Amish Cinnamon Elephant Ears

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Ah, there is nothing better than fall festival season. Here in Ohio, as the leaves begin to tinge with reds and oranges, the fall festival season is ramping up with celebrations about everything from pumpkins to mums.

And these festivals are full of everything fried and often on a stick, from Oreos and Funnel Cakes, and bananas.

I even saw a sign on one of the food carts recently advertising "fried cheese."  (Hey, if it's deep fried/battered you could probably fry turnips and they'd taste good!)  

A festival favorite is funnel cake which does have origins (although somewhat murky) in Pennsylvania Dutch culinary culture (which also encompasses, somewhat, the Amish)

 Funnel cakes are amazing, but not amazing enough for me to stand in line for an hour to get one. That is how long it can be at some of these festivals.  I remember one festival where I waited in line for 20 minutes to place an order for a funnel cake and I was then handed a ticket for my order and had to stand in a second line so I could wait another 15 - 20 minutes and be handed my funnel cake.   Had I gotten the funnel cake in, say, two minutes I probably would have thought it was mouth-watering and sinfully delicious, but the same dessert after standing in line for 45 minutes seemed like a let-down for what is essentially deep-fried dough. Making your own at home might yield more reward for the time.  

Another popular variation on festival funnel cakes are "elephant ears."

These are closely related to another deep-fried Amish treat known as "knee patches" that are often served at Amish weddings.

The elephant is essentially a deep-fried dough like a funnel cake, but a bit easier to make and the addition of cinnamon and butter make it seem more like fried cinnamon toast.
You can try making Amish Cinnamon Elephant Ears at home.

The ingredients for the Amish Cinnamon Elephant Ears are very basic, so this is classic Amish fare: flour, milk, cinnamon, and so on.

Follow the instructions below and you'll celebrate a festival in your own kitchen!

These homemade Amish Cinnamon Elephant ears don't flap like Dumbo, but they can take you to a place of fried food bliss for sure!

🧑‍🍳 Amish Cinnamon Elephant Ears

• 1 package ¼ ounce active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water 110° to 115°
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 4 to 4-½ cups all-purpose flour
• Oil for deep-fat frying

Glaze

• 1 /2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Dissolve yeast in water.
• Add milk, sugar, salt, shortening and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.
• Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• On a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.
• Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down and shape into 15 ovals, 5-½-in. round by ⅛-in.
• thick. Heat 3-4 in. of oil to 375° in deep-fat fryer.
• Fry ovals, one at a time, 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
• Drain.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over warm pastries.
• Yield: 15 servings.