Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas
Dusted with cinnamon and sugar and served with honey, these Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas are the perfect way to end a meal!
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Ah, doughnuts. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Every culture seems to have some variant on this awesome dessert (or breakfast, depending on the day). My love for doughnuts is well-documented in both this Baked Powdered Sugar Doughnuts post as well as my ode to the Glazed Apple Fritter. In addition to these American classics, there’s also the French beignet (also famous in New Orleans!), the Italian zeppole, the Belgian Dutchie, the Polish paczki and the list goes on… Ultimately, these delicious creations are all some form of fried dough. Sure, the dough recipe varies slightly from culture to culture. And some versions are filled while others are just dusted with sugar. But, in the end, doughnuts are doughnuts…and they’re delicious!
Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas
Cinnamon Sugar SopapillasI’ve long been a fan of sopapillas, and I decided to whip up a batch the other night for dessert. Although sopapillas aren’t technically a Mexican doughnut, they’re in the same general genre. They’re basically fried dough topped with cinnamon and sugar and then dipped in or drizzled with honey. And they’re one of my favorites! (Ok, maybe I don’t actually have favorites when it comes to doughnuts. Unless they’re filled with jelly. Jelly-filled are most definitely not my favorite. Blech.)
These Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas are incredibly easy to make, too. They don’t require any special equipment, and (unlike their yeasted cousins in the doughnut world), sopapilla dough only needs a minimal amount of resting before being fried. This means you can get up from your computer right now and have warm sopapillas sitting on your kitchen counter in about 30 minutes. (And 20 of those minutes are spent waiting for the dough to rest. That means you can still send an email, check Facebook and unload the dishwasher while you’re making these Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas.)
The shining star for sopapillas is unquestionably the honey. I’ve seen sopapillas served without honey before, and it’s just a travesty. Serve these bad boys warm with plenty of honey to dip them in. (I prefer dipping rather than drizzling simply to avoid the mess. Call me crazy.) Oh, and roll the dough out as thin as you can. The best way to achieve a nice fluffy sopapilla is to ensure that your dough isn’t too thick. Now excuse me while I go snack on some Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas for a bit. Honey doesn’t mix well with keyboards. Trust me.
Did you make a batch of these Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup water warmed
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add the vegetable shortening and water. Knead dough with your hands until a smooth, workable dough forms. (Note: If dough feels too dry and crumbly, add another teaspoon of water. If dough feels wet, add another teaspoon of flour.)
- Cover dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. On a well-floured countertop, roll each piece into a 9-10” circle. Cut the dough into 8 triangles, similar to how you would slice a pizza.
- Pour canola oil into a deep fry pan or heavy-bottomed skillet until it is about 2” deep. Using a deep-fry thermometer, heat oil over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 375°F. Meanwhile, prepare a tray with 2 layers of paper towels; set aside. (Tip: If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, then you can drop a pinch of flour into the oil. If it browns and bubbles immediately, then the oil is ready to go!)
- Carefully place 2-3 pieces of dough into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, approximately 45-60 seconds per side. Remove sopapillas with a slotted metal spoon and place on tray of paper towels to dry. (Tip: Flip the sopapillas after about 45 seconds minutes to ensure that they cook evenly.)
- Allow oil to return to 375°F and repeat process with remaining dough.
- While the sopapillas are cooling slightly, mix the sugar and cinnamon for the Topping together in a small bowl. Dust the tops of the sopapillas with this Cinnamon Sugar Topping before serving.
- Serve the sopapillas warm with honey.
Love cinnamon sugar desserts? Check out some of these other cinnamon sugar recipes, too:
“…perfect way to end a meal!”??? Wait – why can’t these be THE Meal?? I’m thinking with some beets and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour, this could be dinner – or maybe even an appetizer? Did you and Mrs. Spiced ever watch “Remember Me” – in which Robert Pattinson and his gal pal always had dessert first? Lil Shashi and I do that every now and then and this would be perfect for those times!
Hmmm…I can’t say that we’ve ever seen Remember Me, but I am a total fan of anyone who eats dessert first. Hah! And you can totally have this as THE meal…it will be our little secret, Shashi! You, me and the rest of the internet. 😉
Today I learned what sopapillas are (and they look damn fine!) But honestly, I had no idea, and I do eat quite a lot of Mexican food.
So thanks for the informative post man!
#WolkpackLectures
Hah! Just call me Dr. Dave, or actually Dr. Wolfman…that has a better ring to it! Sopapillas are pretty awesome, Mike. I mean, it’s fried dough dipped in honey. Nothing healthy about that…but oh so tasty! #WolfpackDoughnutClub
I’ll go with Dr. Wolfman then… 🙂
I love sopapillas!!!! These look perfect, David!!!
Thanks so much, Alice! I love sopapillas, too…but honestly, any excuse I can find to dip something in honey is pretty darned awesome to me. 🙂 I hope you had a great weekend!
Oh David, I know these bad good guys. I made them only twice, in 2012, and I’ve been planning to repeat soon. They have such a unique texure, so different from the other donoughts and so good. And you’re totally right – having them without honey is just nonsense! Good job David and have a lovely Friday!
Thanks so much, Ben! I hope you had an awesome weekend. Honestly, any day of the week is awesome when doughnuts are involved…but sopapillas are something special. I love honey, but I never seem to use it as much as I should. That is, until the sopapillas come out! 🙂
Hi David! I’m with Shashi above. When we go to a restaurant and I know the desserts are really good, I order dessert and eat it first and then maybe have an appetizer. Otherwise, I’m too full to enjoy it!
