Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

sopapillas

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Vickie Parks
Renton, WA

This recipe is a favorite throughout South America, Central America, and Mexico. Some regions serve these as dessert and (depending on regional preference) sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar or drizzled with honey. We had them as dessert recently at a Mexican restaurant, and they were dusted with sugar and topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a touch of strawberry sauce drizzled over the whipped cream. It was super delicious!

(1 rating)
yield 12 -18
prep time 15 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Pan Fry

Ingredients For sopapillas

  • 2 cups
    all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp
    granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp
    vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup
    warm water (plus more, as needed)
  • 2 - 3 cups
    peanut oil, for frying
  • cinnamon, sugar, or honey (for serving)
  • whipped cream (optional)
  • strawberry sauce (optional)

How To Make sopapillas

  • 1
    Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, shortening and water to make a soft dough. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough feels too dry. Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or until firm (which makes it easier to roll and cut.
  • 2
    Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half, and roll (with a floured rolling pin) each piece of dough into a circle at 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into triangles (as you would slice a pie). You should have 6 or 8 triangles per circle.
  • 3
    Heat 2-inches of oil to 350° in a heavy skillet or deep saucepan over medium-high heat. (Increase temperature to 375° if you prefer a crispier sopapillas.)
  • 4
    Fry a few of the sopapillas at a time, making sure to maintain the oil temperature. When the sopapillas puff up and float to the surface, turn them over to fry the other side, about 2 minutes each side. Carefully remove the sopapillas from the oil and drain on double layer of paper towels, and let cool slightly.
  • 5
    Serve warm, sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar or honey on top. Serving Option: If desired, let sopapillas cool, then pipe whipped cream in the center of each sopapilla triangle, and use a spoon to drizzle a bit of strawberry sauce over the whipped cream.
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