Sweet Cheaters' Sopapillas Recipe

For those looking to relish the delightful taste of sopapillas without the time-consuming process of crafting dough from scratch, using store-bought flour tortillas is a game-changing hack. Sopapillas are a popular Southwestern and Latin American treat, often eaten as a dessert or snack. Traditionally, they are made from a simple dough comprising flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water. Once the ingredients are combined and kneaded, the dough is rolled out and cut into square or triangular shapes. These cut-outs are then deep-fried in hot oil, where they puff up into light, airy pillows due to the reaction of the baking powder with the hot oil.

By using ready-made flour tortillas, we can recreate a similar treat in much less time. Recipe developer Taylor Murray breaks down this easy but satisfying "cheaters'" recipe for homemade sopapillas, which makes a mean afternoon snack or the perfect sweet treat to follow taco night.

Start by cutting each tortilla into 4 wedges, which makes them the right size and shape for easy snacking. Next, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar, doubling or tripling the recipe quantity if you think you'll want a bit extra. It's important to do this step now and to choose a big enough dish for the job, as you'll transfer the tortillas directly from the hot frying oil into the cinnamon sugar mixture for coating.

As the sopapillas come out of the fryer, transfer them directly to the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Doing it this way, as opposed to waiting until they are all fried, ensures the best results because the sugar will stick to the still-wet oil on each sopapilla. Toss the sopapillas in the bowl until they are coated in crunchy, cinnamony sugar all over, then remove them to a plate or wire rack until you finish the rest of the batch.