Hah! You and Shashi are going to make me rethink my eating habits, Dorothy! I’m loving this whole dessert first thing. But then again, there is something nice about knowing that you have a tasty dessert waiting for you after the meal, too. Can I do half before and half after? 🙂
Hi David! Why not? Or, if you feel yourself starting to get full on the main course, stop and eat dessert! You can always doggie bag the remainder of your meal for tomorrow’s lunch!
I’m liking the way you think, Dorothy! Dessert it is then!! 🙂
I would scarf down dinner just to get to these. WOW!
Hah! Now there’s the right attitude. Thanks so much, Matt…I hope you and Naomi had an awesome weekend! 🙂
Mmm – I LOVE sopapillas!! But then again, any doughnut is okay in my book 😛 But your recipes looks SO flavorful and delicious!! 🙂
Thank you so much, Christina! I’m with you here…any doughnut is a good doughnut in my book. But if said doughnut involves honey, then it becomes a great doughnut. Haha! 🙂
oh wow- And you’ve taught me something yet again! I’ve never heard of these sopapillas but I know I’ll be a fan…Cinnamon sugar AND honey!
My favourite donut is actually savoury- It’s like deep fried on the outside and inside has chicken curry- So oily, but so good- There’s also a chicken and mushroom but one but that’s not oily enough…oops.
Yes! Sopapillas are amazing, Arman. They’re kinda like Mexican doughnuts…but I guess they aren’t technically doughnuts. Still, they are fried dough covered in cinnamon-sugar and dipped in honey. Sounds pretty much like my heaven right there! Also, I’m intrigued by this thought of a savory doughnut. I’m not sure how my taste buds would respond to that. But I think I need to find out…soon. I hope you had an awesome weekend (and Monday), mate!
“Fried dough topped with cinnamon and sugar and dipped in honey.” I’m sold!!
Hahaha…you summed it up nicely right there, Tamara! I mean, you seriously can’t go wrong with these bad boys. 🙂
I can’t allow myself around desserts like these. They look incredible, but I can’t stop at just one haha
I totally agree with you Dannii! That’s why I strategically plan on making recipes like this on days that we either have friends over or when I can send all of the leftovers in to my wife’s coworkers. (I may or may not save a couple every time, though…just saying. Haha!)
I’m sitting here with a cup of tea wishing I had a sweet baked good to go along with it. These look absolutely perfect Dave!
Thank you so much, Pamela…you are too kind! And yes, these cinnamon sugar sopapillas would be pretty darned perfect with a cup of afternoon tea. 🙂
I’ll take your doughnut no matter what you want to call it. Except if you stuff it with jelly — I’m with you on that. Jelly doughnuts are sooooo grody. These sopapillas, however, look totally amazing. I’m also impressed at how efficient I can be multitasking while I’m making them!
Yes! I was beginning to think I was the only person in the world who doesn’t like jelly-filled doughnuts. Oh, and I don’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, either. Peanut butter alone is fine. And I do like jelly on toast…but keep it pure and unadulterated! Now go be efficient and make some sopapillas this afternoon. 😉 Thanks, Rachelle!!
Fried dough dipped in honey AND cinnamon sugar – BRING IT! And I’m with you – jelly doughnuts are no bueno.
Thanks, Kevin!! Keep that jelly for toast…not doughnuts. Haha!
Good morning little pockets of fried dough doused in cinnamon sugar…you are now all I want to eat today! That pb and banana sandwich that I always have for breakfast now sounds completely unappetizing. So….yeah. Thanks for that, David.
That’s what I’m here for, Lindsey…to ruin your breakfast! But please, I don’t feel bad for you one bit. You probably have muffins, quick breads and doughnuts galore awaiting you at ICC this morning. So I’m not sorry at all. 🙂
Droooool, these look amazing!
I agree, jelly filled donuts are not my fav either. When I lived in the San Fran Bay Area, there was this place that made CRAZY donuts – like cookies & cream stuffed donuts with chocolate edible alien figures coming out of it. I never had really been a donut fan but then I got hooked on their insane donuts!
Thanks, Nicole! So I don’t like jelly-filled donuts, but I’ve got to admit that I’m pretty intrigued (or maybe obsessed) with these cookies and cream stuffed donuts. And alien figures? Now I’m really intrigued! Maybe I need to play a trip out to SF to research donuts. That’s totally acceptable, right? 🙂
YESSSSSSS! These are freaking awesome! Love me some good sopapillas. Love also saying sopapillas. Bet you can’t say it 5 times fast. I also bet that you actually just tried to do it and realized it’s not that hard. Now all I need is that special wolfpack care package to come in the mail filled with these sopapillas. Oh wait… it must have gotten lost, right? #convenient
Haha…I totally just tried that. Call me a lemming. And I don’t think I succeeded. I got tongue tied around #4. Then I got confused. I need a nap now! Yup, I sent your care package down to you weeks ago…did you not get it?? #BlameTheMailLady
How many sopapillas does this make?
Hey Grace! I’m in the process of updating old recipes to include amounts and nutrition facts…I just haven’t made it to this recipe yet. This recipe will make 16 sopapillas. I hope you enjoy these! 🙂