Sonhos (“dreams”) are light, golden fritters made from a choux-style dough that is dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into airy, hollow spheres. Rolled in cinnamon sugar, they belong to the Portuguese Christmas table alongside other fried sweets such as filhós and rabanadas.
The method is the same as for French pâte à choux: flour is cooked into a boiling mixture of water and butter, then beaten with eggs until glossy. Lemon zest is the usual flavoring. Some versions are dipped in a cinnamon-lemon sugar syrup instead of being rolled in dry sugar.
For other Christmas fritters, see Filhós (recipe on the site), Rabanadas (recipe on the site), Coscorões (recipe on the site) and the pumpkin-based Sonhos de Abóbora (recipe on the site).
Sonhos Recipe
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- For frying and coating:
- About 4 cups neutral oil (canola or sunflower)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine the water, butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts.
- Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball and a thin film appears on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully absorbed. The finished dough is thick, glossy and falls from the spoon in a slow ribbon.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon on a plate.
- Pour at least 3 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat to 340°F. Drop in rounded tablespoons of dough, 5 or 6 at a time, using a second spoon to push each off.
- Fry for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden and puffed. They will roll over on their own as they expand.
- Drain on paper towels for 30 seconds, then roll in the cinnamon sugar while still warm. Serve warm.
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