You may be wondering what in the world are buñuelos and what is that darn thing on top of the n.
First things first: Spanish is a romance language derived from Latin. However, the symbol on the letter n, converting it to what us Spanish-speakers call "eñe" (pronounced "ny" like the "ni" in onion or companion) is an authentic Spanish letter, not rooted in Latin. It comes from words that contained double n and from scribes who wanted to save themselves one millisecond of their lives by writing a symbol on top of one n to mean "two n's here". Talk about shorthand of the days of yore.
Enough with the history.
The origin of buñuelos is one of the most debated topics in the Spanish culture, but the most accepted version is that they come from a Sephardic recipe that the Jews prepared (called Bimuelos) to eat during the Hanukkah festivity. Later, Christians incorporated this pastry into the annual celebration of All Saints Day on November 1 (known as Dia de los Muertos in Mexico).
Each Spanish-speaking country or region has their own flavor of buñuelos. In Mexico, they are typically sprinkled with cinnamon and dipped in honey or aniseed-flavored liqueur. In Spain, the traditional "Buñuelos de viento" are filled with milk, cream or chocolate. In Colombia, they may contain Cotija or another type of cheese.
In Argentina, the most common recipe has either shredded or finally chopped apples or/and raisins and are sprinkled with granulated or powdered sugar. The more advanced cooks may fill them with dulce de leche or pastry cream (heaven, yes heaven).
Because they are simple to make and they take a handful of very common and economical ingredients, my mother used to make them quite often.
How do they taste? If you live in the US, you might compare them to the best apple fritter you've ever had the pleasure of putting in your mouth or a very high quality fried doughnut. In almost my 28 years in the US I've probably eaten 10-12 doughnuts at the most. Why? I keep comparing them to my beloved buñuelos argentinos. Of course, buñuelos to me will always win.
Hope you try this fabulous recipe.
If you decide to re-post it, please link back!
Let me know in the comments how they tasted and if you found any difficulties with this recipe.
Enjoy.
Makes approx 24 buñuelos
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 TBS. (tablespoons) sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 TBS. (tablespoons) sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TBS. oil
zest of 1 lemon (orange or lime work great too)
Optional:
1/2 cup raisins (do not add chocolate chips, they are dangerous to fry)
2 apples (Granny Smith or whatever variety you like), peeled, cored and either cubed or grated
3-4 cups neutral oil (canola or peanut oils work the best) - for frying
confectioners or (even better) regular white sugar for dusting
Directions:
In a medium size bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder). Mix them carefully with a whisk to add some air to the mix.
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TBS. oil
zest of 1 lemon (orange or lime work great too)
Optional:
1/2 cup raisins (do not add chocolate chips, they are dangerous to fry)
2 apples (Granny Smith or whatever variety you like), peeled, cored and either cubed or grated
3-4 cups neutral oil (canola or peanut oils work the best) - for frying
confectioners or (even better) regular white sugar for dusting
Directions:
In a medium size bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder). Mix them carefully with a whisk to add some air to the mix.
In another bowl or large measuring cup mix the wet ingredients (2 eggs - beat them a bit, but not much, before adding the milk), milk, vanilla, oil, lemon/orange or lime zest.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, but do not beat. I recommend using a whisk for this task. Mix (BY HAND, not with an electric mixer) until the dough is smooth and has no lumps.
The dough is now supposed to rest for about 10 minutes. This is the perfect time to heat up the oil for frying, which takes about 10 minutes to do at medium heat. It is best to use a medium size saucepan to fry, filled half way.
Note: Half way through the frying, you may need to change the oil if it gets too dark.
When the oil is at the right temperature (the first buñuelo you throw in should come right back up and have some bubbles around it), carefully drop the dough into the oil by filling one teaspoon (yes, teaspoon, not tablespoon) with the dough and using another empty teaspoon to help get the dough into the oil. Fry a few buñuelos at a time but avoid crowding. Depending on the size, they can take anything from 2-3 minutes to cook.
Keep the buñuelos small, as the main issue is usually that they are dark outside and raw in the middle. Take your time frying them and if they get very dark outside quickly, it may mean the oil is too hot. Test the first one you take out, and you'll be able to tell how much the rest will need.
As soon as the buñuelos are out of the oil and on a platter, sprinkle with regular white sugar. If sprinkling with confectioner's sugar, wait until the buñuelos are room-temperature, as otherwise the sugar will dissolve.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, but do not beat. I recommend using a whisk for this task. Mix (BY HAND, not with an electric mixer) until the dough is smooth and has no lumps.
The dough is now supposed to rest for about 10 minutes. This is the perfect time to heat up the oil for frying, which takes about 10 minutes to do at medium heat. It is best to use a medium size saucepan to fry, filled half way.
Note: Half way through the frying, you may need to change the oil if it gets too dark.
When the oil is at the right temperature (the first buñuelo you throw in should come right back up and have some bubbles around it), carefully drop the dough into the oil by filling one teaspoon (yes, teaspoon, not tablespoon) with the dough and using another empty teaspoon to help get the dough into the oil. Fry a few buñuelos at a time but avoid crowding. Depending on the size, they can take anything from 2-3 minutes to cook.
Keep the buñuelos small, as the main issue is usually that they are dark outside and raw in the middle. Take your time frying them and if they get very dark outside quickly, it may mean the oil is too hot. Test the first one you take out, and you'll be able to tell how much the rest will need.
As soon as the buñuelos are out of the oil and on a platter, sprinkle with regular white sugar. If sprinkling with confectioner's sugar, wait until the buñuelos are room-temperature, as otherwise the sugar will dissolve.
