Buñuelos with Cinnamon-Piloncillo Syrup

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Mexican · 120 min · vegetarian

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 large eggs
• 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon (canela)
• 1 star anise
• 1 (8 oz) cone piloncillo (or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar)
• 1 orange
• 1 qt vegetable oil, for frying

Method (tap to check — screen stays awake)

1. Make the dough: whisk the flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then work in the eggs, melted butter, and warm milk until a soft dough forms. Knead 5 minutes until smooth and stretchy.
2. Divide into 24 balls, cover with a towel, and rest 30 minutes — rested dough rolls paper-thin without fighting back, and thin is what makes a buñuelo shatter.
3. Meanwhile, simmer the syrup: chop the piloncillo into a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, the star anise, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 3 wide strips of orange peel. Simmer 15 minutes until lightly syrupy; squeeze in the orange's juice, then keep warm.
4. Stir the remaining cinnamon into the granulated sugar for the house canela sugar.
5. Heat the oil to 350F in a heavy, wide pot filled no more than half full, thermometer clipped to the side; set a rack over a sheet pan.
6. Roll each ball into a near-translucent 8-inch round — over a floured overturned bowl, stretching gently, if that's easier (that's the grandmother method for a reason).
7. Fry one at a time, 45 to 60 seconds per side, pressing gently with a spider until blistered, golden, and crisp. Let the oil recover to 350F between rounds — rolling the next round while one fries keeps the hour of frying moving.
8. Dust the hot buñuelos generously with canela sugar and serve stacked high, with the warm cinnamon-piloncillo syrup for drizzling and dunking.

Nutrition figures are estimates. Verify allergens on every ingredient label before cooking.

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