Funnel Cake Fries Are Sweet + Crispy Dessert Dippers That Cook in 3 Minutes — Easy Recipe
To bring the fun of your local state fair home, whip up a batch of funnel cake fries! This treat consists of fried dough sticks that are tossed in powdered sugar. They have all of the rich and sugary flavors of actual funnel cake. However, each piece is easy to pick up and eat since they're in the shape of a fry rather than a zigzag circle. And you likely have all the ingredients you need to make these fries including flour, sugar and milk. So, here's how to prepare funnel cake fries the next time you're craving something sweet and crunchy!
What are funnel cake fries?
Similar to regular funnel cake, these fries start with a dough made of flour, eggs, milk and other ingredients. The twist is that the dough is formed into sticks and deep-fried. Once golden brown, the fries are coated in powdered sugar and served with a sweet dipping. While this treat is sold at some carnivals, state fairs and fast food chains, they're tastier when made from scratch!
Related: 12 State Fair Food Recipes That Are So Easy to Make at Home + Tricks to Fry Like a Pro
2 chef’s tips for tasty funnel cake fries
Working with the dough and frying this treat to crispy perfection isn't as tricky as you may think. Simply use these two tips from Greg Hozinsky, corporate chef of Coast Packing Company, to prepare funnel cake fries without hassle.
1. Freeze the batter for even-sized fries.
Drizzling the batter into the oil can be messy and result in fries with varying shapes that cook at different times. Instead, pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze until solid. From there, the block of batter is fine to slice into uniform sticks and fry.
2. Fry the dough sticks in animal fat.
For funnel cake fries with a richer flavor, consider frying them in melted animal fat such as tallow (beef fat) or lard. These fats have a high smoke point, so they'll infuse more flavor into fries compared to standard vegetable oils while crisping them up nicely.
How to make funnel cake fries
Hozinsky's recipe below showcases a simple method of making these fries to serve with a tart strawberry-yogurt dip. But, you can enjoy it with a side of warm chocolate sauce or fruit jam too! (Check out this recipe for Air Fryer Churros if you're hungry for another crunchy sweet treat.)
Funnel Cake Fries With Creamy Strawberry-Yogurt Dip
Ingredients:
Fries:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 medium egg
¾ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
⅛ cup powdered sugar for dusting
4 to 6 cups animal fat (beef tallow or lard) or oil, for frying
Dip
½ vanilla yogurt
½ strawberry jam
Directions:
Yield: approximately 20 fries
In medium bowl, whisk flour, salt, granulated sugar and baking powder. In measuring cup or smaller bowl, mix together milk, vanilla extract and egg. Combine with dry ingredients mixing just enough until it all comes together and resembles pancake batter-like consistency.
Pour batter into loaf pan lined with parchment paper and freeze completely set, at least 4 hours. Once completely set, remove batter from pan and take off parchment. Cut into 20 even French fry-shaped pieces (about ¼- to ⅓-inch thick). Place back into freezer while oil heats up.
Heat animal fat or oil to 335°F in deep, heavy-bottomed pot.
Place around 5 to 6 fries into pot at once. (Note: They will sink to bottom so after few seconds I just use long skewer or fork to release it. They should begin to float.)
Cook 3 to 5 minutes or deep golden brown. Remove from oil and transfer to cooling rack set over baking sheet or onto plate lined with paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar and repeat process with remaining batter.
Combine yogurt and jam in small bowl and mix well. Serve warm funnel cake fries with dip.
Continue reading for more fried dessert recipes!
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