Honey-Glazed Pestiños

5 from 4 votes

These honey-glazed pestiños are an easy, authentic Spanish Easter dessert for Holy Week (Semana Santa). Thin strips of dough are flavored with ground spices or liqueurs of orange blossom and anise, and then flash-fried to crispy perfection.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 233.6kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients

For the Pestiños

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups sunflower oil
1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon sesame seeds plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon anise seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
⅓ cup sweet white wine

For the Glaze

½ cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
splash of water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Infuse the olive oil by placing it in a small pot with the orange zest and warming it over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove it from heat, add the sesame and anise seeds, and let cool to room temperature.
Strain the oil into a bowl, and reserve it for later. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the sesame and anise seeds into a paste.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the strained oil and the sweet wine, and knead to form a dough. Add the seed paste and mix thoroughly. Continue kneading for 15 minutes, then form into a ball, place in a bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour.
To make the fritters, take a teaspoon of dough and roll it into a very thin, long oblong shape. Fold in the two long sides and stick them together to make an envelope-like shape.
Pour the sunflower oil into a heavy-based skillet or pot and heat to 350°F (180°C) over medium-high heat.
Fry 3-4 fritters at a time until they're golden, about 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining fritters, reheating the oil before frying each batch.
Make the glaze by combining the honey, lemon juice, and the splash of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well combined and heated through.
Coat the fritters in the glaze and put them on a plate. Enjoy immediately!

Notes

Make sure the oil for deep frying the pestiños stays at a constant temperature (around 350°F or 180°C).
Fry 3-4 pestiños at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan and cooling down the oil too much.
Don't want to use the honey glaze? Toss the pestiños in cinnamon sugar instead.

Nutrition