Appelflappen – New Year's snack from the Netherlands

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 4 large apples (Boskoop)
• 200 g sugar (bastard sugar)* alternatively regular white sugar
• lots of cinnamon powder
• 700 g flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 700 ml milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 liters of sunflower oil for frying
• Powdered sugar or sugar, for sprinkling
• Cinnamon powder for sprinkling

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

for approx. 64 pieces

* Bastard sugar, or bastard sugar from the Netherlands, is essentially regular, refined white sugar to which an invert sugar solution and a little caramel have been added. It contains more moisture than granulated sugar, so baked goods tend to dry out less quickly. It is available in white, medium brown, and dark brown. White is used here. Peel the apples, cut them into approximately 1 cm thick slices, and then remove the cores (it’s easier to see this way). Mix the sugar with the cinnamon until it forms a light brown mixture and let the apple slices marinate in it for a few hours. To do this, dip the slices one at a time in the mixture, then stack them in a pot or large bowl and cover with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Mix the baking powder with the flour. Pour 400 ml of milk into a bowl and slowly add the mixed flour, stirring constantly. Once the batter is creamy and slurry, slowly add the remaining milk while stirring. Then mix in the eggs, vanilla sugar, and salt thoroughly. Heat the oil in a sufficiently large pot. (You can also use a deep fryer.) It’s hot enough when bubbles rise from a wooden spoon placed in the oil. Skewer the apple slices one at a time with a fork, dip them in the batter, and add them to the hot oil. Don’t add too many at once; they shouldn’t touch each other. When the edges are brown, turn the slices over and fry the other side until crispy. Then lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Place them on a paper towel to absorb the fat. Mix powdered sugar or sugar with cinnamon. Place the apple slices on a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve while still warm. Tip: If you don’t want to eat them right away, place a layer of paper towel between each layer to prevent them from becoming too soft. But children love it when the slices are thickly sprinkled with sugar and soak up the sugar.