Picarones
Peruvian fried dough rings soaked in spiced honey syrup, crispy-golden and aromatic. A beloved street dessert that's easier to make than it looks.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 425
- Protein
- 3g
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 whole sweet potato, medium
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup honey
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon anise seed (or fennel seed)
- 2 cups neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- 1
Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 2-inch chunks, then place them in a small pot of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- 2
Boil the sweet potato chunks until a fork pierces them with no resistance, about 8–10 minutes, then drain in a colander.
- 3
Press the hot sweet potato through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, using the back of a spoon to force it through so no lumps remain.
- 4
Add 1.5 cups flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, and 0.25 teaspoon salt to the sweet potato and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
- 5
Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands for 1 minute until smooth, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest for 10 minutes.
- 6
Pour 1 cup honey into a small saucepan, add 1 cinnamon stick and 0.5 teaspoon anise seed, and set over low heat.
- 7
Warm the syrup over low heat until fragrant and small wisps of steam rise from the surface, about 5 minutes — do not let it boil.
- 8
Remove the saucepan from heat and leave the cinnamon stick and anise in the syrup while it sits.
- 9
Pour 2 cups neutral oil into a deep skillet (at least 3 inches deep) and heat over medium-high until the surface shimmers and a small ball of dough sizzles immediately when dropped in, about 5 minutes.
- 10
Scoop a tablespoon of dough, shape it into a ball in your hands, then use your thumb to poke a hole through the center to create a ring shape.
- 11
Gently lay the dough ring into the hot oil and fry until the underside turns the color of warm caramel, about 2 minutes, watching for the oil to bubble around it.
- 12
Flip the picarón with a slotted spoon and fry the second side until it also turns caramel-colored, another 1–2 minutes.
- 13
Remove the picarón with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- 14
Repeat steps 10–13 with the remaining dough until all picarones are fried, working one ring at a time.
- 15
While still warm, transfer each picarón to a shallow bowl or plate and drizzle generously with the warm honey syrup, allowing it to soak into the dough.
- 16
Serve immediately, with a spoon to catch the syrup that pools in the bottom of the plate.
Tools you’ll need
- small pot
- colander
- fine-mesh sieve
- medium mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- small saucepan
- deep skillet (3+ inches)
- kitchen thermometer or small spoon for testing oil
- slotted spoon
- paper towels
- shallow bowls or plates
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