lemon ricotta fritters

Lately I've been having severe cravings for sweets. Sweets of all kinds, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream, you name it! The other day I was craving Becker's donuts...but since we live an hour away from Becker's, I knew it wasn't happening. Luckily I found a wonderful substitution!

Recently my husband got me a cookbook I'd been wanting- Donatella Cooks; Simple Food Made Glamorous, by Donatella Arpaia. There are so many amazing looking recipes in this book, but I found one that I had to make immediately- Lemon Ricotta Fritters (read: donuts). I've never made any type of donuts before, but these were incredibly easy and turned out delicious! I think these fritters are best served warm, and with chocolate sauce for dipping. Although they will definitely do in a pinch the following day, just heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave. Personally, I think the next time I make them I'll simply coat them with sugar or powdered sugar, not the cinnamon mixture. And there will most definitely be a next time...


Lemon Ricotta Fritters

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3 tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pound fresh ricotta
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3-4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the eggs and 3 tbsp sugar in a large bowl. Add ricotta, lemon zest, and vanilla and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Gradually add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture and stir until smooth. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot, and faint streaks appear at the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, carefully drop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time into the oil and fry, turning several times, until golden brown. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the fritters from burning. Do not walk away from the pan while the fritters are frying. Drain on paper towels.

Toss the warm fritters in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and pile on a platter. Serve immediately. With chocolate sauce, for added deliciousness.