3-Ingredient Apple Fritters Couldn't Be Easier To Make This Fall

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Apple cinnamon is one of fall's most iconic flavors, an infusion of sweetness and comfort that spices up everything from candles to coffee cake as soon as September arrives. It's a transitional flavor combination, leading us from late summer into the cooler weather months — and you don't have to spend the day in the apple orchard to enjoy the festivities. You definitely don't need to know the names of 25 types of apples and how to use them either. Instead of working for hours over a homemade apple pie and picking the fruit yourself, make your house smell like fall by baking an easy batch of 3-ingredient apple fritters for a simple dessert.

Fritters are deep-fried or baked lumps of dough, spiced with mulling spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and filled with vegetables or fruit — often apples. They taste decadent and seasonal with a sturdy texture that isn't too dense, and you can mix up a batch of apple fritters in less than half an hour with just three ingredients: store bought cinnamon apple sauce, apples, and self-rising flour. You don't need eggs or dairy, and the recipe can easily be made gluten-free if you use self-rising gluten-free flour, like this one from Gluvana. Make the dough by mixing cinnamon apple sauce and flour, create the fritters by folding sliced apples into each, and bake for 20 minutes — just enough time to draw everyone together for a tasty dessert.

Fritters are the delicious way to use up bland canned veggies, but you're missing out if you haven't tried making them with apples — and there are a few different ways to make them. Adjust the amount of apple and cinnamon flavors in your fritters by adding a little extra cinnamon into the dough or by skipping cinnamon entirely and placing the focus on the apples. Use sweet apples like Fuji or Honeycrisp and chop them into small pieces so they'll soften while baking. Substitute pancake mix for regular self-rising flour for an extra fluffy texture, and add a brown butter glaze with powdered sugar and a bit of vanilla for a touch of elegance and sweetness.

Homemade apple fritters are a great fall dessert, fresh-baked or reheated after a couple of days in an airtight container. There are plenty of twists on apple fritters that use the traditional recipe as a jumping off point, though. Drizzle apple fritters in a thick layer of homemade caramel or melted chocolate, and incorporate dried fruit like cranberries and raisins and nuts like pecans and walnuts for extra texture.