Sopaipillas or sopapillas?
If you ask Google, you’ll mainly find sopapillas recipes (note the missing “i” after the a). But having lived in New Mexico for three years, I can personally (albeit anecdotally) attest to the fact that in the Land of Enchantment, it’s usually written sopaipillas. But hey — they taste the same no matter how you spell it.Dinner or dessert?
Sopaipillas are made using a slightly sweet dough, which is fried to crispy perfection and then served with honey on the side. This might tempt you to think of them as a dessert. Yes, they certainly can fit the bill, but they’re actually more frequently served as a side to savory foods. In New Mexican eateries, a basket of freshly fried sopaipillas arrives alongside a hot bowl of green chile or plate of spicy-rich carne adovada. It’s said that the sweetness is the perfect counterpart to spice. You’ll even see stuffed sopaipillas (filled with burrito-like fixings) on many a menu. 
Sopaipillas recipe
Makes about 24 sopaipillas- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening (can substitute lard or butter)
- 1 teaspoon honey (can substitute sugar)
- 1½ cups warm water
- Oil, for frying
- Honey, for serving
Step 1:
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.Step 2:
Cut the shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter. The mixture should resemble a coarse meal.
Step 3:
Add the honey and water, and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is cohesive. Turn the dough onto a work surface (you can lightly flour the surface, but I didn’t find it necessary) and knead until the dough is fairly smooth and can be formed into a ball. Place in a bowl, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Step 4:
Turn the dough onto a work surface (lightly floured if your dough is sticky) and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to approximately 1/8″ thick. I found that it was easiest to divide the dough into two separate portions and roll out one at a time on limited counter space. Re-roll the scraps to get more cutouts. These portions may not puff up as nicely, but they will still taste just as good.
Step 5:
Cut the dough into approximately 3″ squares (I used a bench scraper to cut them). They can be slightly larger or smaller if you prefer.
Step 6:
Fill a skillet (10″ to 12″ works best) with about 2″ of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, looking for a target frying temperature of about 350 F (the heat of the oil helps them “puff”). While you wait for the oil to heat, place a few sheets of paper towels over a wire rack. This will be the resting place for the finished sopaipillas after frying but before serving.Step 7:
Drop the dough into the hot oil, a few portions at a time (make sure that they have room, so that they don’t stick together). Cook the first side until browned to your liking — it won’t take long, only about a minute — then flip and cook the second side to match.Step 8:
Remove the fried sopaipillas and place on paper towels above a wire rack to blot excess oil. Let cool briefly; they will deflate slightly as they cool. Serve warm with plenty of honey.
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