Apple Fritters Recipe (Apfelkuchlein)
This apple fritters recipe has roots in German cooking and used to be made in bulk to serve at Amana colony kitchens but it has been adapted for your home kitchen.
The Inspirationalists generally came to North America from southern Germany — in particular the region of Swabia, for which Stuttgart serves as the principal city. As a result, many Swabian recipes were brought with them from the Old Country, and they would eventually make a prominent appearance in the Amana communal kitchens.
A classic Swabian dessert is Apple Fritters, and, because they were made in large quantities from inexpensive ingredients, they also became a particular favorite in the communal kitchens.
The following recipe comes from Lizzie Siegel, who was the cook at the lower South Amana Hotel. As described in Seasons of Plenty by Emilie Hoppe, just before and after the fall semester at the University of Iowa, South Amana was inundated with University of Iowa students who needed to transfer from the lower South Amana to upper South Amana train stations. At this time during Mitagessen the Hotel kitchen would make large batches of fresh Apfelküchlein which they sold to the enthusiastic crowds.