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Move over, regular round doughnuts — are apple fritters the next big thing?

So there we were, writing about the best doughnuts in the Charlotte area. And guess what kept coming up? Not cake doughnuts, not yeast doughnuts, not filled doughnuts.

Apple fritters.

When we asked the owners of Rise and Shine Doughnut Cafe, our Readers’ Choice Contest runners-up, what their favorite doughnuts were, they answered: apple fritters.

Same question to Yummm Donuts, the Readers’ Choice winners: apple fritters.

Recently, I stopped by MoMo Donuts in Rock Hill for the first time. The woman behind the counter told me that since it was my first visit, I really should try the apple fritters — it’s the shop’s No. 1 selling item by far, she said.

Move over, regular round doughnuts — are apple fritters the next big thing?

[YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE: Check out our interactive guide to doughnuts in the Charlotte area]

An apple fritter from MoMo Donuts in Rock Hill.
An apple fritter from MoMo Donuts in Rock Hill.

Is an apple fritter even a doughnut?

What exactly is an apple fritter?

OK, so then what is a doughnut?

  • A doughnut is “a small cake of sweetened or, sometimes, unsweetened dough fried in deep fat, typically shaped like a ring or, when prepared with a filling, a ball,” according to Dictionary.com.

Based on these definitions, it seems to me that an apple fritter and a doughnut are close enough to be cousins, or even siblings. Fried. Dough. Cake. Filling. All the pieces are there.

[READ NEXT: Why are so many doughnut shops opening in Charlotte lately?]

I should warn you, I’m writing this on an empty stomach while wondering if Uber Eats can bring me doughnuts for breakfast ...

Which brings me to my next point. People seem to love apple fritters, and while I wouldn’t turn it down — I’d much prefer a chocolate iced yeast doughnut or a Boston Creme. Is this a team doughnuts vs. team apple fritters situation? Email me and tell me what I’m missing. Should I heat them first? Serve them à la mode? Let me know.

What my colleagues think

“Fireworks are going off in my mouth right now,” said The Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Alexander when he tried Yummm Donut’s apple fritter for the first time.

“This lives up to all the hype,” the Observer’s KJ Eldeman said, his mouth full of fritter.

“It’s crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It has a little bit of the apple fritter inside. It’s really good. It’s super filling — I don’t know how you’re going to finish this,” Jonathan said.

“I’ll finish it,” KJ said. “This is the best doughnut I’ve ever had in my life.”

With that kind of endorsement, it may not matter if an apple fritter is simply a doughnut by another name or not, so long as it’s good.

READ MORE: Charlotte Observer expands online accessibility with more free articles

“This is the best doughnut I’ve ever had in my life,” said The Charlotte Observer’s KJ Edelman, left, when he tried an apple fritter from Yummm Donuts. “Fireworks are going off in my mouth right now,” said Jonathan Alexander.
“This is the best doughnut I’ve ever had in my life,” said The Charlotte Observer’s KJ Edelman, left, when he tried an apple fritter from Yummm Donuts. “Fireworks are going off in my mouth right now,” said Jonathan Alexander.

Where can I find the best apple fritters in Charlotte?

In the meantime, here are 7 places to find apple fritters around Charlotte:

Dunkin’

Location: Multiple locations

Neighborhood: Multiple

Krispy Kreme

Location: Multiple locations

Neighborhood: Multiple

MoMo Donuts

Location: 636 Crown Pointe Ln Suite 101 Rock Hill, SC 29730

Neighborhood: Rock Hill

OMG Donuts

Location: 6209 Old Post Rd Suite 108, Charlotte, NC 28212

Neighborhood: East Charlotte, Meridian Place, MoRA

Location: 10005 Weddington Rd Ext., Concord, NC 28027

Neighborhood: Concord

Rise and Shine Doughnut Cafe

Location: 1807 Cherry Rd Ste 103, Rock Hill, SC 29732

Neighborhood: Rock Hill

Sweet Dough

Location: 400 N Dobys Bridge Rd #106, Fort Mill, SC 29715

Neighborhood: Fort Mill

Yummm Donut

Location: 2516 E Franklin Blvd Suite 9, Gastonia, NC 28056

Neighborhood: Gastonia

[SOMETIMES B.A.D. IS GOOD: Get to know the face behind Camp North End’s Beyond Amazing Donuts]