Deep Fried Oreos

Deep-fried Oreos are one of the most popular foods found at carnivals and fairs. They are straightforward to make since they only require pancake batter (which can be made with ingredients found around the house) and Oreos. A deep fryer is not required as vegetable oil and a pot can work as a replacement. Although it does not require too many ingredients, it can be challenging to make deep-fried Oreos due to how fast they fry. If the Oreo is in the oil for too long, it will burn, and if it is not cooked for long enough, the pancake batter will still be raw. There is not much room for error when making deep-fried Oreos. While there is no exact estimate of time, the Oreos should typically be fried for about 15 to 20 seconds and flipped halfway through. Even though it is challenging at first, with practice, mastering the frying time will become easier. While more difficult, the recipe was still fun to make and tasted good. This is a recipe I recommend everyone try to make if they are craving Oreos with a twist.

Funnel Cake 

Funnel cake, another classic carnival treat, is very similar to deep-fried Oreos. It is a quick recipe, requiring only the batter and any desired toppings. Like deep-fried Oreos, funnel cakes do not require a fryer to make, only vegetable oil and a pot. Even though the batter for the funnel cake is easy to make, the most challenging part is frying the batter. A big part of making this recipe is achieving the correct structure. To correctly make funnel cake, slowly drizzle the dough in the oil, and occasionally overlap the dough to get the best results. It is important to consider that when making funnel cakes at home, keeping them in a consistent shape without proper equipment is difficult. As many recipes recommend, it may come out with chunks of dough instead of one consistent thin line. The structure of the funnel cake will get better with practice, so despite challenges starting out, technique will only improve. This recipe is a great one I highly recommend for any who craves this treat but cannot go to a carnival to get one.

Corn Dogs

Many carnival foods are deep-fried, and corn dogs are no different. Corn dogs are harder to make compared to funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos. They do not require too many ingredients, but the addition of cornmeal to the batter makes them hard to work with as well as a large amount of frying oil required to fully fry the corn dog.  Cutting the hot dogs in half is a good way to make more corn dogs while using less oil to fully fry them. The hot dog tends to slip off of the batter when dipping and frying, but one way to prevent this is to pat the hot dog dry before dipping it into the batter and frying it. The frying process is similar to the funnel cake and deep-fried Oreos: insert it into the oil, spin it around the oil so it fries evenly, and take it out after about two minutes, or once it is golden brown. While corn dogs can be difficult to make, I would still recommend them. Remember to be careful of the hot splattering oil as it can lead to burns.