Picarones are popular in Chile and Perú. The recipes are a little different; this one is adapted to be easy to make in the USA.
Sopaipillas and Calzones Rotos are traditionally enjoyed on rainy days during winter.
They are different ways to make Picarones. Some recipes include egg whites beaten and added to the dough to make them more fluffy. Other versions use yeast, but I prefer this one with baking powder for a quick reward. Many recipes do not add sugar; I add a touch; I like them just with a hint of sweetness.
As you can see, there is the freedom to explore and adapt the recipe to taste. Note that the dough is very sticky, do not add more flour, or the Picarones will be heavy and hard, follow my advice to shape them.
How do I make the pumpkin puree?
It is best to bake or cook the pumpkin in the microwave without water. It’s ready when you can go through with a table knife without resistance. The purée is the pumpkin passed through a sieve or ground with the stick blender or in the blender. It is better to let it cool before grinding, and you can freeze it in portions for when you want to make sopaipillas again. It lasts three months frozen.
Can I prepare the dough the day before or hours before?
No, baking powder does not last overnight, and you risk hard Picarones
Can they be frozen?
I do not recommend freezing the raw pastries. It is dangerous when frying. Once fried and cold, they can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in the oven. They are not the same, but they are good.
Can they be baked?
Yes, but they don’t taste like classic Picarones.
Traditionally they are served in a Chancaca sauce, but I did not have it here in the US. Chancaca is a hard molasses sugar similar to Panela. The sauce is dark in color and with orange and cinnamon flavors. Most people served them warm as a dessert or in the middle of the afternoon as a treat with coffee or tea. Of course, any leftovers are fair game for breakfast the next day.
Print
Picarones
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 20
- Category: Treat
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Chilean
Description
A quick fried treat with a subtle pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
- ⅔ to 1 cup milk
- oil for frying, at least 2 cm in a pot with high walls
Instructions
- Place the oil in a pot with high walls and thick. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 180C or 350F. Cover a plate with paper towels.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir and add the squash. Mix with a wooden spoon or fork.
- Start adding the milk, keep stirring vigorously until the dough is mixed. It will be super sticky. This is normal, do not try to knead the dough.
- Place a bowl of water next to the bowl with the dough. Using a spoon, scoop out a portion of the dough around ¼ cup or the size of a golf ball. Wet your fingers in water, remove the dough from the spoon and shape it into a Picaron with a hole in the middle.
- Immediately place carefully in the oil. Repeat. I cook 4-5 at a time.
- Cook the Picarones until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Scoop out onto a plate covered with absorbent paper.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar or in warm syrup sauce or with maple syrup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 63.8 mg
- Fat: 11.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.8 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0.8 mg
Laura says
Great memories with this one. So delicious.
Inca says
Thanks for the recipe. However you should not claim these to be original from Chile …. This style / recipe is from Peru and was popularized by Peruvian migrant in chile……… saludos
OlgaCampbell says
So very extremely sticking to our hands makes almost impossible to separate to make holes or rounded up or do anything with that dove for picarones. Is there any secret to manage the dov3 besides water in our hand#, because not even that us working. Maybe to mix everything in a blender machine not to torture ourselves and looking forward not to get sticky there also and be able to get it out safely
Pilar Hernandez says
With the water and using just your fingertips should be workable. It does take practice and patience. I don't recommend using more flour or the blender because it will change the texture (too much gluten development on the dough).
Kate says
You could try to roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper. Put it in the freezer for an hour or more on a baking tray, then use round cookie cutters to get your shapes and holes. Allow to come back close to room temperature before gently peeling them off the baking paper into placing them into the oil. If the mixture is too soft you could cut the baking paper around the picarones and use that as leverage to place into the oil before swifly lifting it off as it goes into the oil for cooking.