Place the finely diced apples into a small bowl, drizzle with the fresh lemon juice, and toss thoroughly to coat. The citric acid prevents the apple cells from oxidizing and turning brown while you prepare the remaining steps.

Pour your neutral frying oil into a large Dutch oven, deep skillet, or heavy-bottomed pot until it is roughly 2 to 3 inches deep. Attach a digital candy or deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a stable 350°F (177°C).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Whisk the dry ingredients firmly together for 30 seconds to distribute the leavening agents and spices evenly.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the whole milk, room-temperature eggs, and vanilla extract until the wet mixture is completely uniform.

Pour the wet mixture directly into the large bowl with the dry flour baseline. Use a sturdy rubber spatula to fold the components together just until a few small streaks of flour remain.

Add the diced apples straight into the batter. Gently fold the apples into the mix just until the flour disappears and a thick, lumpy dough matrix forms. Do not over-mix, or the fritters will turn out tough instead of fluffy.

Once the oil has reached a steady 350°F, use a large spoon or a ¼-cup measuring scoop to carefully drop portions of the thick batter directly into the hot oil. Fry only 3 or 4 fritters at a time to prevent overcrowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and makes the dough greasy.

Fry the fritters for about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side until the bottom edges turn a deep, golden-brown color. Carefully flip each fritter over using a slotted spoon or metal spider wire mesh and fry for an additional 2 minutes on the second side until cooked through.

Use your slotted spoon to lift the hot fritters out of the oil. Transfer them instantly onto a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain away excess surface oils.

While the fritters fry, prepare your glaze base. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract until it forms a perfectly smooth, pourable white glaze.

Allow the fried fritters to cool flat on the wire rack for exactly 2 to 3 minutes so they are still quite warm but safe to handle. Dunk each warm fritter completely into the vanilla glaze baseline, turning it over to coat all the irregular nooks and crannies.

Place the glazed fritters back onto the wire rack for 5 minutes to let the sugar shell set into a beautiful, crackly crust. Serve warm alongside hot coffee or tea.