If you grew up with Scandinavian rosettes, you already know this cookie: buñuelos de viento (boo-NYWEH-lohs deh VYEN-toh, “wind fritters”) are the Mexican version, made with the same long-handled rosette iron and a thin batter of milk, eggs and flour, then rolled in cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar. In Mexico they’re a December treat, made for the posadas and Christmas Eve dinner. The whole technique comes down to one thing: an iron heated in 365°F (185°C) oil, so the batter sets on contact and drops off by itself once it’s back in the oil.
What buñuelos de viento are, and how long they take
How do you make buñuelos de viento? Whisk a thin batter from 1¼ cups (150 g) of flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) of milk, sugar and vanilla, and rest it 30 minutes. Heat a rosette iron in 365°F (185°C) oil, dip it into the batter without covering the top, and plunge it back into the oil, where the rosette releases and fries 30 to 45 seconds per side. Toss warm in cinnamon sugar. 90 minutes for 40 buñuelos.
They’re lacy flowers or stars of fried batter, about 3 in (7 to 8 cm) across, crisp and light enough to shatter when you bite in, tasting of vanilla and cinnamon. 90 minutes in all: 10 to mix, 30 to rest, and about 50 at the stove, frying one or two at a time. Medium difficulty, only because the first two or three are practice while the iron and oil settle in.
Buñuelos de viento vs. other buñuelos and rosettes
- Scandinavian rosettes (Swedish and Norwegian): the same kind of batter and iron, usually dusted with powdered sugar or dipped in icing. If you own a rosette iron, you can make this recipe today.
- Mexican buñuelos de rodilla: a kneaded dough stretched by hand into a thin 8 in (20 cm) disc and fried flat. No iron needed.
- Spanish buñuelos de viento: same name, different pastry. They’re choux puffs dropped from a spoon, fried hollow and filled with cream, eaten on All Saints’ Day.
- Colombian buñuelos: savory cheese balls made with starch, no wheat flour.
Ingredients, and where to find a rosette iron
Nothing here needs a specialty store except the iron. The batter is 1¼ cups (150 g) flour, 2 eggs and 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, with a spoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt and vanilla. That makes about 40 with a 3 in (7 to 8 cm) iron; a bigger mold gives fewer.
| Ingredient | US | UK | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | All-purpose | Plain flour | Nothing. Skip self-rising: its baking powder makes them thicker. |
| Cinnamon | Ceylon (“Mexican canela”) sticks from the Latin aisle, ground at home | Ceylon cinnamon, sold as “true cinnamon” | Supermarket ground cinnamon (cassia) tastes stronger; use 1½ tsp instead of 2. |
| Oil | Canola, vegetable or corn | Sunflower or vegetable | Any neutral oil works. Strain it after and reuse it once for sweet frying. |
The rosette iron. A cast-iron or cast-aluminum mold shaped like a flower, star or snowflake that screws onto a long metal handle. In the US it’s sold year-round online and in kitchen shops as a rosette iron, and in Mexican grocery stores around December, sometimes labeled molde para buñuelos. In the UK, look online for rosette or “Scandinavian rosette” irons. You also need a deep 7 to 8 in (18 to 20 cm) pot, a deep-fry thermometer and a fork or spider.
How to season and preheat a rosette iron
A cold or unseasoned iron is the usual reason a first batch sticks.
- Season a new iron once. Wash it with soap and water to remove the factory coating, dry it completely, and screw it onto the handle. Set it in the cold oil, heat both together to 365°F (185°C), then leave it submerged 5 more minutes. The film of oil that bakes onto the metal is what lets the rosettes release. Even so, expect the first two or three from a new iron to stick; pry them off and keep going.
- Reheat it between every rosette. Back into the oil it goes for 20 to 30 seconds while the last rosette fries.
- Drain it before dipping. An iron dripping with oil makes the batter slide off. Let it drip for 2 or 3 seconds over the pot, or touch it briefly to a paper towel.
- Dip to just below the edge. Stop ¼ in (½ cm) below the top. Batter over the top locks the rosette around the mold, and it tears coming off.
- Never use soap again. Once it’s cool, wipe it with paper towel, or soak off stuck bits in hot water, and dry it. Soap and the dishwasher strip the seasoning.
Getting the batter right
The right batter is the thickness of pouring cream: it coats the back of a spoon and runs off in a steady ribbon.
- Too thin: the iron comes out of the batter with a see-through coat and the rosettes break or come out patchy. Whisk in 1 tbsp flour.
- Too thick: a heavy coat that doesn’t drip, and rosettes that are thick, pale inside and soft once cool. Whisk in 1 tbsp milk.
- Bubbly: every bubble becomes a hole. That’s why it rests 30 minutes, and why you stir it gently instead of whisking between rounds.
Make it the day before. Covered in the fridge, the batter keeps overnight, and cold batter clings well to a hot iron. Stir it before you start, since the flour settles.
