Village Bakery Apple Fritters

When I was in middle school, my school used to do a donut day each week before school. My mom would often take me to school for that little event, and when I would go up to the cafeteria worker, the options would include apple fritters and cinnamon fritters. On more than one occasion, I would request an apple fritter, then take it to a table to consume with one of those famed cardboard milk cartons that have become so synonymous with school.

It turns out, Aldi sells apple fritters. Sometimes.

Village Bakery Apple Fritters, an Aldi Special Buy (ALDI Find), run $2.49 for a 4-pack, or about 63 cents a fritter. We haven’t price compared this to our local donut stores, but on the face of it the price seems decent enough.

Oddly enough, we found this product in different locations in different stores. In one store, we found the fritters in the store’s Special Buy (ALDI Find) frozen section. In another, we found it among the room-temperature baked goods section. We don’t think these need to be frozen or even refrigerated.

The fritters are about 3.5 ounces each — a decent size. They obviously come frozen, but you won’t want to eat them that way. They’re okay cold, but most people prefer to eat them a little on the warm side. Since our first batch came frozen, we heated them up for 20 seconds or so in the microwave, which turned our frozen fritters into warm pastries. If you do the same, be careful to keep an eye on them, as cook times can vary.

They taste good. They’re sweet, soft (once warmed), and have a delightful taste.

They’re also terrible for you: 390 calories, 23 grams of fat (29% of your daily allowance), 11 grams of saturated fat (54%), 410 mg of sodium (18%), 44 grams of carbohydrates (16%), and 18 grams of added sugars (37%). This is definitely a treat to be had in moderation.

One last thing … the fritters are “naturally and artificially flavored,” which means they’ve got a very long ingredients list that includes things we can’t pronounce. The packaging does warn that they contain wheat, soy, milk, and egg.

The Verdict:

Village Bakery Apple Fritters are delightful pastries, reminiscent of what you’d get at a donut shop. They’re also really bad for you, so try not to eat them all at once.