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Red Tart Cherry Fritters

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  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 22 to 23 1x
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: deep fry

Description

These delicious Red Tart Cherry Fritters are studded with tart cherries and they are tender and fluffy.  They are best served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, and they are very addicting!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • Canola or safflower oil for frying, (1 1/2 to 2 inches)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup whole milk, or 2% and half & half combined
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 3 cups tart red cherries, pitted
  • Powdered sugar for dusting


Instructions

  1. Pour the oil into a large dutch oven or deep or medium heavy-bottomed pot.  Place a kitchen thermometer on the side and place it on the stove to have it ready to heat.  Also, have a spider or slotted spoon nearby.  Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and set nearby the stove.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, eggs, butter, and almond extract.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and gently fold it in with a spatula until most of the dry ingredients are wet.  Gently fold in the cherries.  Set aside while you heat the oil.
  4.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat, until a thermometer reaches 350 degrees.  Keep an eye on it.  It can get really hot all at once.  If the heat rises too much, set the dutch oven or pot off the heat until the temperature comes back down to 350 degrees, and be ready to drop the fritter dough into the pot.
  5. Once the heat is at 350 degrees, use a cookie scoop and drop heaping scoopfuls of the fritter dough into the hot oil, making sure you don’t drop more than about 5 to 6 in at a time.  If you drop more, the temperature in the oil will drop.  Cook the fritters, for about 2 minutes, turning once as soon as the fritters are golden brown on one side.  Once the fritters are puffed and golden, remove them from the oil, using a spider or slotted spoon, and transfer them to the wire rack to drain.  Finish making the rest of the fritters.
  6. Generously dust the finished fritters with powdered sugar and serve warm.  These fritters are best served the day they are made.  The next day, warm leftovers in a microwave for about 40 seconds, covered or wrapped in a paper towel.  Generously dust with more powdered sugar.

Notes

  • Be careful when cooking with hot oil.  Do not allow children to assist in making these.  Oil that has been heated to 350 degrees is VERY hot.  They can assist in sprinkling the powdered sugar on them.
  • It really is best to eat these the day they are made.  These are half as good the next day, as with anything deep-fried.
  • Make sure you read the tips above on heating the oil before making this recipe.
  • If you want a glaze on your fritters instead of powdered sugar, whisk together 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of milk, or enough to make it a thin glaze, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract.  Drizzle it over the warm fritters.