Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl under well incorporated. Then mix in the wet ingredients.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes if possible. This will firm the dough up slightly but it will still be very wet. (If making this ahead, you can always refrigerate overnight and then fry when ready to serve.)
*If necessary, you can add additional flour to firm up the batter a bit more. I didn't need to do this, but feel free.
Add the oil to a deep fryer and heat until it reaches 375 degrees. If it’s not hot enough, the fritters will fall apart when added. When in doubt, add a small drop of batter into the oil and see if it almost immediately begins to fry.
Use a small cookie scoop to carefully and swiftly drop in the balls of dough, fry in batches of 4-5. (Don’t add more than that at a time, they’ll crowd and stick to each other and will also bring the temperature of the oil down which will mess with the frying.)
Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You need them to reach a *deep* golden brown to ensure the dough on in the inside has enough time to sufficiently cook.
Carefully remove the fritters and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all of the batter is gone.
Serve: Since these are sweet like cornbread, you don’t even need to serve them with syrup, although you certainly could. Or you could sprinkle powdered sugar on the top, or even top them with some vanilla ice cream. (Is anyone else getting hungry?)