The other day I woke up and decided to try making baked donuts. I've been strictly a fried donut type of gal but I thought that maybe it was time to give baked donuts a try. I mean, they can't be that bad, right? So I got to work. I tried recipe after recipe, making adjustments here and there, but I just couldn't replicate the type of donut I had in mind. In my head, I imagined the baked donut to be like a cakey donut, with almost a crisp exterior and dense but moist crumb. Well, suffice to say, after about 6 batches I threw in the towel. I went back to the drawing board and whipped up these Meyer lemon fritters instead. And you know what? These are significantly better.
Meyer Lemon Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 tbsp Meyer lemon zest
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp dry milk powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, plain (115 grams)
- 1 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat frying oil to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, milk powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add them to the dry ingredients along with the yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla. Combine the ingredients just until combined.
- Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons of the fritter batter into the oil and fry until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on paper towels. Let cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Dust the Meyer lemon fritters generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
With Meyer lemons popping up left and right, it only seemed right that I incorporate the citrus into these fritters. If Meyer lemons aren't in season, you can swap them out for regular lemons or use another citrus like grapefruit or orange.
The Meyer lemon fritter can't be easier to make. All you have to do is combine the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients, and then stir everything together just until combined. Easy peasy!
If you don't have dry milk powder, you can omit the ingredient but I love adding it to desserts because it makes them more tender.
Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons of the fritter batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. I like to use a small scooper to make the fritters the same size and make it easier to drop into the oil. Once the fritters are a lovely brown, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on paper towels.
Let the fritters cool slightly and then dust them with a generous coating of powdered sugar. If the fritters are too hot when you add the sugar, it'll just melt away.
The actual fritter batter isn't that sweet so it needs that extra bit of sugar. If you want to skip the sugar, you can serve the Meyer lemon fritters with a fruit jam instead.
When I started this journey, I wanted to replicate baked powdered donuts. Instead, I ended up with fried Meyer lemon fritters. But after eating one too many of these, I can't complain! They are the perfect texture with a lovely hint of lemon and just the right amount of sugar. So, turns out it was a success somehow!
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