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One of the great things about state or county fairs is the food — specifically, funnel cake. Countries like Germany and Finland have their own versions of this treat that are special to their cultures, but our funnel cake is said to have originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, before becoming well known as delicious carnival food. There’s something so nice about wandering the fairgrounds with your sweet, fried dough, and we wanted to recreate some of those memories at home with our own mini funnel cakes!

Mini Funnel Cakes

Makes 6-8

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soad
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • powdered sugar, garnish

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat milk and egg together until totally combined. Add in sugar and mix well.
  3. Slowly add flour mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, to the wet ingredients. Should be similar to the consistency of pancake batter.
  4. Set aside and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a squeeze bottle.
  5. In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and use a candy thermometer to see when it reaches 365-370º F. Test oil by dropping a pinch of flour into it. If oil sizzles but doesn’t smoke, it’s the right temperature.
  6. Take squeeze bottle and carefully pour batter into oil, pouring in a small, circular, spiral motion. You can do 2-3 mini funnel cakes per batch.
  7. Cook for 1-2 minutes, about 35-50 seconds per side, or until each side is golden brown.
  8. Remove cakes from oil and rest on paper towels to drain.
  9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Divas Can Cook

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