Hojuelas o Hojaldras Colombianas (Colombian Hojuelas)

These Colombian Hojuelas are also known as Hojaldras in some regions of the country. These pastries are a must to serve during the Christmas season.

I want to share with you another traditional Colombian Christmas surprise. These Flakes or puff pastry they are a delicious pastry that we eat with Cream AND Pancakes at Christmas gatherings and are prepared with simple ingredients.

What are Colombian Hojuelas?

These Flakes they are light and crunchy. They are the perfect Christmas dessert, or a great snack with a cup of coffee. These Hojuelas are easy to make with a quick dough, then rolled and cut into strips. Fry them and sprinkle them with sugar.

Just writing this post made me homesick and I started to miss vacationing in Colombia with my family. Growing up in a big Colombian family like mine was a lot of fun and the holidays were really special. My mother has 3 sisters and 5 brothers, so my grandmother usually brought all nine children with their families for the holidays. It was busy, but we always had fun and ate delicious food. If you’re curious about what Colombians do at Christmas time, here are some of our traditions:

The manger: The manger

Christmas tree: Christmas tree

Novenas: From December 16th to 24th, every evening we gather with family and friends to pray and sing Christmas songs to Baby Jesus. And of course, we eat our Christmas delicacies (Natilla, Buñuelos y Hojuelas).

The baby Jesus: Baby Jesus is the one who brings gifts to Colombian children, not Santa Claus, maybe it’s too far away for him 🙂 . On December 24th Baby Jesus arrives at 00:00 and leaves gifts around the children’s beds and the next day the children find them.

Christmas Eve: On December 24, families gather for Noche Buena, our Christmas Eve gathering. There is lots of food, dancing and gifts.

New Year’s Eve party: On December 31, families gather to celebrate the end of the year, with food, dancing and fireworks. In my family it was a special day because it was also my grandmother’s birthday.

Ingredients you will need

Below is the printable recipe with the exact quantities and cooking directions.

Flour: To make this recipe you need all-purpose flour.

Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter.

Sugar: Granulated sugar

Orange: You need fresh orange juice and zest.

Oil: You can use vegetable or canola oil for frying.

Pin

How to prepare Hojuela

• Place the flour and sugar in a medium bowl and, using an electric mixer, mix well. Add the butter and continue mixing on low speed for about 20 seconds.
• Add the orange zest and start adding the orange juice. Continue mixing on low speed while adding the juice.
• Once the mixture comes together, mix on a slightly higher speed to fully incorporate the ingredients.
• Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into 1 x 3 ½-inch strips. If necessary, add more flour to the work surface and roll each strip again until it is about ⅛ inch thick.
• Place a heavy saucepan over medium heat and fill it about a third full with vegetable oil. Heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 340°F.
• Add the pieces and fry until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a plate lined with absorbent paper. Sprinkle with sugar and serve warm.

NOTES

Make sure your oil stays at 375℉ for best results. Watch the hojuelas carefully, because they cook very quickly.

Be sure to drain the hojuelas on paper towels after frying to remove excess oil.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar and serve with honey or syrup if desired.

You can prepare the dough a day in advance, wrap it in cling film and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bring back to room temperature before rolling out to cut the dough.

More Colombian Christmas recipes

Colombian style tamales

Sabajón (Colombian eggnog)

Panela Custard (Sweet Custard)

Colombian bunuelos