If you’ve ever been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area of Tennessee, you’ve likely dined at The Apple Barn & Cider Mill. That’s where I remember first trying an apple fritter on a weekend getaway with my family as a teenager. When I lived in Lexington, I loved when Gluten Free Miracles would offer Apple Fritter Donuts as a flavor on their donut days! I keep an ongoing list of sweet treats I’d like to make or try as a gluten free version and apple fritters have been on that list for a long, long time! This weekend I gave them a try with a recipe I found on Pinterest. I like to keep it real on here and to be real with you, I messed up and they didn’t turn out as great as I’d hope.

While it’s understandable folks might not want to read about a recipe that didn’t go well, the concept of my blog is more of the journey of learning and getting comfortable cooking/baking when you have a gluten intolerance of food allergies - or you’re cooking for a loved one in one or multiple of those categories! Or maybe you’re just learning to cook regular food! Whatever the case, I want to be your cheerleader in trying new things, experimenting with your food and just enjoying your daily time in the kitchen!

Let me also be clear in saying that I don’t think this is a bad recipe, it’s actually a great recipe, I just had some hiccups along the way and after trying it, I think I’m maybe looking for a different type of recipe! (Or maybe I need to figure out my own recipe… OR better yet, maybe I just really butchered this one by switching things ups!!) Again, it’s about the learning experience / journey, not so much a perfect final product!!

So let’s get into it… In my opinion, (Darrell doesn’t quite agree), they turned out too dry. So what happened?

Well for starters, I swapped the rice flour for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Now I didn’t do a deep dive into this but here’s what I gleaned from a basic google search about swapping flour:

So while I didn’t use “regular” flour, I used a gluten free 1-to-1, it assumes the role of a regular flour which is (apparently) not equivalent to rice flour. So that could be part of the issue.

Another potential issue: I measured out 3 TABLESPOONS of baking powder instead of 3 TEASPOONS. Baking soda is white. Similarly, much of the other dry ingredients were white. I tried my best to scoop out the excess baking powder but it was impossible to know if I got it all and I truly think I left too much in the mix. What does too much baking powder do? Well for apple fritters specifically, I’m not entirely sure. Upon consulting google again, it seems this would cause issues I didn’t experience (like a bitter taste or rising too quickly and then collapsing).

Otherwise, they looked and smelled amazing, although I thought they turned out rather large and would personally prefer something smaller with maybe less cinnamon.

Given my experience, I’d like to try this recipe again and use rice flour (and the correct amount of baking powder lol) to see what difference it makes. You can find this recipe from the website Officially Gluten Free by clicking here.

I’d love to learn some tips or pointers from any experienced gluten free bakers who follow me and hear what you’ve discovered in the world of gluten free baking! I have so much to learn!

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian or medical professional and while I share what ingredients work for me or what I choose to eat (at my own risk) while dining out, I advise you do your homework when choosing ingredients and places to eat. I highly encourage everyone to do their own research when it comes to the products they cook with or restaurant’s procedures. I do not have celiac disease but rather a gluten-intolerance and I’m not an expert on gluten or other food intolerances, autoimmune diseases, or food allergies. I simply share the ingredients I have found work for me, the places where I’ve dined and my personal experiences.