Fourth of July Fun-Funnel Cakes

I was off for an actual weekend, and was uber excited to spend a good chunk of time with my husband. We planned nothing, just drank Sangria, played games, watched movies, and danced. It was amazing. We went to Gatlinburg, TN for Memorial Day weekend and he had his first funnel cake. Honestly, I thought it was weird that he is 26 years old and has never had a funnel cake. How does that happen? He has also never been to Disney World, which I guess I find weird since I grew up in the south (I'll fix that as well). So while we were Gatlinburg, he watched the tourist channel in our hotel room and found a funnel cake restaurant. He had to go. This was no state fair funnel cake, it was crispy, not greasy, and dusted with the perfect amount of powered sugar and cinnamon. His eyes lit up with joy and amazement. When we returned home, he gave me a mission-make him funnel cakes. So I began looking at recipes, analyzing their ingredients to make sure they wouldn't be heavy or super sweet. I found this recipe and added fresh lemon zest to give it some brightness.

Funnel Cakes (makes 2 giant ones or 4 mid sized)

1 1/2c All Purpose Flour
1t baking powder
1/4t salt
1/4c powdered sugar
1 1/3c milk
1/4t lemon zest
1/2t vanilla extract
1 egg
Canola Oil-for frying



Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and powdered sugar together in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the milk, zest, vanilla extract, and egg together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the batter is smooth. Heat 1 in of canola oil in the pan over medium heat until small bubbles form. Pour the batter into a funnel, squeeze bottle, or a Ziploc bag and snip one of the corners off. Over the oil drizzle the batter in a back in forth pattern, first going side to side, then up to down, and then angled.

Awesome graphic, huh? I forgot to take a picture while I was pouring the batter

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. You should be able to see some color peek through the openings of the funnel cake. Using tongs, flip and continue to cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from oil and lay on top of paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon. This recipe was perfect. Crispy, light, not greasy, and super soft on the inside. It was delicious.

The possibilities are endless with these- top with chocolate or strawberry compote. Instead of chicken and waffles, what about chicken and funnel cakes! Top with crumbled bacon and syrup or use as a base for an ice cream sundae...and and and...