Beer Battered Onion Rings

One of my favorite appetizers to get when I am out for the night with friends is a nice big basket of onion rings. They are so incredibly delicious, and yet I only just figured this out a short few years ago!

I was not a huge onion fan so I thought "Blech, deep fried onions will not taste good..AT ALL". As my love for onions grew, so did my curiosity about onion rings, so one day I decided to bite the bullet and try one.

My life was never the same again.

Now that I am a dedicated WeightWatcher, it makes it very difficult to make points allowances for these babies. But today I just couldn't resist the temptation any long and I caved...I'm only human, right?

Obviously when I found this recipe, it immediately went to the top of my list. Not only was it onion rings, but BEER BATTERED onion rings! Honestly, my brain just started screaming "GET IN MY BELLY, NOWWW!"

I will warn you though, this recipe is definitely not for the faint of heart. This was my first time ever truly deep-frying something on my own, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a terrifying experience. Hot oil burns...real bad...watch yourself.

This recipe makes a good-sized basket of onions rings, and if you're not quick enough, they will be gone before you know it!

Beer Battered Onion Rings
Prep time: 1.5hrs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour, divided
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup beer, medium body
2 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsps lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large onions, sliced (Make as many onion rings as you have batter for!)
Canola oil, for frying

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup flour, garlic powder, and paprika. Set aside.
2) In a separate bowl, add the egg yolk, beer, unsalted butter, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
3) Add beer mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The batter should be about the consistency of pancake mix, but more beer can be added to get the desired consistency. Set aside and let sit for an hour.
4) Heat a couple inches of oil in a saucepan until it reaches 250-300 F. Put the remaining flour in a plastic bag. Throw the sliced onions into the flour bag and shake until the slices are covered in flour (NOTE: I did this step on the first onion, but I found that the floured rings made it difficult for the batter to stick to the onion. I just left this step out for the second batch, so use your discretion.)
5) Dip each onion slice into the batter one at a time and put them in the oil to cook. Be sure not to over crowd the oil. The onion rings won't take long to cook in the oil but try to turn them over at least once s they will cook on both sides. When they're done, remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue this process until you run out of batter or onions. Serve warm.


(Recipe adapted from Pennies on a Platter)