These golden, crispy-sweet, tortilla-like fritters are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar or topped with syrup. My grandma made these treats but never called them “buñuelos”. My grandma’s recipe was basically the same as her flour tortilla recipe and we drizzled them with miel virgen (honey). I still remember licking my sticky fingers wanting more.

While in college I remember seeing them in a Mexican grocery store around the holidays and said, “Hey, my grandma makes those!” I didn’t know there was a specific name for them.

Now my mother has come up with her very own recipe and is adding them to her wonderful gift giving treats for Christmas this year. I think I gained about five pounds in the Muy Bueno test kitchen sampling three different recipes.

The recipe below was the clear winner and we invite you to make these tasty treats for your family and friends this Christmas season. Watch this video to see how simple these buñuelos are made.

Like tamales, buñuelos are a part of our table at Christmas time. Enjoy with a cup of warm champurrado.

Yield: 20 Buñuelos

Buñuelos (Mexican Fritters)

These golden, crispy-sweet, tortilla-like fritters are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar or topped with syrup.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 beaten eggs
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Sugar coating

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a saucepan heat milk, butter, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, then add the beaten eggs to the room temperature milk mixture and whisk quickly.
4. Add the liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Knead dough on lightly floured surface 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
6. After you knead the dough, divide into 20 dough balls. With a rolling pin, roll out thin tortillas.
7. Lay out all the thin tortilla flats on a tablecloth and let them dry. Turn them over once to ensure drying on both sides. This helps remove most of the moisture before frying.
8. Heat one-inch of oil in a skillet wide enough for the tortillas to fry flat. Deep-fry tortillas until golden brown, turning once. Remove from pan; stand vertically in a bowl lined with paper towels and drain excess oil.
9. While warm, sprinkle fried tortillas on both sides with sugar-cinnamon mixture.