Who doesn't love a good funnel cake?? Every time we go to Knott's Berry Farm or other amusement parks, we like to indulge in funnel cakes. They have all the toppings that you could think of- if you're thinking of berry toppings, powdered sugar, chocolate, and caramel. The kicker is that they are about $15 each, and that hurts your wallet. They make for fond memories, but if we can enjoy the magic at home and save some $$, then I am all for it. Also, I like to teach my kids how to be able to bake/cook. It will serve them well as adults and future mothers and fathers. We also build memories together with our baking.
My 14-year-old daughter is the one who asked if she could make funnel cakes. We have made them before, but I told her that I had a new recipe that I wanted to try. It was serendipitous that 
The recipe is pretty straight forward: mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients and then slowly combine them. (Recipe at the bottom) Heat up your oil on the stove in a skillet. Drop a small amount of batter in to see if it fries up to know if your oil is hot enough. My kids grabbed a food thermometer to test the temp. We have a gas stove, and I just had it on HIGH for a few minutes before starting to fry.
We experimented with using a funnel to drop in the batter, a frosting bottle, and also just trying to pour from the liquid measuring cup. To be honest, the liquid measuring cup dropped the batter in a little bit thicker swirls that I preferred. Fry it for 30-45 seconds on each side, flipping with tongs, and put on a paper plate that has been lined with a paper towel to absorb oil.
frosting bottle
funnel
straight from the liquid measuring cup
Use a sifter to add a pretty smattering of powdered sugar. We also topped with caramel sauce. You can use jam, chocolate sauce, cut up strawberries, and our favorite: nutella.
My son even decided to make a funnel cake sandwich. It was like fair food. He spread nutella on the two pieces of bread, then sandwiched a funnel cake that had powdered sugar on it between the two slices of bread. It was pretty good, although ridiculous. Kids are gonna be kids, and it really just made me smile.
The cleanup is pretty easy as long as you rinse everything straightaway. We all enjoyed dessert last night. It was delicious, made some fun memories, and cost pennies. Really though, all these experiences are priceless.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
3 T. white sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water