make your own self-rising flour if you have all three on hand.

Once the applesauce and self-rising flour are combined, a thick, soft batter should form, and then the chopped apples can be gently folded throughout. Baking these apple fritters is just as easy (if not easier) as making the batter. Dollop 2 1/2 to 3-inch rounds of the batter onto a parchment-lined air fryer insert, space them about 2 inches apart, and then air-fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on top.

While a few simple additions will cause these fritters to stray from two ingredients, they can easily elevate the dessert. Several teaspoons of different warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or an apple pie spice blend can be mixed within the batter to effortlessly add flavor or texture. Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries, or even pumpkin seeds can be thrown in. If a glaze drizzled on top of apple fritters is a non-negotiable for you as it is for me, a classic glaze for baked goods only requires three ingredients. For these apple fritters, consider combining a cup of powdered sugar, a few tablespoons of apple cider or juice, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon.

If you have some apples lying around and flour in your pantry, you can have a delicious homemade dessert ready in under an hour. Since these apple fritters are beginner friendly, it's easy for kids to participate in making them. What's more, without the use of any added, refined sugar or deep frying that traditional apple fritters call for, this is a significantly lighter version that anyone can feel good about eating.