Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes: Honey Sopapillas with Cinnamon Sugar
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Mix a simple dough of flour, baking powder, salt, shortening and warm water, rest it 20 minutes, roll thin and cut into triangles, then fry in 375 degree F oil for 1 to 2 minutes per side until puffed and golden. Toss hot in cinnamon sugar and serve right away with warm honey for dipping.
Thanksgiving dessert recipes do not always have to mean pie. Sopapillas are the fun one: thin triangles of simple dough that balloon into hollow golden pillows in hot oil, then get tossed in cinnamon sugar and drowned in warm honey. They take about an hour start to finish, they thrill a crowd of all ages, and that first puff in the oil never gets old. Set out a pitcher of warm honey and watch them disappear.
Why you’ll love it
- Pantry dough: flour, baking powder, salt, shortening and water, nothing fancy.
- That magic puff in hot oil is pure kitchen theater for kids and guests.
- Crisp outside, hollow inside, perfect for filling with honey.
- Faster than pie and feeds a crowd from one batch of dough.
- Warm honey and cinnamon sugar is a combination nobody argues with.
Ingredient notes
All purpose flour: regular flour is all you need. The dough is lean on purpose so it fries up crisp instead of cakey.
Baking powder: the leavening that helps the puff along. Make sure yours is fresh; old baking powder gives flat, sad sopapillas.
Vegetable shortening: it cuts into the flour for a tender dough that puffs high. Butter works in a pinch but gives a slightly lower puff.
Warm water: warm, not hot. It brings the dough together smoothly and starts the gluten relaxing. Cold water makes a tougher dough.
Neutral oil: you need a full 4 cups for deep frying. A high smoke point oil like vegetable or peanut keeps the flavor clean.
Hot oil is the whole trick
Everything about sopapillas comes down to the oil. At 375 degrees F, the water in the dough flashes to steam and the thin triangle inflates like a balloon. Below that temperature the dough just sits there soaking up oil, and above it the outside browns before the inside has a chance to puff. Use a thermometer and adjust the heat between batches, because each batch of cold dough pulls the temperature down. Spooning hot oil over the tops as they fry is the pro move: it heats the top surface so the whole piece puffs evenly instead of curling. Two to three pieces at a time is plenty. Patience here is rewarded with the tallest, crispest sopapillas.
Variations
- Chocolate filled: after frying and cooling slightly, pipe a little chocolate hazelnut spread into each puff through a small slit.
- Churro style: toss in cinnamon sugar with an extra pinch of cinnamon for a stronger churro flavor.
- Savory sopapillas: skip the sugar, fry as directed and serve warm with honey butter or alongside chili.
- Dusted, not tossed: skip the cinnamon sugar and finish with a snowfall of powdered sugar for a lighter touch.
What we learned testing it
- Spooning hot oil over the tops made them puff twice as high as just floating them. The extra heat on top is what starts the balloon effect.
- Shortening beat butter in the side by side test. Butter doughs tasted richer but puffed less, while shortening doughs came out lighter and puffier.
Read how we test recipes.
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes: Honey Sopapillas with Cinnamon Sugar
Makes about 16 sopapillas · 1 hr 10 min total · Medium
Ingredients
Equipment
Large mixing bowl · Rolling pin · Pizza wheel or sharp knife · Deep heavy pot · Tongs · Wire rack
Instructions
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Mix the dough, rest, roll and cut
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Pour in the warm water and mix until a soft dough forms, then knead for 2 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest for 20 minutes; the rest relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls thin without springing back. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into 3 inch triangles with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Keep the cut pieces covered with a clean towel so they do not dry out.
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Fry hot so they puff
Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a deep heavy pot. Fry 2 to 3 triangles at a time for 1 to 2 minutes per side, spooning a little hot oil over the tops to help them puff. They should balloon up and turn deep golden. Lift out with tongs and drain on a wire rack.
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Toss hot in cinnamon sugar
Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. While the sopapillas are still hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar until well coated. The sugar clings best to hot, just fried pastry.
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Serve warm with honey
Serve immediately with a pitcher of warm honey for drizzling and dipping. Sopapillas are at their best in the first 30 minutes, crisp outside and hollow inside.
Notes
- Oil temperature is everything. A thermometer keeps you at 375 degrees F; too cool and the sopapillas soak up oil, too hot and they brown before puffing.
- Roll thin. Dough thicker than 1/8 inch puffs poorly and turns bready instead of hollow and crisp.
- Toss while hot. Cinnamon sugar sticks to hot, just fried pastry and slides right off cooled sopapillas.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature and the whole batch suffers.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Vegetable shortening
- Use cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces. The sopapillas will be a little richer and puff slightly less, which is still delicious.
- Warm honey for serving
- Serve with cajeta, chocolate sauce or fruit preserves. Warm honey is classic, but any sweet dip suits the crisp pastry.
- Cinnamon sugar coating
- Toss in plain granulated sugar, or skip the sugar and serve with powdered sugar dusted on top. The pastry itself is barely sweet, so it needs something.
Storage and make-ahead
Sopapillas are best fresh and do not store well once fried. The dough can be made a day ahead, wrapped tightly and refrigerated; let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling. If you must keep fried sopapillas, store them uncovered at room temperature for up to 1 day and recrisp in a 350 degrees F oven for 5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my sopapillas not puff up?
The oil was not hot enough, or the dough was rolled too thick. Hold 375 degrees F with a thermometer, roll to a true 1/8 inch, and spoon hot oil over the tops as they fry to kickstart the puff.
Can I bake sopapillas instead of frying?
You can, but they will not puff the same way. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. The result is more like a crisp flatbread, still good with cinnamon sugar and honey.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. Make the dough, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling so it rolls out easily.
What oil is best for frying sopapillas?
Any neutral oil with a high smoke point: vegetable, canola or peanut oil. Avoid olive oil, which smokes and adds flavor you do not want here.
Are sopapillas the same as fry bread?
They are cousins. Both are fried doughs, but sopapillas are rolled thin and puff into hollow pillows, while fry bread is thicker and chewier. The techniques differ, but both love honey.
