It’s snowing! It has been a long time since I felt the excitement associated with winter. Last winter in Chicago was rough to say the least. There were moments when I wanted to pack up and leave immediately. This year, I realized that I needed to approach winter with a childlike joy and bewilderment that I experienced when I was younger. In some strange way, that approach led me to making these red velvet funnel cakes.
When I was younger, I would stare out of my window for hours watching the delicate snow fall around me. It was magical. I remembered how much it reminded me of sifting powdered sugar when I played in the kitchen with my mother. I wanted to duplicate that enjoyment, and I realized that sometimes it can be as easy as sifting powdered sugar over delicious funnel cakes.
I know funnel cakes are a bit bizarre to blog about during this time of year, but why not? What’s wrong with frying some dough and eating it? Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a summer treat. I gave it a holiday twist so it would not seem too out of place in your home. I simply added some cocoa powder and red food coloring to this funnel cake recipe (and I even replaced the milk with eggnog for more of a holiday feel), and the rest as they say is history.
These were so much fun to fry up. I loved how much the color popped! It actually inspired me to be a bit more unconventional in my blog offerings. I like to do what is unexpected whenever I can. And of course my favorite part was getting my snow on with the powdered sugar. Let’s just say it brought out the kid in me.
- 4 cups of vegetable or canola oil for frying
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk (or eggnog for more holiday spirit!)
- 2 whole large eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- red food coloring for color desired
- confectioner’s sugar for serving or other toppings
- Heat oil in a pot to about 375 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar in a medium sized bowl until combined.
- Next whisk in wet ingredients: milk (or eggnog), eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring until the batter is nice and smooth. It should drip easily, if not add a bit more milk or eggnog.
- Add batter to a funnel, squeeze bottle or even a cake decorating piping bag with a round tip.
- Once oil is nice and hot, swirl batter in a spirally shape (have fun with this part) into the oil and fry. Turn over once the first side is nice and golden brown.
- Once both sides are golden brown, remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. These babies fry fast!
- Immediately cover with confectioner’s sugar or other toppings and serve while hot. If you are frying a lot, feel free to keep these warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.
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