Add something sweet to Taco Tuesdays with this recipe for sopapillas, a fried Mexican treat that can be draped in sauces, sugars, and spices for every taste.
When you think of Mexican cuisine, you’ll no doubt think of tacos, fajitas, burritos, and churros. If you’re like me, though, one treat from south of the border that I always overlook is the sopapilla. Well, I’m going to do my part to change that. Sopapillas are comparable to our doughnuts but are easy to make at home (no donut shop — or sopapilla shop — for this girl!). So keep this recipe on hand the next time you’re planning a Taco Tuesday. These will be a great way to finish off the meal.
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 24
Ingredients
The Sopapillas:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 cup butter (melted) or vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Canola oil – It needs to be enough to fill 3 – 4 inches of the bottom of the pot.
The Optional Toppings:
- Chocolate sauce, chocolate crumble, honey, maple syrup, powdered sugar, or cinnamon and sugar.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the ingredients together until it forms a smooth ball. Do not over-mix (once it comes together, you can stop mixing). If you are using butter, melt it beforehand. If you are using shortening, the warm water will melt it as you mix it together.
- Allow the dough to rest for 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of flour on a smooth surface and roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut rectangles out of the dough.
- Heat the oil in a pot over MEDIUM heat at 375°F. You want the dough to sizzle when it goes in. It takes 4 minutes to brown and cook in the center. Flip halfway through (about 2 minutes).
- Once done, place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel and allow them to drain, then serve with your favorite toppings.
Variations
“Versatile” does not begin to describe sopapillas. You can put ingredients on them, in them, around them, and under them (I presume). Here are some suggestions:
Stuffed Sopapillas: Take a fried sopapilla and cut a small slit in the side. Stuff them with something sweet, like honey, chocolate sauce, fruit preserves, or whipped cream.
Savory Sopapillas: You can also stuff them with savory fillings such as beans, cheese, or meat for a more substantial meal/appetizer.
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars: Yes, cheesecake… in sopapilla form! Make a cheesecake filling and pour it over a layer of sopapillas in a baking dish. Put a layer of sopapillas on top of the filling then sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown and bubbly.
Sopapilla Churros: Add cinnamon and sugar and shape the dough into long, thin sticks like churros. Fry them up and dip into chocolate sauce.
FAQs
Yes, you can really play around, I love making them into rectangles, but you can make them square or even circles. You can use a cookie cutter and then just rework the offcuts; the only thing to watch out for is that constantly reworking the dough can cause the dough to bounce back once you cut out a shape.
Yes, you can, use some cooking oil spray. Cook them for about 3- 4 minutes on each side.
This could be a few reasons, the most likely is that you have rolled your dough too thin. If so, try making them a bit thicker. You could have also set your oil too hot and they aren’t having a chance to puff up. I always like to test one or two to make sure you have it right before you fry all of the sopapillas.
How to Store Sopapillas
Let the sopapillas cool completely. Place them in an airtight container or a resealable bag. They can be stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Sopapillas tend to lose their texture and dry out quickly so I recommend eating them within a day or 2 after making them. If you don’t think you’ll eat them in that time, you can freeze them for up to a month. When you want to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature.
Sopapillas
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 cup butter melted, or vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Canola oil It needs to be enough to fill 3 – 4 inches of the bottom of the pot.
The Optional Toppings:
- Chocolate sauce, chocolate crumble, honey, maple syrup, powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the ingredients together until it forms a smooth ball. Do not over-mix (once it comes together, you can stop mixing). If you are using butter, melt it beforehand. If you are using shortening, the warm water will melt it as you mix it together.
- Allow the dough to rest for 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of flour on a smooth surface and roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut rectangles out of the dough.
- Heat the oil in a pot over MEDIUM heat at 375°F. You want the dough to sizzle when it goes in. It takes 4 minutes to brown and cook in the center. Flip halfway through (about 2 minutes). Once they are cooked, place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel and allow them to drain, then serve with your favorite toppings.
