Buñuelos (banana & raisins)

After a very nice afternoon hiking we are back home and ready for coffee with "something". We have decided to enjoy buñuelos without any calorie-related regret!

Buñuelos are fritters very popular in Spanish and Latin-American countries. Each country has a favorite style of buñuelos. They can be made from a wheat-based yeast dough that is rolled and cut into individual pieces before frying. We made them, instead, from a thick batter that is placed with a spoon directly into hot oil.

Additionally, buñuelos can be savory -and eaten at lunch or dinner- or sweet... perfect for afternoon coffee!

We have been experimenting a little with the "family" recipe, adding whole-wheat flour and reducing the amount of eggs and sugar in the batter...and they came out really good!

Buñuelos with banana and raisins
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. light-brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
about 1/2 cup milk
grated peel of 1 orange
3/4 cup raisins
1 banana cut into little pieces (I cut first thin slices and then each slice into quarters)

Mix all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.
Make a hole in the center and add eggs and vanilla extract.
Slowly, add milk while stirring with a wooden spoon, until batter has a creamy consistency...it should not be runny!
Add orange peel, raisins and banana pieces and stir slowly and well.
Put spoonful-sizes of batter into hot oil (canola, grapeseed or peanut oils are ideal, do not use soybean or olive oils). If oil temperature is correct, the batter will sink first and come to surface almost immediately, if oil is cold the batter will stay at the bottom longer (we do not want this!). We add a little piece of bread to the oil to "check" its temperature and prevent burning (granny's trick!).
Fry buñuelos until golden-brown, remove them from oil and drain well on crumpled paper towels. Sprinkle with sugar while they are still hot.