Mexican Buñuelos

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon-Suagr Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: In a pie dish combine the sugar and cinnamon for coating. Reserve the coating for coating the buñuelos.

For the Buñuelos: In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a small saucepan heat the milk, butter and vanilla extract and bring to just a boil. Remove from the heat.

In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs and add them slowly to the warm milk mixture while whisking very quickly.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter top for 2 to 4 minutes until smooth.

After kneading, divide the dough into 20 balls. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball to resemble a very thin tortilla. Lay out the dough circles on a tablecloth and let dry for about 3 hours, turning over once to ensure drying on both sides. This helps remove most of the moisture before frying.

Prepare a large baking sheet lined with paper towels to place the buñuelos after frying to drain.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a Dutch-oven to 350 degrees F. Fry the buñuelos one at a time until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Be sure to keep your oil temperature at 350 degrees. You may have to wait a few minutes between frying to adjust the temperature of your oil. (I typically could fry about 2 buñuelos before I had to take a break and bring my oil back to temperature.)

Remove the buñuelos from the Dutch-oven and place on paper towel lined baking sheet to drain most of the oil off. While the buñuelo is still warm, dip the buñuelos in the cinnamon-sugar coating on both sides. Set back on the paper towel lined baking sheet to cool completely. Serve buñuelos with a little honey drizzled on top.