The importance of texture—especially in dessert builds—cannot be understated. Tuiles, crumbles, spiced nuts, crackles—all of these promise craveability through creative texture. Look southward for the next big thing in dessert texture—buñuelos.
Americanized, they’re simply called sweet tortilla crisps. They take on flavor beautifully, from cinnamon sugar or citrus sugar to crushed cereal. Brushed with butter, then baked, they can be used whole or broken into pieces. They introduce crunchiness, playfulness and yet another layer of flavor.
Here are four opportunities to showcase buñuelos in trend-forward dessert applications.
Dessert Nachos—crispy tortilla crisps flavored with citrus sugar, layered with macerated berries, fresh mint, a drizzle of wild berry sauce and topped with a mound of cinnamon whipped cream
Ice Cream Sundaes—Chocolate ice cream with chile pepper caramel and flaky cinnamon tortilla crisps
Fried Ice Cream Sandwiches—Two layers of tortillas, brushed with egg white and toasted coconut flakes and baked until crispy, then sandwiched around passionfruit ice cream and drizzled with Mexican hot chocolate sauce
Skillet S’mores—Cinnamon-sugar dusted tortilla spread with dark chocolate chips and marshmallow, then topped with another tortilla and cooked tableside in a skillet, brushing with butter and sugar to finish
Try this: Spin Key lime pie on its head, switching out pie crust for buñuelos—this version sees crispy, buttery tortilla segments coated in crushed cinnamon graham crumbs.
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