Buñuelos With Spicy Hot Chocolate

Name: Buñuelos With Spicy Hot Chocolate
Cuisine: European, Mediterranean, Latin American, American, Spanish
Ingredients: 3/4 cup (165g) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon ground canela or cinnamon; 1 1/2 teaspoon (6g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 3 cup (375g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup warm water; 6 tablespoon (80g) vegetable shortening, plus more for frying; 4 cup whole milk; 1 three-inch stick canela or Cassia bark; 1 chile cascabel or 2 chiles de árbol; or 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper; 8 ounce bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70% or higher), chopped; 1/4 cup piloncillo or dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 pinch kosher salt

Instructions

When I was little, every New Year's Eve, we would go to my grandmother’s house. She would open the door, grab my cheeks, and give me a big hug and kiss. The next thing to greet me was always the amazing scents of of cinnamon, sugar, and fried dough—signifying sweet, crispy buñuelos. I would run into the kitchen and see stacks, almost as tall as me, of these perfectly round, golden-brown and bubbly buñuelos, and a big pot of hot chocolate. Even just writing this memory is taking me back and making me really happy. This is a tradition that I have kept going, no matter who I am with or what I am doing for New Year's Eve. Mainly because I know that buñuelos and hot chocolate make everyone happy and can easily slide into any N.Y.E. situation, from a solitary night at home to an all-day festivity. A note: While I don't often recommend vegetable shortening in recipes, here, it's essential to the crispy, flaky texture of the pastries.

Updated at: Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:27:39 GMT