Butternutty Apple Fritters – A Versatile Baby Finger Food and Meal Side

 

Turn Butternut Squash and Apples Into a Tasty Finger Food and Side Dish

I had one little butternut in the bin, hardly enough to bake up as a side dish.  I also had a Macintosh apple sitting on the counter that I pulled from the crisper because it was a bit bruised.

My intention was to make parsnip and carrot fritters but instead, I made use of the squash and apple and created some butternut squash and apple fritters.

I made these “sweet” in that I used pumpkin pie spice but I think making them savory with thyme, ginger and sage would be super tasty.

I would serve these to babies 10 months+ only because the texture might be a bit difficult for younger babies to gum-up; Please use your own best judgement.

Serve Butternut-Apple Fritters with:

  • a bit of maple syrup
  • yogurt mixed with cinnamon – dip or spread
  • sour cream
  • cottage cheese

Butternut & Apple Fritters

Butternut & Apple Fritters

Ingredients

  • 1 small-ish butternut squash, peeled & grated (about 3-4 cups)
  • 1 medium macintosh apple, peeled & grated
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 eggs – whisk them together, If you are staying away from egg whites, use 4 yolks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil – for frying or baking
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice mix

Instructions

  1. Grate the grate the butternut squash then grate the apple.
  2. Be sure to grate the butternut semi-fine so that the “shavings” will cook to tender; I grated a bit too large on this go-round and the butternut was a rather al dente.
  3. Toss the squash and apple in a large bowl then add the flour and the spices
  4. Mix well to thoroughly combine
  5. Stir in the eggs and mix to combine
  6. Fold in the breadcrumbs then cook using either method below:
  7. Frying:
  8. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
  9. Drop 4-5 rounded tablespoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the skillet then flatten a bit. Fry for approximately 5 minutes then turn the fritters over. Fry for an additional 5 minutes, until golden all over and a bit crispy.
  10. Remove from skillet to a plate covered with paper towels
  11. Serve warm.
  12. Baking:
  13. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Bake in a 375F degree oven for 15-20 minutes, turning the fritters halfway through cooking time. Fritters will be a golden color and may be a bit crispy around the edges.
  14. Having made these both methods, I think I prefer the baked texture for little ones and the fried texture for older kids.

Notes

You can use a food processor to shred the squash and apple, just be sure to remove seeds/core.

Skip the prep work and just steam the grated squash and apples & serve

Did you make this recipe?

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Enjoy

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