If you’ve never used piloncillo, it is a type of unrefined cane sugar typically sold in a cone-shaped stick. It has a very molasses-forward flavor with burnt caramel notes and even a subtle smokiness (very tasty!). I’ve always been able to find it easily at my local grocery store in the Hispanic food aisle. For more Mexican desserts, try my decadent Mexican hot chocolate, Mexican wedding cookies recipe, and conchas recipe.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Piloncillo — piloncillo is a type of raw or unrefined brown cane sugar. You’ll often find it sold as a cone-shaped structure in the Hispanic section at your grocery store. Sometimes called Mexican brown sugar or Panela, piloncillo has a rich molasses taste with hints of burnt caramel and a pleasant earthiness. Flavorings for piloncillo syrup — you need a cinnamon stick, orange zest, and vanilla extract to add warmth and fresh citrus flavor to the homemade piloncillo syrup. Leavening — baking powder helps the dough puff up when fried, creating air pockets for a crisp and light texture. Oil — vegetable oil adds moisture to the dough and is essential for frying. You will also need about 2 cups for frying. Cinnamon sugar — ground cinnamon and granulated sugar are all you need for the yummy cinnamon sugar.
How to Make Bunuelos
- Start by making the piloncillo syrup in a medium saucepan. Add 1 ½ cups water, the piloncillo cone, cinnamon stick, orange zest, and vanilla extract to the pan and set it over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the piloncillo dissolves. Then reduce the heat to medium heat or lower, just to simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup. Remove the syrup from the heat, strain into a small bowl, and set aside.
- While the syrup simmers, work on the bunuelo dough. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
- Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg.
- Then add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Stir until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Slowly add warm water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing and kneading with your hands until a soft, smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Once the 30 minutes is up, divide the dough into 12 small balls and cover for the moment.
- Place one dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Roll until a thin circle forms, as thin as it can possibly be without tearing, as if you were making flour tortillas. (they don’t need to be a perfect circle to be delicious!) Carefully place the round on a large kitchen towel. Repeat that with the remaining dough balls, placing them on the dish towel, too. Make sure the dough rounds do not touch each other.
- In a large skillet, fry the dough rounds one at a time in an inch of oil heated anywhere from 350°F to 375°F. Press down with a spatula to submerge the dough in the hot oil so large bubbles do not form, and fry until golden and crispy. This will take about 1 minute per side. Drain excess oil off the bunuelos on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and allow them to cool.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle both sides of the buñuelos with the cinnamon mixture and serve drizzled with homemade piloncillo syrup.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Time-saving tip: While the syrup is simmering for 30 minutes, make the dough since it needs to rest for 30 minutes. Use a stand mixer. The dough can also be made in a stand mixer using a dough hook if you don’t want to mix and knead it by hand. Place the rolled dough on a dish towel. This helps them to dry out a bit so they are crispier and absorb less oil while frying. Just pick one that is smooth and lint-free- I prefer a floursack-type towel for this. Prevent large bubbles from forming. While frying, make sure to press down on the bunuelos with a spatula so large bubbles in the dough do not form. Small bubbles are okay.
If you’ve tried this bunuelos recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
