1. Peel and dice the apples. Since these apple fritters will be fried for only a few short minutes, it is best to keep the apple pieces fairly small, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch cubes, so they can become tender. If they are too big, they will remain crunchy.
   230 grams Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
If you looking for more brightness from the apples, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon on top and mix before adding the apples to the batter. 
2. 2. Pour 1 ½ inches of neutral oil into a heavy pot. I recommend using a Dutch oven since they are better at conducting heat. Using a deep frying thermometer, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. I highly suggest using a frying thermometer to help regulate the oil’s temperature during the frying process.
   Neutral oil for frying
3. While the oil heats, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a medium bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
   140 grams all-purpose flour, 50 grams sugar, 10 grams baking powder, 2 grams cinnamon, 1 gram nutmeg, 1 gram cloves, 3 grams salt
4. To a large bowl, add the milk, eggs, discard, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until there are a few streaks of flour left. Add in the diced apples and mix until incorporated. 
   140 grams milk, 100 grams eggs, 120 grams sourdough discard, 4 grams vanilla extract
5. Once the oil is hot, use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop about a ¼ cup of the batter and drop it into the oil. Use the back of the scoop to flatten and spread out the fritter. This helps for more even frying.
6. Don’t overcrowd the pot and only fry about 3-4 fritters at a time. The temperature of the oil will drop once you add the fritters to the oil, so you may need to adjust the heat setting to keep the oil at 350 degrees F. 

   It’s important to keep an eye on the oil temperature. If it gets too hot, your apple fritters will be burnt on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside or perfectly golden brown on the outside and raw and runny on the inside.
7. After 2 minutes, use a spider wire spoon to turn the fritters to the other side to continue to fry for 2 more minutes, or until the fritters are golden brown all over. 
8. Remove the sourdough apple fritters from the hot oil and place them on top of a wire rack with a paper towel underneath to help drain off the excess oil. 
9. Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter..

Toppings

1. For extra sweetness, these Sourdough Apple Fritters are incredible with a maple glaze or cinnamon sugar. 
2. For the glaze, add powdered sugar, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth. You can dip the warm fritters to be fully covered or use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on top. If dunking, place the fritter on top of a wire rack to remove any excess glaze. 
   260 grams powdered sugar, 60 grams milk, 4 grams vanilla extract, 20 grams maple syrup
3. For cinnamon sugar: Add sugar and ground cinnamon together and mix until combined. Roll the warm sourdough fritters in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. 
   200 grams sugar, 8 grams cinnamon
4. Serve warm and enjoy!