Cream Puff Fritters

• 1 cup whole milk

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon orange blossom or vanilla extract

• 4 cups canola, corn, or safflower oil, for frying

• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

Bring milk and melted butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Remove from heat and add flour all at once, stirring quickly using a sturdy wooden spoon. Return pan to heat over low, stirring constantly until mixture forms a solid mass. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is somewhat dry, about 1 minute.

Transfer dough to bowl of a food processor. Process until slightly cool, about 10 seconds. Add eggs, sugar, and orange blossom or vanilla extract; process until dough is very smooth and paste-like, 15 to 20 seconds.

Pour about 2 1/2 inches of the oil into a saucepan and heat it until it registers 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the dough and, with your index finger, push the dough to the far edge of the spoon and let it drop into the hot oil. (Be sure to position your spoon very close to the surface of the hot oil to prevent splashing.) Repeat the process with the remaining dough as quickly as you can, cooking about 12 balls at a time for 8 to 9 minutes, until the fritters are well puffed, well browned, and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar and serve immediately.