If you are looking for a dish to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings, then the world of Spanish desserts recipes is waiting for you.
One of the most famous Spanish desserts is the borrachuelos de Málaga, a soft dough with a crispy golden outside and a delicious angel hair filling that will capture your heart with the very first bite.
Continue reading this article to discover everything there is to know about this recipe that is bound to elevate your dessert experience forever.
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Background of the Dish
The borrachuelos de Malaga can be traced to the Moorish influence in Spain during the Middle Ages when they introduced a variety of ingredients and culinary techniques.
The name “borrachuelo” is derived from the Spanish word “borracho,” meaning “drunk”, alluding to the use of wine or liquor in the classic recipe.
Nowadays, they have become a staple dessert, served commonly during Spanish easter but with this recipe, you can enjoy them all year round in the comfort of your home.
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Things You’ll Need for Borrachuelos de Málaga
The borrachuelos de Málaga have a lot of ingredients in common with other traditional Spanish desserts, such as anise, sugar, flour, and lard.
Other specific ingredients that you need for the borrachuelos de Málaga are brandy, sweet wine, orange peel, and angel hair (candied pumpkin or squash).
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 gr) all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) sweet wine (Málaga Virgen, for example)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) brandy
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) sweet anise
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) orange juice
- 3/4 cup (125 gr) lard
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 orange zest
- 1 orange peel
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 can (400gr) angel hair (cabello de ángel – candied squash)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Sugar (for decorating, replaceable with honey)
How to Make Borrachuelos de Málaga – Step by Step Guide
- To start with this borrachuelos de málaga recipe, grab a pan and heat the lard. When it melts, add the peel of an orange and let it infuse the lard. Once the peel is golden, add sesame and anise seeds to the pan and let them rest in the lard. Set it aside.
- Now grab a large bowl and combine the flour, wine, brandy, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon to mix. Also, add the melted lard, now lukewarm, to the previous mixture.
- Then, mix the ingredients, first with the spoon, and then with your hands until forming a ball that does not stick. The fat will be fully absorbed into the dough; if it’s too sticky, add a little more flour until it forms a soft ball of dough. Let it rest for 1 hour, covered with a clean cloth.
- Grab portions of the dough and shape them into balls the size of a large walnut. With a rolling pin, stretch each ball until it is oval-shaped. There are specific rolling pins for making borrachuelos that leave grooves in the dough as you roll it out. If you don’t have this rolling pin, you can draw similar grooves with the help of a fork.
- To continue with this brandy cookies recipe, place a tablespoon of angel hair in the center of each portion and fold. Seal the edge by pressing with the tines of a fork.
- After that, heat a pot with plenty of oil, enough to cover the borrachuelos while frying. When the oil is hot, fry the borrachuelos de málaga on both sides. Pay attention to the temperature to prevent them from burning on the outside while remaining raw inside.
- Once golden brown, remove them and place them on a tray with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fill a wide container with sugar and while they are still warm, coat them in it. You could replace this with honey.
- Your recipe for cookies made with brandy is now ready. Serve the borrachuelos de Málaga warm and enjoy.
Substitution of Ingredients
This is one of the best Spanish desserts because it only calls for basic ingredients that are easy to find worldwide, yet you have some room to make replacements.
First, you can prepare these brandy cookies with the same amount of vegetable shortening or butter in case you want to use the lard, though the flavor will be a bit softer.
Instead of sugar, you can turn them into borrachuelos con miel and coat them with a generous amount of honey, and even some sprinkles on top if you are making them for a party or a kids’ celebration.
You can draw inspiration from other Spanish traditional desserts, such as the churros, and coat these borrachuelos with cinnamon sugar.
Tips on Serving Borrachuelos de Málaga
Having borrachuelos de Malaga for Easter is one of the most popular -and strongest- Spanish easter traditions, but you could enjoy this delicious dessert any time of the year.
They are usually served as a dessert, with a cup of tea to make it lighter, or as an afternoon snack with a nice cup of coffee or Spanish hot chocolate.
If you have some borrachuelos left over from your Spanish Easter celebration, you can enjoy them for breakfast the next morning with your favorite beverage.
Lastly, if you have a lot of guests coming over, you can prepare a table filled with easy Spanish desserts to impress everyone, such as torrijas and pestinos.
How to Store Borrachuelos de Málaga
Once you finish preparing this Spanish food for Easter, you will be able to store it in different ways according to your needs.
In all cases, you should place the borrachuelos de Malaga in an airtight freezer-safe container, so that they are kept away from moisture, as exposure to humidity can affect their texture.
If you need to stack multiple layers of borrachuelos, place a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking.
Then, you can store them at room temperature for 4 days, or for a full week in the fridge (in that case, cover them in sugar right before serving them).
Other popular Spanish desserts that you can prepare and store for later are the recipe for torrijas and the Andalusian rosquillas de anis: both super simple to make and store.
Recipe Card: Borrachuelos de Málaga
Easy Borrachuelos de Málaga Recipe
If you are looking for a dish to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings, then the world of Spanish dessert recipes is waiting for you.
One of the most famous Spanish desserts is the borrachuelos de Málaga, a soft dough with a crispy golden outside and a delicious angel hair filling that will capture your heart with the very first bite.
Continue reading this article to discover everything there is to know about this recipe that is bound to elevate your dessert experience forever.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 gr) all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) sweet wine (Málaga Virgen, for example)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) brandy
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) sweet anise
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) orange juice
- 3/4 cup (125 gr) lard
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 orange zest
- 1 orange peel
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 can (400gr) angel hair (cabello de ángel - candied squash)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Sugar (for decorating, replaceable with honey)
Instructions
- In a pan, heat the lard. When it melts, add the peel of an orange and let it infuse the lard. Once the peel is golden, add sesame and anise seeds to the pan and let them rest in the lard. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, wine, brandy, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon to mix. Add the melted lard, now lukewarm, to the previous mixture.
- Mix the ingredients, first with the spoon, and then with your hands until forming a ball that does not stick. The fat will be fully absorbed into the dough; if it's too sticky, add a little more flour until it forms a soft ball of dough. Let it rest for 1 hour, covered with a cloth.
- Take portions of the dough and shape them into balls the size of a large walnut. With a rolling pin, stretch each ball until it is oval-shaped. There are specific rolling pins for making borrachuelos that leave grooves in the dough as you roll it out. If you don't have this rolling pin, you can draw similar grooves with the help of a fork.
- Place a tablespoon of angel hair in the center of each portion and fold. Seal the edge by pressing with the tines of a fork.
- Heat a pot with plenty of oil. The oil should cover the borrachuelos while frying. When the oil is hot, fry the borrachuelos on both sides. Pay attention to the temperature to prevent them from burning on the outside while remaining raw inside.
- Once golden brown, remove them and place them on a tray with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fill a wide container with sugar and while they are still warm, coat them in it. You could replace this with honey.
- The borrachuelos de Malaga are now ready to be served.
Notes
The wine, brandy and anise are key to reaching the perfect flavor on these cookies with brandy, but you could replace them for similar types of liquor or wines.
Remember that you can either coat this Spanish easter food with sugar or honey, but don't use both as that would make them too sweet.
The canned angel hair has to be for Spanish desserts, which is candied pumpkin or squash (and not pasta noodles, also used in Spanish cuisine).
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 839Total Fat 30.8gSaturated Fat 7.2gCholesterol 9mgSodium 13mgCarbohydrates 97.3gFiber 5.2gSugar 45.6gProtein 8.6g
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