Ahh, only in America. We are a people who have found a way to make the most caloric (albeit delicious) desserts even more unhealthy by drenching them in batter and deep-frying them. Go to any state or county fair, or even some restaurants, and you can indulge in some of the best (worst?) options to satisfy any craving for fried, sweet food.
We have rounded up some of the most popular and unnecessary things to dip into a deep fryer. Let us know if we’re missing any!
6. Oreo
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If I’m not mistaken, this whole craze started with the innocent little Oreo. Ok, maybe it’s not so innocent. It’s a beautiful concoction of chocolate cookies and cream, and practically begs to hold onto some batter. But the single act of frying this ever-popular cookie takes its 45 calorie count way up to 178. And it’s worth it.
5. Twinkie
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I’m not completely sure how Twinkies are made. According to the movie WALL-E, they will survive the apocalypse, so they might not even be a food to begin with. But at first glance, they appear to have been fried. (All of that grease had to get in there somehow.) So the idea of frying them again seems to be overkill. But since deep-fried Twinkies are pretty popular as far as these things go, maybe they’re onto something. A Twinkie on its own will set you back 150 calories. If it’s deep-fried, you’ll easily consume 425.
4. Cheesecake
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Cheesecake is an incredibly indulgent, creamy, delicious dessert that is so rich, you’re filled up after just a few bites. (Ok, sometimes it takes a whole slice.) So what happens when you add batter and oil to that? Oh, it only gets better. You might have a coronary after it, but it’s pretty darned good. Oh, and the 401 calories in that slice turn into 655 once it’s fried. Just get on that treadmill for an extra hour to make it worth it!
3. S’mores
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As it is, s’mores take the best of all worlds. They’re gooey, crunchy, chocolatey and sticky. Now that you can get the deep-fried version of them at state fairs, they’ve hit a whole new level of irresistible. If you’re thinking about calories, this might be the best way to go. It turns out that a regular s’more only has about 95 calories, so when you deep fry it, the end result is only 275. That’s pretty good as far as these things go.
2. Cookie Dough Ball
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I’m a definite cookie dough fan — I’ll eat it out of the package or in gooey chunks hidden in a pint of ice cream. In fact, I prefer raw cookie dough to regular baked cookies. Crazy, I know. So the idea of deep-frying cookie dough balls is mildly exciting for me. I mean, it’s just like cooking them, right? You’re just not baking them. No biggie, except when it comes to the calories. You’re looking at about 450 raw and 665 fried. Ouch.
1. Easter Creme Eggs
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This is the mother of all deep-fried sweets and I’m not sure how to feel about it. Sure, when I was a kid I indulged in a Cadbury egg or two around Easter time. The sugar in them was enough to send me running around in circles for hours on end. Every so often I’ll grab one for nostalgia but it’s so incredibly sweet I can barely get through it. So the deep-fried version is something I don’t think I’d be able to handle. I’ll have to leave this one to the pros. But just to put it into perspective calorie-wise, there are 150 in your standard creme egg (not to mention a whole lot of saturated fat), and 350 in the deep-fried version. Worth it? Eh.
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