Its almost Berry Season!!! This time of year I love making blueberry, blackberry and lemon flavored recipes! :)

Fritters are my favorite donut to make (are they even a donut/doughnut?) I’m not really sure to be honest. But that’s how I think of them since they are soft and fluffy on inside and crisp on the outside. Who’s to say that only apples should go into fritters?? I love experimenting with different flavors. Last August I posted a peach fritter recipe too. :)

Unlike most donuts you don’t have to take the time to shape them! Its as simple as mixing up the batter with a whisk, stirring in the blueberries and then spooning the batter into hot oil to fry for 5-10 minutes. They are nearly impossible to mess up.

As long as you have an instant read thermometer for the oil and follow the gram measurements for the batter you’ll end up with beautiful delicious blueberry fritters.

Fresh or Frozen Blueberries?

For this recipe fresh is the only option. Frozen tend to have quite a bit more moisture that releases when they are heated (plus they break down more). This will make for soggy fritters that don’t get nearly as crispy and splatter a lot when fried. Fresh is best!

Using other gluten free all purpose flour blends

The bad news is that there isn’t truly a gluten free measure for measure flour or cup for cup. Its a marketing ploy. There are blends that work decent in place but never exactly. Each and every blend is totally different. For example I LOVE better batter - but in this recipe it would make for some seriously gummy fritters.. I chose King Arthur as its lower in gum and therefore I knew my muffins would end up soft, light and delicate.

So of course you are welcome to experiment. But please keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Any change means the recipe will change. I opted to use King Arthur as I think its the easiest gluten free flour blend to come by these days.

Expandex

These muffins are special because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.

Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.

Gluten Free Blueberry Fritters with Lemon Glaze

Yield: 12 Fritters

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

I'm not sure if fritters are considered a type of donut- though I tend to lump them into that category. They are my favorite fried treat to make as they are really quick to throw together, they don't have to look perfect and the payoff is huge. Apple fritters are best known- but who's to say they should be the only fruit used? If you enjoy these you may also love the peach cobbler fritters here in Club Angell as well.

Ingredients

Several inches of oil for frying (vegetable, Palm shortening or coconut)
2 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Potato Starch (83 grams)
1/2 Cup King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for measure flour (81 grams)
1 Tbsp Potato Flour
3 1/2 Tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
1- 2 Tsp Double acting baking powder (1 tsp makes them moderately fluffy/ 2 tsp makes them EXTRA soft and fluffy).
1/2 Tsp salt
85 grams of milk (Any variety dairy or nondairy)
1.5 Tbsp mild flavored oil or melted butter
2 Cup powdered Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
Pinch of Salt
2 1/2 Cups Fresh Dried Blueberries

Lemon Glaze

2 Cup powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Pinch of Salt
3 Tbsp Milk or Water.
Lemon zest to sprinkle on top of fritters (optional)

Instructions

Place a pot safe for frying on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Add 2-3 inches of oil. It takes the oil some time to heat up at an even pace. The ideal frying temperature is anywhere from 315 -330 degrees. Give the oil a head start to slowly warm up for 15 minutes before starting the fritters.
Add to a mixing bowl the eggs. vanilla, potato starch, King Arthur, potato flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Add in the eggs, milk & oil and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Gently stir in the blueberries (We don't want to break them!)
Using a large every day spoon scoop the batter onto it. Then carefully use a second spoon to push the batter off of the first spoon into the hot oil. Its best to start with a test fritter to make sure your oil is at the right temperature. After making the test fritter and adding more batter be careful not to over crowd the pan. Let the fritter fry for a few minutes before touching or flipping it. The time it takes to fry will vary based on the temperature. it can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to get them perfectly golden brown and fully cooked through. It they brown quickly this means your oil is too hot. If they don't fluffy up much this means your oil is not hot enough. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer!
While they fry make your glaze by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Place them on a plate with a paper towel. Once just cool enough to pick up dip them in the glaze (or drizzle it on).
They taste best shortly after being fried! Store at room temp in a sealed container once cool. Eat within 1-2 days. If you plan to reheat them- skip the glaze and warm them up In an air fryer at 400 degrees. Then glaze before serving.