Colombian Buñuelos
Although buñuelos are a Colombian staple year round, they are even more special during the holidays- especially if they’re served with Natilla (a Colombian coconut custard)! These salty and subtly sweet fried balls of cheese are the perfect snack for any holiday party, event, or for snacking on Christmas morning.
Though Puerto Rico has its own version of buñuelos, the Colombian’s addition of salty farm cheese makes this pastry even more suitable for a breakfast or nourishing snack during the day. These fritters are as fun to make as they are to eat!
Break out your Costeño cheese, your heavy pot, and enjoy!
Colombian Buñuelos
Yields: a dozen 1” fritters
Time: 30 mins
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cups cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca or cassava flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups grated costeño or queso fresco
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1-2 tablespoons milk of choice
3-4 cups of vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the batter:
In a large bowl, add the cornstarch, cassava flour, sugar, costeño, salt, baking powder, and eggs. Using your hands (or a mixing spoon) mix all of the ingredients together until they are incorporated
If the dough is a bit dry, add milk of choice 1 tablespoon and incorporate into the batter until it comes together. The batter should be soft to the touch and should not stick to your finger when you indent it.
Using wet hands, roll the batter into 1” balls and place on a plate to rest. I prefer to chill mine for about 10 minutes in the freezer.
In a large pot, heat about 3-4 cups of vegetable oil to about 325 degrees fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the readiness of the oil by rolling a small piece of the batter and dropping it into the pot. The batter should sink, then float to the top.
Remove the chilled balls. If they happen to lose their roundness, roll in between your palms to achieve a spherical shape before frying.Fry the balls until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes)
Drain the balls on a paper-lined tray. Once ready to serve, garnish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar!
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