Description
These light, golden, crispy fried pasties coated in cinnamon and sugar are a must for Mexican holiday gatherings. In this version they’re drizzled or dunked in a warm syrup made with piloncillo, a cone-shaped unrefined sugar with a caramel flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tsp. anise seeds (optional)
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
- 9 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar (divided)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (divided)
- 1 2/3 cups vegetable oil (divided)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 6 oz. piloncillo (unrefined sugar, also called panela; or use 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar)
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick (3 1/2 inches)
- 2 whole cloves
Instructions
- If using anise seeds, add them to hot water and steep, covered, for 10 minutes. Strain and discard seeds. Keep water warm. (If omitting the anise, just use plain warm water in the next step.)
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour, 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, the salt, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, stir the dough with a spoon, then knead by hand on a work surface.) Add anise-infused warm water (or plain warm water) and 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Using a dough hook, mix on medium speed until dough forms a ball, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Set dough on work surface and knead until it’s smooth and no longer sticky, adding a little flour if required to prevent sticking, about 3 minutes. Transfer dough to a bowl and cover. Let rest for 25 minutes.
- While dough rests, make piloncillo syrup: Combine 2 1/2 cups water, the piloncillo, vanilla, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil; then cook, stirring, until piloncillo dissolves, about 10 minutes (no need to break the sugar apart). Reduce heat if needed and simmer 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
- Set aside about 2 tsp. dough, covered, to use as a test dough. Divide remaining dough on a work surface into 12 balls (each 1 1/2 oz. or about 1 1/2 Tbsp.). Return balls to bowl, cover, and let rest for 20 minutes.
- While dough rests the second time, make cinnamon sugar: Combine remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl, stirring to mix well. Set aside.
- Dust work surface with flour and roll out the test dough into a small disc. Roll out each ball of dough into a very thin 6-inch disc, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, and covering the rolled discs with a towel to keep them from drying out.
- Line a large plate with paper towels. Set a wire cooling rack in a sheet pan. Set plate and sheet pan aside. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium heat until shimmering.
- Carefully place the test dough into the hot oil. Using tongs or a small metal spatula, carefully press down on any large bubbles that may form. Fry, turning the test pastry once, until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Immediately transfer pastry to the lined plate. Heat the oil longer if the dough didn’t cook fast enough, or reduce the temperature if the dough started to brown too quickly. Repeat to cook the dough discs for the buñuelos.
- Place warm buñuelos on rack in sheet pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on both sides. Serve buñuelos and syrup warm or at room temperature (you can serve the syrup in small bowls for dunking the buñuelos, or serve it from a pitcher to drizzle on top of them). Buñuelos are best served the day they’re made. The syrup keeps, refrigerated, up to 1 week, and is great for topping pancakes and waffles.