It’s the tenth day of the 12 days of Holiday Ideas event and it’s all about Holiday Desserts and Treats! Today, I’m sharing fried rosette cookies!
Before I get to the fried rosette cookies, I want to welcome you to the 5th annual 12 Days of Holiday Ideas event! This event is hosted by Shirley of Intelligent Domestications and myself between Nov. 11th and December 6th. There will be hundreds of new ideas for the holidays that will be shared by our fellow blogging friends! To find the printable Holiday Calendars for the event and 50+ Best DIY Holiday Ideas, go –>> HERE. And don’t forget to check out the other delicious Christmas Holiday Desserts & Treats from the other hosts and enter the fabulous giveaway below!
Crisp and light fried rosette cookiesFried Rosette Cookies – Bunuelos
I remember eating this when I was a little girl and had no idea that these were a Spanish fried treat (history has traced this treat back to Europe’s Iberian Peninsula). Many Spanish speaking countries have a variation of this treat and some make it into flat round discs, while others will use an iron to make pretty designs. Really, flat or pretty rosettes, these fried treats are delicious!
I’m not sure of the origin of my mom’s recipe, but her recipe has cornstarch and sugar. Most traditional bunuelos recipes I’ve seen only use flour and no cornstarch. As far as sugar goes, some traditional recipes will use it in the batter and some won’t. Both versions are good, but I think the addition of cornstarch makes the cookies a bit crunchier and adding sugar to the batter makes it possible to eat the cookies without a sugar topping. Although, my kids prefer to eat these fried rosette cookies with a cinnamon/sugar topping.
Oh, and please don’t get discouraged if your first few don’t come out perfectly (they still taste good). Making these fried rosette cookies does have a learning curve and may take several tries.
Fried Rosette Cookies - Bunuelos
A light and crispy fried cookie that can be eaten plain or dusted with sugar or cinnamon sugar coating.
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar + 1 T.
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 T. vanilla
- 3T. - 5 T. water (3T. will give a slightly thicker bunuelos and 5T. will give a super thin bunuelos)
Misc.
- Oil for frying
Topping 1
- Powdered Sugar
Topping 2
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 T. cinnamon - add more cinnamon to taste
Instructions
Place all the batter ingredients into a large mixing bowl. See notes. Mix using a fork, making sure to break up any dry lumps against the side of the bowl. The batter should be smooth and virtually lump free. Set aside. 
In a large pot or deep pan, heat up enough oil to deep fry the rosette cookies. About 1 1/2" - 2" deep or more. If you have a thermometer, I highly recommend you use it. The oil temperature should reach 350°F - 360°F and be maintained at this temperature. If the oil temperature is too low, the cookies will retain too much oil and will stick to the iron. - Place iron into the oil for about a minute to heat up. Remove from oil and let some of the oil drip back into the pan.
Blot iron onto a paper napkin to remove any excess oil. - Dip into the batter, just until the batter reaches near the top of the iron. Do not go over the top of the iron. Quickly lift the iron up and place into the hot oil.
The batter will release when it's ready. If the batter sticks a bit, use a butter knife to push it off. If your pot can handle two or three rosettes, repeat steps 3 and 4. See notes.
When the rosette is slightly golden, flip it over. About 1 minutes per side, but use 1 minute as a guide as it could be more or less time. Continue to fry until both sides are a nice golden color. Remove and shake off excess oil.
Place on paper towels to soak up any excess oil. 
To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip into a sugar/cinnamon mixture (my kids' favorite). See notes.
To store, place in an air tight container lined with paper towels. Keep up to 3 days.
Notes
- Tip: If this is your first time, do one rosette at a time until you get your technique down. For irons that are 1" high, it can be easier for the batter to release if it is dipped only half-way or 1/2" into the batter. Once you get the technique down, try dipping it almost the full 1" into the batter.
- Tip: Hold the batter covered iron in the oil until it starts to release from the iron. This will help the rosette hold it's shape. If the batter is shaken off too soon, the rosette tends to spread open.
- Tip: Use a bowl that has a flat bottom that will fit your iron. You do not want the iron to touch the bottom or sides of the bowl as it can pull off the batter.
- Trouble shooting: If the batter slips off the iron into the batter, remove the semi-cooked batter with a fork from the bowl and discard. Place the iron in the oil to remove any leftover batter and try again.
- Don't worry if the first few don't come out perfectly. These can still be eaten and will be a gauge as to how long to cook the rosettes and get your technique going. It does take a bit of practice, so don't get discouraged if a few don't come out perfectly.
- Since this batter has sugar, the rosette cookies do not need a sugar topping and can be eaten plain. If you prefer a cinnamon/sugar topping, coat with cinnamon/sugar after cooking and store. For powdered sugar, top right before eating.
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Is the 1 T instruction one tablespoon or one teaspoon?
T. = tablespoon and tsp. = teaspoon.
I want to serve these on Christmas Day. How many days before hand can I make them? Thanks!
These will keep up to 5 days, but I suggest making them no more than 2 days for the best results in an airtight container at room temperature.
Batter was good, however, oil temp at 350 burned the rosette’s within seconds. Good temp was 300, and rosette’s were completed within 15-20 seconds. of dipping in oil.
Thank You for your step by step recipe. My neighbor would make these every year for us at Christmas time but wouldn’t give us the secret recipe lol
Now I have it and will make it this Christmas for my family.
Thanks again & Merry Christmas to you & your family uwu
I hope you like it. It took me several tries to get the hang of it, so don’t give up.
Ooohh!! These remind me of funnel cakes, and I love them! Pinned. Definitely need to try. Also picked as one of my features for this week’s Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Link Party, which goes live tomorrow (Sat) at 5pm EST.
Your cookies look delicious! They remind me of funnel cakes. Thanks for sharing with us at the Snickerdoodle Link Party! They will be one of my features this Saturday!
Erlene, I’ve only had these once in my life and loved the taste but have been rather intimidated by cooking them in oil. I think I would like to give it a try following your instructions.
Not going to lie, it does take a bit of practice and I did have a few moments of frustration in the beginning. I’ve got the swing of it now, so it’s pretty fast now.
These cookies look amazing! I have never made these, but find myself inspired to thanks to your recipe and tutorial! Pinned!
Boy does this take me back to my childhood! My Mom used to make these every Christmas. She’d wait until all seven of us kids were at school so she’d have no interruptions while making them. We’d come home from school and want to eat them so badly but they were always reserved for company only. I have no idea where her recipe or the irons went. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Erlene!
Isn’t funny how food can bring back so many memories? I remember loving to eat this too. I also have no idea where my mom’s irons went, but now I can start a new collection for my kids 🙂
I learned to make these from my m-i-l (who was of German descent) I got her irons after she passed – also include stars and butterflies. My kids say it isnt Christmas unless we have Rosettes.
I haven’t had rosettes in years, but oh my goodness, are they delicious!! I’m inspired–I definitely need to make them again this year.
I haven’t had them since I was a little girl. So glad I found my mom’s recipe and was able to make it for my kids. I used to love these 🙂