Stuffed Sopapillas
intro
Fluffy golden fried pastry pockets stuffed with smooth cinnamon cream, dusted with spiced sugar, and drizzled with honey: a cozy, shareable Tex-Mex dessert.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix and rest dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 240g (2 cups) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Add 28g (2 tablespoons) chilled, cubed unsalted butter, and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with no pieces larger than a pea. Pour in 180ml (3/4 cup) warm (100°F/38°C) whole milk, and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy, soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 3 minutes until smooth and elastic, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Make cinnamon filling
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 226g (8 ounces) softened full-fat cream cheese, 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons (42g) honey. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat the mixture for 2 minutes until completely smooth with no lumps remaining. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing to ensure even incorporation, then set the filling aside at room temperature until ready to use.
Roll and cut dough
After the dough has finished resting, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to an even 1/8-inch (3mm) thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 equal 4x4 inch (10x10cm) squares. Lay the cut squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out while you heat the frying oil.
Fry sopapilla shells
Pour 960ml (4 cups) vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, and heat the oil to 375°F (190°C) over medium-high heat, using a candy thermometer to monitor temperature consistently. Working in batches of 2 to 3 squares at a time to avoid dropping the oil temperature, carefully lower dough squares into the hot oil. Fry for 45 seconds on the first side until puffed and deep golden, then flip with metal tongs and fry for another 30-45 seconds on the second side. Transfer fried sopapillas to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain for 1 minute, and maintain oil temperature between 360-375°F (180-190°C) between batches.
Stuff the sopapillas
Once the fried sopapillas are cool enough to handle (about 2 minutes after draining), use a sharp paring knife to cut a 2-inch slit along one sealed edge of each pastry, creating a hollow pocket. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the prepared cinnamon cream cheese filling into each pocket, using the back of the spoon to gently push the filling to the center of the pastry so it does not spill out the slit.
Dust and serve
Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small shallow dish. Roll each stuffed sopapilla in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat the exterior lightly, then arrange on a shared serving platter. Drizzle with extra honey right before serving, and serve warm for the best texture and flavor.
Tips
2.Ensure cream cheese is fully softened to room temperature (65-70°F/18-21°C) before mixing the filling, as cold cream cheese creates lumpy filling that is difficult to spoon neatly into pastry pockets.
3.If your sopapillas fail to puff while frying, check your oil temperature first—oil below 360°F will not create the quick steam needed to puff the dough, and dough rolled thicker than 1/8 inch will also prevent full puffing.
OMG these cinnamon cream stuffed sopapillas were the star of our family taco night last weekend! I was nervous because medium difficulty sounded intimidating, but 35 minutes total cook time was totally doable even with my toddler hanging on my leg. The cream filling is *chef’s kiss* not too sweet, perfect with the crispy cinnamon sugar outside. 10/10 will make again for our next block party!
Really tasty overall! My kids devoured these after school, I had to hide the last two for my husband haha. Only note is I wish the recipe mentioned how hot the oil needs to be for frying — I had my first batch come out super greasy because the oil was too low. Once I cranked it up to 375 they turned out perfect!
Taste was solid but these were way trickier to make than I expected for a 35 minute cook time? Maybe I’m just bad at folding dough, because half of mine oozed filling out while frying. Roommates still ate them so it wasn’t a total loss lmao
Game. Changer. I brought these to my office potluck yesterday and people were begging me for the recipe before I even set the plate down! The cinnamon cream is so much better than the regular honey-drizzled sopapillas I usually make. I added a tiny dash of nutmeg to the filling and it slapped.
SO good. I made these on my Blackstone instead of deep frying and they came out crispy, not soggy at all. Brushed them with melted butter right off the griddle then tossed in cinnamon sugar, stuffed with that cream? My whole family was raving. Better than the ones we get at our local Mexican restaurant.
Wait just made these for my sister’s baby shower and they are *perfect*. I did a little drizzle of cajeta on top instead of just tossing in plain cinnamon sugar and it’s next level. Does anyone know if these freeze well? I have a ton of leftover filling.
Super excited to try these! Has anyone tested this with gluten free all purpose flour? I have a gluten sensitivity but have been craving sopapillas for months and this filling sounds too good to pass up.
My kids loved it! I was worried the cinnamon cream would be too rich for them, but they asked for seconds before they even finished their first one. We had these after our Sunday chili dinner and it was the perfect sweet treat to wrap up the weekend.
Just now pulling these out of the air fryer! I used the air fryer method mentioned in the notes, sprayed them with a little oil, cooked at 370 for 8 minutes, and they are crispy on the outside, fluffy inside. The cream filling is so smooth, my 7 year old just said "this is better than churros" which is the highest possible compliment in our house.
Taste was amazing but I messed up the cream filling at first — I overwhipped the heavy cream and it got curdled. Oops! Fixed it by stirring in a little extra cream cheese and it still turned out edible, but next time I’ll pay closer attention to the whipping time note.
Made these for brunch last weekend with a side of Mexican hot chocolate and it was chef’s kiss. They’re not too heavy, which is perfect for brunch instead of super sweet donuts or pastries. 10/10, already shared the recipe to my family group chat.
Absolute game changer for our weekly taco Tuesday spread. I used to just buy churros from the grocery store for dessert, but these homemade sopapillas are way better and barely take more time. The cinnamon cream is so tangy and sweet, I could eat it by the spoonful.
Great recipe! I prepped the dough and the filling on Sunday, then assembled and fried these up throughout the week for quick after-dinner treats. Held up really well in the fridge for 4 days, just make sure to wrap the dough tight so it doesn’t dry out. Only thing is I wish the portion size was a little bigger, but that’s just my sweet tooth talking!
Just finished making these for my kid’s soccer team snack tomorrow and I already know they’re gonna be a hit. I cut the dough into smaller, bite-sized pieces so they’re easy for the kids to grab and go, and I packed the extra cream on the side for dipping. SO good, I may have eaten three while I was cooking… no regrets.