Make Banana Fritters

Banana fritters are a delicious dessert that can be served up in a jiffy. Crisp on the outside while hot and soft on the inside, banana fritters taste like balls of moist fried banana bread and are great served with ice cream. As long as you have a couple of ripe bananas, you can easily find the ingredients needed to make banana fritters right in your pantry for a quick and convenient treat.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 cups (473.18 ml) all purpose flour
• ½ (2.46 ml) teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup (118.3 ml) sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (473.18 ml) cooking oil
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.23 ml) salt
• ½ teaspoon (2.46 ml) cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon (2.46 ml) vanilla extract
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• pinch of ground cardamom (optional)
• 1 Tbsp (14.79 ml) confectionary sugar (optional)

Steps

Preparing the Fritter Mixture

1. Mash the bananas. Peel both of the bananas and slice them into small chunks. Then place the chunks in a sturdy, medium sized bowl and mash them using a potato masher or with a fork. If you don’t have a potato masher, place the slices in a blender or food processor.
   • You can also mash with a large spoon, though it may take slightly longer.
2. Beat in the egg. Crack the egg into the bowl with the mashed bananas and use a whisk to beat it in. Whisk until all the egg, including the yolk, is fully incorporated in the mixture.
3. Sprinkle in the sugar. Sprinkle in half the sugar and use the whisk to stir it in. Then pour in the rest of the sugar and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved in the mixture.
4. Add the spices and the vanilla extract. Measure out and add the cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. You can also add the cardamom and nutmeg if you wish for a more complex taste. Stir to mix.
5. Add the flour and baking powder incrementally. Measure out the flour in a measuring cup and add the ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Then pour the flour and baking powder gradually into the banana mixture, stirring continuously until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
   • You can also use an electric mixer to help mix.

Deep-Frying the Fritters

1. Heat 2 cups of cooking oil on medium heat. Put a small deep skillet over medium heat and heat up 2 cups of oil. Make sure that the oil is thoroughly heated before starting to fry the fritters.
   • Try to use a cooking oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut or vegetable oil, as opposed to one with a low smoke point, like olive oil.
   • You need to use a large amount of oil for deep-frying so that the fritters are partially submerged and can get crispy.
2. Add in scoops of the mixture to the skillet. Once the oil has heated, use a serving spoon to scoop up a round spoonful of batter, then drop it into the oil. The batter will start frying immediately and keep its round shape. Drop in more scoops to the skillet, spacing them out so they don’t stick together.
3. Turn over the fritters after they get golden around the bottom. After you see that the round fritters are getting golden around the bottom, use a spatula to flip them over so they can fry evenly. It should take only about 30 seconds for the fritters to get golden on each side, so be watchful.
4. Check that the fritters are done. When the fritters are browned all around, about one minute, use the spatula to press down lightly on the fritters and see if they have finished cooking. If no batter oozes out of them, they are finished frying.

Pan-Frying the Fritters

1. Heat 2 tablespoons (29.57 ml) cooking oil on medium heat. Some prefer to pan-fry their banana fritters in flat pancakes rather than to deep-fry them to make spherical fritters. To pan-fry, pour in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into a pan and wait for it to heat.
   • Pan-frying requires less oil and makes fritters that are softer and less crispy. It is a healthier option if you are counting calories and fat.
2. Spoon the batter into the pan. Use a large serving spoon to pour the batter into the pan. Try to create a flat shape like a pancake rather than a spherical ball. This will ensure that the entire surface of the fritter fries equally in the oil.
   • Because flat fritters take up more space on the pan, you may have to fry in batches depending on the size of your pan. Make sure to give each fritter enough space, and don't overlap them.
3. Flip the fritters when they are browned on the bottom. Use a spatula to turn over the fritters when they are browned and look slightly crisped on the bottom, around one minute. Then cook the fritters on the other side for another minute.
4. Check if the fritters are done. After the fritters look browned on both sides, press a spatula gently on each fritter pancake. If batter oozes out, continue cooking. Otherwise, remove the fritters from the pan.

Serving the Fritters

1. Place the fritters on a paper towel. Once you’ve ensured the fritters are done, immediately take them out of the skillet with the serving spoon or spatula and drop them onto a layer of paper towel. The paper towel will absorb the excess oil from the fritters.
2. Sprinkle the fritters with sugar. If you want to give your banana fritters a little extra sweetness on top, sprinkle them with confectionary sugar or plain white sugar. You can also leave them as is if you prefer.
3. Serve the fritters while hot. Banana fritters are meant to be eaten hot while the outside is still crispy. Because the texture is much different when they have cooled, serve them immediately.
4. Accompany the fritters with ice cream. Vanilla ice cream is a classic accompaniment to banana fritters. Because it is cool, creamy and soft, ice cream perfectly offsets the hot and crispy banana fritter.
   • Other great topping for banana fritters are yogurt and whip cream. You can even top the fritters with berries or drizzle them with hot fudge or maple syrup! Don't be afraid to experiment with your toppings!

Tips

• Because banana fritters are served hot, make sure that you prepare them at the right time, when you’re in the mood for dessert!
• Use a spatula or spoon to remove the fritters from the skillet rather than pouring them out of the skillet along with the excess oil.

Sources and Citations

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See also

• Make Bananas in Coconut Milk
• Cook Green Bananas
• Make Banana Chips
• Ripen Plantains
• Ripen Bananas Quickly
• Use Banana Peels
• Keep Bananas from Ripening Too Fast
• Freeze Bananas
• Make a Banana Split
• Make Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas

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