Portuguese Style Sweet Orange Christmas Fritters • Filhós de Laranja

Of course I couldn’t let Christmas go by without making and sharing some beautiful portuguese filhoses, but this time I decided to shake things up with a citrus twist! This is a variation of the classic Portuguese Christmas sweet, and honestly, it’s become one of my top recommendations.

Here’s the thing: traditional filhoses have a pretty basic dough flavor, and while they’re lovely, they really rely on that cinnamon+sugar coating to bring in any flavour. And let me tell you, A LOT, I mean A LOT of Portuguese Christmas sweets are covered in sugar and cinnamon. So, yeah adding that orangey flavor to the dough itself makes these fritters stand out on the Christmas table and makes them more yummy, instead of having just one and its enough they become quite adictive hehehe (sorry children). AND You still get that nostalgic cinnamon+sugar finish, but now the fritter is way more enjoyable. It just goes to show that a small adjustment can take something from really nice to absolutely amazing!

Now, a quick note about what makes filhoses special: I shaped these into balls rather than the more typical flat discs, which might make them look a bit like sonhos (Portuguese for “dreams”), and yes, people often lump filhoses and sonhos together as the same sweet. But there are differences!

The main one is that filhoses use a yeasted dough that rises before frying, while sonhos use a simpler batter with regular baking powder. Both can include ingredients like pumpkin or carrot, which adds to the confusion, you might wonder if a bolinho de bolinha is the same as a sonho de abóbora since both have pumpkin, right? The difference is in the rise: filhoses grow before they hit the oil (like bread rises before baking), while sonhos only puff up when they’re frying (like a cake only rises in the oven).

The result? Filhoses have a more substantial, denser, creamier texture while sonhos tend to be hollow inside and much lighter and crispier (hence the name “dream” hehehe). Now, let’s get to the recipe! And Merry Christmas!

Portuguese Style Sweet Orange Christmas Fritters • Filhós de Laranja

Servings: 18
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Hard
Rating: ★★★★★
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Who doesnt love this golden crispy fritters for Christmas, even the basic ones are amazing, just you add this hint of orange and uh lálá you got yourself a delicious Christmas treat!

Ingredients

Flour – 500g (T65)
Butter – 40g (Soft)
Aguardente – 1 Tablespoon (Or Brandy)
Oranges – 3 (Medium, Juice at room temperature)
Water – 130ml (Warm)
Milk – 130ml (Room temperature)
Eggs – 3 (at Room temperature)
Baker’s Yeast – 11g (1 Sachet)
Sugar – 1 Tablespoon
Salt – A Pinch (+/- 1 Teaspoon)
Sugar – For Sprinkling
Cinnamon – For Sprinkling
Cooking Oil – For Frying (I used Sunflower Oil)

Directions

Start by dissolving the yeast in a little warm water and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl or mixing bowl, add the sifted flour, then make a hole in the center of the flour, and put the salt on the edge of the bowl (do this so that the salt is the last thing to come into contact with the yeast).
Then add the sugar, softened butter, yeast mixture, juice of 3 oranges, and finally the whisked eggs in the center hole. Begin mixing everything, gradually adding more flour from the sides to the center.
While mixing, gradually add the milk and water until everything is well combined, and you have formed a smooth dough.
Cover the dough with a towel and let it rise for about 3 hours in a warm place until the dough at least doubles in size (it has to double in size).

When it’s time to fry, heat the oil in a frying pan, remove balls of dough (if you want to remove them by hand, wet your hands a little, so the dough doesn’t stick) and fry them until they are golden brown. Try to make balls of roughly the same size so they fry evenly.

When they are golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on kitchen paper or a wire rack to drain.
Finally, while they are still hot, roll them in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (about 1:4 proportion) and they are ready to serve. Bon appétit and Merry Christmas!

Notes: The classic proportion for the coating is 4 parts sugar for 1 part cinnamon (aka 4 spoons of sugar for 1 spoon of cinnamon), just i kinda always go for a more 3 parts sugar for 1 part cinnamon, but that’s just me, also you can use brown sugar if you want to add a bit more caramelized flavor, but in that case I would stick to the 4:1 ratio.

If you want filhoses with a more traditional appearance, instead of making balls, wet your hands slightly and take portions of dough, then flatten the center with your fingers to create a thin disc in the middle with a thick border of dough around the edge, like a little cushion. Fry as directed.

What happens if the dough doesn’t double in size, well that means you use a bad batch of bakers yeast or the weather is too cold, and you need to give more time for the dough to rise, this is essential, if the dough doesn’t rice the fritters instead of creamy and fluffy they will be hard and dense. So if the dough hasn’t risen, try and wait more time to see if it rises or not.

This recipe easily doubles or triples if you need to make a large quantity all at once—perfect for feeding a crowd during the holidays!

Maintaining the right oil temperature (around 180°C / 350°F) is crucial. Too hot, and they’ll brown before cooking through; too cool, and they’ll absorb too much oil and become greasy. Fry in batches to avoid crowding and temperature drops, i kinda just store the dough, since it will keep pretty well in the fridge for a couple of days and fry when there is more need.

The portuguese aguardente spirit adds a subtle depth and helps create a lighter texture. If you don’t have it, brandy, vodka, grappa, or even cachaça work beautifully as substitutes, since the orange taste will mask the flavor well!

This recipe for Portuguese Style Sweet Orange Christmas Fritters • Filhós de Laranja was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Filhoses de Natal foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.