Name: Buñuelos
Ingredients: 5 eggs; ¼ cup white sugar; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup white sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Why it works: Flour and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,341 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Buñuelos

Timeabout 10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

Combine eggs with ¼ cup sugar in a large bowl and beat until thick and lemon-colored. Add the oil.
Combine 1 ½ cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the egg mixture and beat well.
Turn dough onto a floured board (using remaining ½ cup flour) and knead thoroughly until smooth.
Shape dough into 16 balls. Roll each into a circle about 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter. Let stand uncovered on waxed paper for about 10 minutes.

Fry and coat

Heat oil in a deep frying pan to 350 °F (175 °C). Fry dough circles until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
Combine cinnamon and 1 cup sugar. Sprinkle fried dough with the sugar‑cinnamon mixture. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

707Calories

19 gProtein

20 gFat

110 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,341 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together30,779 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Beaten with sugar to trap air, giving the dough structure and a light, tender texture.
All-purpose flour: Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
Baking powder: Releases gas in the dough, helping the fried buñuelos puff and rise.
Vegetable oil: Adds fat to the dough for tenderness and conducts heat during frying for browning.
White sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps the fried surface brown.

The step that matters

Fry at 350 °F (175 °C) until golden brown. Oil that is too cool lets the dough soak up grease and turn heavy, while oil that is too hot browns the outside before the inside cooks. Holding the oil near the stated temperature gives a crisp, evenly cooked result.