Any Fruit Fritters with Olive Oil

So, fritters are one of my favorite things ever. They are essentially donuts – which literally ARE my favorite things ever, but they are so wildly easy-peasy it’s a wonder I don’t make them everyday. Fritters were first on my radar when I was writing The Vintage Baker. I kept coming across recipes for them in the vintage recipe booklets I used as inspiration when researching and so wasted no time in including one in the book.

That particular recipe was for chai banana fritters, but I then went on to create apple ones, as well as peach. But what I never went on to do, that is until now, is create a fritter recipe calling for olive oil as one of the ingredients (rather than the smidge of melted butter my go-to recipe usually calls for) and as a substitute for the vegetable oil in which I typically fry. But, now that I have baking with olive oil on the brain, due to my fab partnership with Colavita Olive Oil, I began wondering about olive oil fritters (and yes, olive oil donuts may be next . . . ).

But a little olive oil isn’t the only ingredient that brings these fritters into the over-the-top delish camp. There is also a half cup of corn starch in the batter, in addition to the all-purpose flour. The cornstarch makes for an exceptionally crispy fritter, which is key in creating a texturally perfect fritter. I also add an extra yolk in the mix for a moist fritter-interior, and some heavy cream for richness (but you can substitute milk, or even buttermilk, instead). And as for frying in olive oil, it’s a piece of cake and really is no different than frying in vegetable oil (and you can see me do it here). Not sure why I waited so long, to be honest, and hoping you won’t wait very long either . . . 

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5 from 1 vote

Any Fruit Fritters with Olive Oil

Recipe Author Jessie Sheehan

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Colavita Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups diced fruit or berries
• Colavita Olive Oil for frying
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Line a wire rack with a thick layer of paper towels or 1 or 2 large paper grocery bags and set near the cooktop.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, heavy cream, egg, yolk and vanilla, until frothy. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, using a flexible spatula, until just a few streaks of flour remain.
• Fill a large, heavy pot with 2 inches of Colavita olive oil. Attach a deep-fat/candy thermometer to the side of the pot and heat the oil on medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350°F, or a bit above.
• Scoop scant 1 1/2-tablespoon balls of batter, using a cookie scoop or measuring spoons, and place them in the oil. Fry the fritters for about 2 minutes total, gently flipping them over with wooden chopsticks or any two thin utensils at the halfway point, once one side has browned. Depending on the size of your pot and your patience level, you may fry one fritter at a time or several.
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the fritters to the prepared wire rack.
• Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Fritters are best enjoyed warm on the day they are made.