Guest Post - Sopapillas

ByBluebonnet Baker
34 Comments

This week, I’m visiting my home state of Texas. Several of my blogging friends agreed to do guest posts for me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Kristen from Dine & Dish is one of the most genuine and lovely bloggers I have had the pleasure of meeting. She has a passion for helping other bloggers find their voice, and it makes me incredibly grateful to know her. Her equal dedication to family is what makes her blogging style so special to me. Happy Valentine's Day!

My Grandma Wogan lived in Union Star, MO... a tiny little sleeper town in northwest Missouri. As tiny as the town was, I remember it being full of magic spots when I was a little girl. She lived in a log cabin (that always smelled like coffee), which was about as far different from our suburban ranch home as it could be. She had huge trees all over her lot, with a big tire swing in her backyard. My sister and I would spend hours just swinging on that swing, feeling like we were flying up to the highest tree branches.

I remember the underground walking path too... to get from one side of the road to the side where the elementary school was, you'd walk down through a tunnel that went under the road. Really, is there anything cooler than a tunnel to a little kid? I'm sure it wasn't very long, but I remember it being so unique and mysterious. When we went to visit Grandma, the first thing I always wanted to do was go to the tunnel.

I have so many fond memories of going to Grandmas. Unlike most of you, I don't recall my Grandma ever doing much cooking. I do remember every time we went to her house we would head into town and go to Barbosas, a Mexican restaurant located in a huge castle. It was at Barbosas that I first fell in love with Sopapillas... pillowy puffs of fried dough, sprinkled with brown sugar and filled with honey. I always called them Barbie pillows because to me, that's exactly what they would have been perfect for!

As I was making up a batch of Sopapillas this morning, my mind was wandering to time spent with my Grandma Wogan, and I began missing her very much. Those of you who still have your grandparents alive... treasure that relationship and spend as much time with them as you can. Love them fiercely now so you can have the most wonderful memories when they are no longer here to make memories with.

Puffy Pillowy Sopapillas

    2 Cups Flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon salt
    2 Tablespoons shortening
    ¾ cup warm water
    Oil for frying
    ¼ cup sugar
    2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  1. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  2. large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
  3. Roll out on floured board until ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer or large dutch oven to 375 degrees F . Place dough into the hot oil, 2 at a time, and cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 3 minutes.
  4. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of each sopapilla with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  5. Serve warm. If desired, break open and drizzle with honey or maple syrup.

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Guest Post - Sopapillas - - - [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

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34 Comments

  1. FINALLY!! A recipe for real sopapillas 🙂 I grew up in New Mexico and grew up with these wonderful pillows that you would fill with honey. Then we moved east and the "sopapillas" were these flat, crispy chips and I kept trying to tell everyone those are not real. We had one Mexican restaurant in Richmond, Va that knew how to make the real thing and big surprise, they were from New Mexico 🙂 I live in Ohio now, and same problem. Whenever I have tried to search the internet for the recipe it always brought back the recipe for the flat chips not the real sopapillas I grew up with. So, Thank You from the bottom of my homesick heart for a real recipe 🙂

    1. Aw Debra, I'm so glad you like the recipe! I was really grateful to Kristen for stepping in when I needed a guest post, and for sharing this amazing recipe. Sopapillas are one of my alltime favorite Tex-Mex desserts. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

      Amber

  2. Kristen, this is so odd that when I typed in sopapillas your recipe was the one that came up...I live in Maryville, Mo. Union Star isn't far from us and I too remember going to Barbosas, what a treat it was. Jason Barbosa lives in Maryville and it is his family that runs that resturant. Thank you for the simple recipe......

    1. Oh how fun, Jennifer! Is Barbosa's still there? I'd love to make a visit back sometime!

  3. wow! nicely done. it looks so lovely. thank you for sharing this and have a great weekend!

  4. yep - Barbie pillows made me smile too Kristen . . . and what is it about the grandparents' home that was magical??? i don't remember my grandmother baking a lot but she had two cookie jars - TWO cookie jars filled w/store-bought cookies which i thought was the coolest thing ever!! they were filled w/those sugary pink wafer things and the vanilla creme sandwiches - both of which i won't touch now . . . but back then? oh yeah!

  5. I never realized a sopapilla is just a fried, flour tortilla. The ingredients made me realize that. Makes sense. Your sopapillas look so tempting. Thanks for sharing.

  7. So Beautiful. Tears are spilling down my cheeks. Such true words Kristen. Love them fiercely today indeed.

  8. Barbie pillows...I LOVE it! And I love the description of your childhood memories. These look so yum - my family would be all over these. I'm printing it off!

  9. In December we vacationed in Santa Fe NM and had the most incredible light pillows of dough called sopapillas at a local hangout, Tomasita's by the train depot. We're from Texas so we're familiar with them and bunuelos. But there, one sopapilla is 4" x 6" and puffed up! It fills the plastic basket! They're served plain and used like bread when you're first seated and with your meal. The closest thing we've found in Houston is at Santa Fe Flats but much smaller. We'll try this recipe but make them giant! size.

  12. I always wanted a big tire swing when I was a little kid! Thanks for sharing your sweet memories Kristen, it's what makes recipes like these so special.

  13. Hello, Amber!
    Nice to meet you. Thank you for hosting my new blogging friend. Kristen - your sopapilla look so flaky and light and lovely and delicious. I have never had one, but definitely want to now!
    🙂
    Valerie

  14. Ok, I was going to make this healthy dinner. Think steamed veggies, brown rice, tofu sort-of-thing. Then I see this. Now it's sopapillas for dinner!

    P.S. Have you tried the sopapilla cheesecake on Tasty Kitchen? It's SO easy and delicious!

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