When one thinks of a sweet breakfast treat, thoughts jump quickly to donuts, turnovers, danishes and even coffee cakes. But there is a serious snack that is often overlooked by the majority of early morning pastry shoppers: the apple fritter. Apple fritters are made multiple different ways but essentially contain apple bits that are coated in batter and deep fried. This delicacy is actually quite a bit easier to locate than one would think, and anyone with a fritter craving could step into one of these 5 shops in the Woodland Hills area before heading to the Pierce campus.
1. USA Donuts & Croissants
USA, located on Topanga Cyn Rd, makes a fritter as perfect and traditional as can be. The outside is a scintillating golden brown that has a slight crunch to it. A light icing layer has been drizzled over the outside of the wonderful round pastry. The inside has a soft, almost doughy texture that envelops the small chunks of fresh apple and cinnamon. The shop has a traditional donut shop look to match the traditional food, with a long glass bar holding an assortment of pastries and donuts.
2. Jolly Donuts
Further down Topanga is Jolly Donut, full of neon, attention-catching signs. Drawn in by the scene, you step onto a deep red tile floor and see the bright colorful pictures adorning the walls. The apple fritters here have a very beautiful presentation, much shinier and brighter than their USA counterpart. Once you bite in, you feel a satisfying crunch of the well-cooked dish, and then taste a very sweet overtone not present in some fritters. Be careful, though; all card purchases have a 50 cent charge.
3. Dulcet Gourmet Donut
If you’re looking for a bit more of an apple flavor to you fritter, head down to Dulcet Gourmet on Vanowen. The fritters here have a tantalizing white glaze of icing, but this is seemingly only for show and texture, as the icing’s flavor is in no ways overpowering. Dulcet has a very classy look, with white walls and floor as well as a marble topped bar. If you’re also looking for a cold treat to go with your pastry, the shop has a full ice cream bar with numerous flavors.
4. France Doughnuts
Off of Sherman Way is France Doughnuts, a very eye appealing shop that also deals in selling lottery tickets. The store is all white aside from the red front counter that draws you into to place your order, which can take a while based on the number of people that frequent this small shop. France’s fritters are darker in color, but well glazed and shiny. They are often cooked well done and the later you go, the less apples you’ll be able to taste due to the slightly overpowering oil taste, so get your fritter fix early.
5. Starbucks’
Often times the commercial pastries leave more to be desired, but this is not the case. Starbucks’ apple fritters. This is not your average, traditional fritter. Unlike its somewhat flat and round partners, Starbucks’ fritters are thick and squarish. Also, Starbuck’s fritter has a noticeably lumpy appearance that breaks apart easy, good for sharing. This fritter is also has more of a cinnamon roll-ey texture to its dough, and has more of dough than apples. There is also very little icing and is the least sweet out of the five. So if you have a fritter craving and are looking for a more healthy alternative, head on down to your local Starbucks’.
