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This post is very special to me because of my mom. My mom jumped on a train and came to visit me and my family by herself. I asked her to make buñuelos, and she happily accepted.
In a nutshell, Bunuelos are made from a sweet flour dough that has been fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
Stacks of these Mexican fritters and pork tamales, that is what families give each other during the Holidays.
How to Make Buñuelos
See the picture above. These are the ingredients needed to make this traditional Mexican dessert.
My mother did all the mixing by hand because she’s old school. You can use a mixer if you don’t want to get your hands too dirty.
- Add salt, sugar, and baking powder.
- Mix to combine.
After you add the shortening, the flour mixture will be slightly crumbly.
Have you ever seen a Dutch Apple Pie or a cobbler with the crumbles on top? That’s exactly the consistency you are looking for.
More Mexican Desserts: Pastel de Tres Leches, Flan, Carlota de Limón
From here, add enough water to make a dough.
More traditional Mexican Christmas recipes: Pozole Rojo, Menudo, Sweet Tamales.
Eyeball it. If you add too much water and the dough is too wet, add more flour until you get the right consistency. It’s flour power!
There is some kneading involved. This is where a good mixer comes in handy. Or, burn up some calories to make room for the buñuelos.
Other Mexican Christmas Desserts: Pineapple Empanadas, Ensalada Navideña, Empanadas de Calabaza
- Take a piece of the dough.
- About the size of a golf ball and roll it out.
I’m rollin’… They hatin’ … Turn the dough as need to roll it out thin. Thin it to win it!
You want them to be the size of flour tortilla. Think fajita-size flour tortillas.
Differences:
Buñuelos are different in South American countries and in Spain. They are still sweet, but they are fried balls. Not like the Mexican kind.
See how my mom stretches the dough?
Note: If a small hole forms, it’s ok. Just press it or pinch it back together.
Buñuelos are not perfect. I’ve eaten plenty of them with holes. Ohhhh holy night… Lol.
- Once you’re done rolling out the dough, lay them on a kitchen towel.
- Cover them with another kitchen towel while they rest and await their turn to jump in the hot oil.
- Heat the oil.
FYI: I am using canola oil. Olive oil and coconut oil are not good for frying.
See how much oil I used? Well, I had to refill the pan twice to get through all of the frying.
Oily to bed, oily to rise, those buñuelos are better than fries.
Word to the Wise: If you burn the buñuelo while frying, you need to start all over again.
Dump the oil. Wash the pan. Or, all the other buñuelos will taste like burnt oil.
No joke. You gotta poke.
- Use a fork, and poke it several times while it’s frying.
- Be very careful. The oil is very hot.
If you don’t poke the dough, the center will inflate and not cook.
- After you finish frying, place the buñuelo on a paper towel to drain slightly.
- Don’t pat them down.
The oil is essential.
You don’t want to drain all the oil. The oil will help the cinnamon and sugar mixture stick to the fried tortilla.
Sprinkle while the buñuelo is still warm. If you sprinkle when it’s cold, the cinnamon and sugar will not stick to the fritter as easily.
This Mexican fried tortilla with sugar and cinnamon is usually had with a big cup of champurrado or chocolate atole.
Then flip it and sprinkle the back.
Mexican Differences: My family is the state of Durango. My aunt, however, is from the state of Michoacán. They add a syrup made with piloncillo and anise to their buñuelos.
Short Cuts:
In Mexico, there are tortillerías (or stores where they sell tortillas) that sell the dough for buñuelos. You just have to go home and fry the dough.
In the US, you can use regular flour tortillas and fry them. However, the dough in this bunuelos recipe is sweeter than regular flour tortillas.
Buñuelos (Mexican Fritters)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus extra flour for rolling
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup water add more, if needed
- 4 cups of canola oil for frying
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add 2 ½ cups of flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix to combine.
- Add the shortening.
- Mix until the mixture is a crumbly consistency.
- Add ¾ cup water to the flour mixture.
- Slowly mix to combine.
- Add more water until it forms a dough.
- If the dough is too wet, add more flour.
- Knead for 5-6 minutes.
- Make 16 small balls of dough. About the size of golf balls. If you want bigger Buñuelos, make the balls bigger.
- Roll the dough to 6-inch in diameter.
- If a hole forms, pinch the dough back together.
- Lay the rolled out dough and cover with a kitchen towel.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil.
- Fry one rolled out dough piece, one at a time.
- With a fork, poke the center of the dough several times while it’s frying.
- Fry 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Place on a paper towel.
- Mix the 2 cups sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of the sugar cinnamon mixture on top of the Buñuelo.
- Flip and sprinkle on the back side of the Buñuelo.
- Do this for each Buñuelo as they come out of the frying pan.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Oh my goodness these look so delicious! I’ve never tried eating them, but now I’m tempted to try cooking them!
You so should! Buñuelos, or Mexican Fritters, is a favorite during the Christmas Holiday season in Mexico.
I have never had Mexican Fritters. They sure do look delicious. What a special bonding time for you and your mom!
Making Buñuelos, or Mexican Fritters, with my mom was epic. Hope you get to try them some day. They’re really good.
it looks yummy and crunchy.. thanks for the recipe, I will try it at home.
Hope you do. These Buñuelos, or Mexican Fritters, are delicious!!
I tried them when I lived in Mexico! So yum. Thanks for sharing the recipe 😉
Then, you definitely know how yummy Buñuelos, or Mexican Fritters, are. 🙂
You have so much patience to stretch these out by hand. These look very tasty x
LOL. Patience is a virtue, they say. I have to say, freshly made conchas are the best.
Looks like you both had a great time cooking. The food is making my mouth water.
Yes. Thank you. It was great spending time with her.
I can’t wait to try this! it looks amazing!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe, I’ll be sure to make these with my kids ; )
Kids LOVE these Mexican fritters. They’re soooo good!
Sounds look you and your mum had a lovely time together. These sound delicious and I’ll definitely be giving the recipe a try!
Thank you. Yes, it was great to see her.
I love this idea! They don’t look that difficult to make and sound delicious. I just may try this during the winter! 🙂
Hope you do. This recipe is soooo good.
Your recipes remind me of my grandmothers home cooking back in Durango Mexico. Delicious!
Absolutely irresistible!! We all had seconds!!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