Oil temperature, 365°F (185°C)
Aim for 365°F (185°C) and stay between 355 and 375°F (180 and 190°C).
No thermometer? Drop in a little batter. It should rise straight away in a ring of fine bubbles and turn golden in under a minute. If it browns in a few seconds or blisters, turn the heat down; if it sits on the bottom or barely bubbles, wait.
How to tell a rosette is done. It drops off the iron by itself, floats, and turns an even light gold on both sides. Once cool it snaps cleanly instead of bending.
Pace. One iron gets you about 40 in 40 to 50 minutes, because the iron reheats while each rosette finishes. An 8 in (20 cm) pot fits two rosettes at a time; more than that and the oil drops below 355°F (180°C).
Troubleshooting rosettes that stick, break or turn greasy
| Problem | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Batter won’t cling to the iron | Iron too cool, or dripping oil | Leave it in the oil longer; drain it 2 to 3 seconds before dipping |
| Rosette won’t come off | Dipped past the top edge, unseasoned iron, or still raw | Fry a few seconds more, shake gently, push the edge with a fork |
| Breaks as it releases | Batter too thin, or iron pulled out too soon | Add 1 tbsp flour; wait for it to drop on its own |
| Greasy | Oil below 355°F (180°C), usually from frying too many | Fry two at a time; drain upside down so oil runs out of the holes |
| Soft or chewy | Batter too thick, or pulled out pale | Thin with milk; let it reach full golden color |
| Brown outside, raw inside | Oil above 375°F (190°C) | Lower the heat and wait for 365°F (185°C) |
| Sugar won’t stick | Rosette already cold | Coat them warm, as they come out |
Allergens. Wheat (gluten), egg and milk. No heat at all. The frying is a job for an adult; kids can do the cinnamon sugar.
Making them ahead for Christmas Eve, and how many
Buñuelos de viento are a make-ahead dessert, which is exactly what you want on December 24.
- The night before frying: mix the batter and refrigerate it.
- 2 or 3 days before the dinner: fry and coat them, let them cool completely, and pack them in a tin.
- On the night: tip them onto a platter.
How many to make. Allow 3 or 4 per person on a table with other desserts, and 5 or 6 if they’re the main sweet at a party.
- 4 to 6 people: one batch, 40.
- 12 to 15 people: double batch, 80. The batter doubles as is; frying takes about 90 minutes with one iron.
- 20 to 30 people: triple batch, about 120. Two irons alternating in the same oil save a lot of time. Strain or change the oil when it darkens or smells strong.
Storing rosettes so they stay crisp
In a tin. Completely cool, in a cookie tin or airtight container, with wax paper or parchment between layers so they don’t break. They keep up to a week at room temperature and are best in the first 3 days. Never refrigerate them; the fridge softens them.
Re-crisping. Spread them on a baking sheet in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 5 minutes and cool on a rack. Re-coat in cinnamon sugar while warm if they’ve lost some.
Freezing. Uncoated, in a rigid container, up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes, then coat.
They’re best with something hot: Mexican champurrado, café de olla or a mug of Mexican Christmas fruit punch. On a holiday cookie plate they sit well next to Christmas butter cookies.
No rosette iron
There’s no real way around the iron. The batter is too thin to hold a shape, and spooned into 365°F (185°C) oil it fries into shapeless, greasy blobs. If you want something crisp and fried without buying one, make a dough you can roll instead: Colombian hojuelas, thin strips of fried dough, or homemade churros with a piping bag.
Buñuelos de viento FAQ
Can I use pancake mix? It works, but it contains baking powder and sugar, so the rosettes come out thicker and brown faster. Thin it with milk to pouring-cream consistency and watch the color.
Cast iron or aluminum, which iron is better? Both work. Cast iron holds heat longer between rosettes; aluminum heats and cools faster, so give it more time in the oil.
Can I make them in an air fryer? No. The batter has to set on a hot iron submerged in 365°F (185°C) oil; in an air fryer it would run through the basket.
Nutrition per buñuelo de viento
Per rosette (from a 3 in / 7 to 8 cm iron, with cinnamon sugar), worked out ingredient by ingredient from this recipe, counting 2 g of absorbed oil per rosette, which is my estimate for oil at 365°F (185°C):
- Calories: 50 kcal
- Protein: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fat: 2 g, almost none saturated
- Fiber: 0 g
- Sugars: 3 g
- Sodium: 21 mg
About 18 kcal of each comes from the absorbed oil and about 10 from the coating. Four rosettes, a normal dessert portion, come to about 200 kcal.
What these taught me is that the iron matters more than the recipe. I season mine once, keep soap away from it, and write off the first two of every batch. At home Dylan is in charge of the cinnamon sugar, and any rosette that breaks on the way off the iron belongs to whoever is coating. Josnaisis.