Pristiños
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
45 mins
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Cook Time
5 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
30 -35 pristiños, more or less depending on the size
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Cuisine
South American, Ecuadorian
Pristiños
Description
The Pristiños recipe begins by preparing a spiced water infused with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and anise seeds, which adds subtle warmth and complexity to the dough. The dough is created by combining flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter with egg yolks, lemon juice, aguardiente, and lukewarm spiced water. The dough is mixed until it forms a soft ball and then rested for about an hour at room temperature to develop.
After resting, the dough is rolled thin on a floured surface and cut into strips approximately one inch wide and 6 to 10 inches long. These strips are twisted and formed before frying in oil until golden. The frying technique results in crisp, flaky pastries with a lightly sweet interior and the aromatic qualities from the spiced water and liquor.
Pristiños are traditionally served drizzled with panela honey, alongside fig jam, or sprinkled with sugar and ground cinnamon, enhancing their sweet and spicy character. They make a flavorful fried treat with a distinctive blend of spices and the slight tang from lemon juice.
Ingredients
Spiced water:
- 1 cup water
- 2-3 cinnamon stick
- 2 clove whole
- 1 tsp. anise seeds
Pristiño dough:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 6 tbsp. butter 3/4 stick or 3 oz
- 2 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ cup aguardiente
- ½ cup water If using regular waterthen add ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp anise seeds directly to the dough, lukewarm spiced, additional as needed
- 2 oil for frying, quantity not specified
To serve:
- panela honey
- fig jam
- ground cinnamon
- sugar
Instructions
- To make the spiced water, combine 1 cup of water, cinnamon sticks, cloves and anise seeds in a small saucepan and bring to boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the spices, it should be lukewarm when added to the dough.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the food processor and pulse until mixed. Add ground spices at this point if you are using plain water instead of spiced water.
- Add the butter, cut in small pieces, and mix well.
- Add the yolks, lemon juice, aguardiente and ½ cup of the spiced water. Mix until the dough start to form into small clumps, add additional spiced water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, work it gently and form a ball. Let the dough rest at room temperature for about an hour.
- Take half of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface until you have a thin layer of dough.
- Use a knife to cut the dough into 1 inch wide and 6-10 inch long strips. Make small cuts that are about 1/3 to ½ deep into the side of each strip, then form the strip into a circle to make a crown like shape. Press the edges together to seal the crown, use water or egg white to help glue the edges together if needed.
- Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan, test by dipping the dough into the oil and if it sizzles then it’s ready. Carefully add the fritters to the pan. Do not overcrowd, fry 2-3 at a time depending on the size of the pan. Turn them over when golden. Remove pristiños from pan and place on plate with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Serve warm with miel de panela o piloncillo spiced syrup. Can also be served with dulce de higos or figs cooked in panela syrup. Honey can be used as a replacement or alternative for panela syrup. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired.
Baking instructions:
- Brush with egg wash and bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 15-18 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with miel de panela and cinnamon.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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