Buñuelos

Traditional Buñuelos with Piloncillo Syrup

My first memories of Mexican buñuelos date back about 45 years to my Aunt Carmela’s house in Cuero, Texas. Originally from San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, I remember helping my aunt dust the buñuelos with sugar in her kitchen and thinking how sweet those flat disks of fried, crispy delight would taste when I bit into them.

Warm Mexican Buñuelos in About an Hour

In Mexico, buñuelos are typically eaten during celebrations or on holidays, but some markets sell them year round. The nice thing about this authentic Mexican dessert is that you can make it at home with just a few ingredients in about an hour.

What to Expect from This Recipe

This buñuelos recipe is made with flour, sugar, baking powder, butter and salt. The dough is shaped into balls, rolled out and fried in hot oil, giving you a light and crispy treat which looks like a fried tortilla. The warm buñuelos are dusted with a sugar and cinnamon topping and drizzled with a sweet syrup made from piloncillo and cinnamon stick. Piloncillo is a raw form of pure cane sugar and its caramel-like flavor adds a special sweet touch to this traditional Mexican dessert.

How the Recipe Is Structured

The recipe is broken down into the following sections:

• Making the Syrup
• Mixing the Topping
• Making the Dough
• Shaping the Dough
• Rolling the Dough
• Frying the Buñuelos
• Serving and Eating

So light, crispy and sweet!

Learn How to Make Buñuelos

Ingredients

For the Syrup

• 1 piloncillo
• 1 stick cinnamon
• Water

For the Topping

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon (optional)

For the Dough

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp oil, butter or margarine, melted, room temperature
• 2 pinches salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Make the Syrup

Pour water into a heavy-bottomed pot and add the cinnamon stick and piloncillo. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly.

Continue stirring until the piloncillo has melted and the syrup thickens. Then set aside. You’ll pour the syrup over the buñuelos just before serving.

Mix the Topping

Pour ½ cup of sugar into a plate and add 2 tbsp cinnamon.

Mix well and set aside. You’ll use this mixture to dust your buñuelos after frying.

Make the Dough

Melt the Butter

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.

Swirl the pan while the butter melts, ensuring it doesn’t turn brown.

Pour the melted butter into a small bowl and set aside.

Mix the Dough

Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the baking powder, salt and sugar to the flour.

Use a fork to combine.

Pour in the melted butter.

Stir to combine.

Add a little water.

Stir the dough.

Repeat until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. If it’s too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more water. It might take you a few tries to get the dough just right. This dough looks perfect!

Shape the Dough

Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and shape into a ball.

Your dough should now be shaped into a nice, round ball.

Pinch off a chunk of the dough—slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.

Roll the dough into a small ball.

Repeat until you have about 10 balls of dough.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll the Dough

Dust a flat surface or cutting board with flour and roll out the balls of dough one at a time into a completely flat, almost transparent disk. Place each onto a dry cloth.

Your buñuelos should be very thin and look like this. The edges will be a little rough. They don’t have to be perfectly rounded. Now you’re ready to fry!

Fry the Buñuelos

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Carefully slide the buñuelo into the pan with your hand. The oil might jump, so be sure to move your hand away quickly.

Use a spatula to gently submerge the buñuelo into the oil and fry until the bottom is crispy. You’ll see bubbles form on the surface of the buñuelo when it’s time to flip.

Slide the spatula under the buñuelo, and use a pair of kitchen tongs to hold the buñuelo in place as you gently flip. Be sure to only flip one time.

Fry the other side until crispy. When ready, both sides should look lightly toasted.

Using kitchen tongs, remove the buñuelo from the pan.

Place vertically side by side in a mesh sieve to drain and repeat with the remaining buñuelos.

Serve and Eat!

While the buñuelos are warm, dust each with the cinnamon and sugar topping you made previously.

Stack the buñuelos in a serving plate. Mmmm!

Serve each buñuelo in a plate and drizzle with the syrup just before eating.

Crunch and enjoy!

More Authentic Mexican Desserts from the Blog

• Traditional Mexican Flan
• Tres Leches Cake
• Arroz con Leche
• Pan de Muerto