Mexican Churros
Favorite Mexican fried pastry, coated in cinnamon sugar, these Churros are crunchy on the outside but still soft in the middle - your homemade churros dream come true! Serve with a dip of Mexican chocolate for an authentic taste.
Mexican Churros
1 cup water 1/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup flour 2 medium eggs at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract vegetable oil for frying ¾ cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-Combine sugar and cinnamon together in a small shallow bowl - set aside.
-Into a large saucepan, add water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon constantly for at least 1 minute, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and comes together in the middle of the pan to form a smoothish ball (don’t fret about a few lumps.)
-Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, stir a few times, then let cool for 5 minutes.
-Heat about 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Reduce burner temperature as needed once oil reaches 360 degrees to maintain that temperature.
-Start the mixer on medium speed, then add vanilla and eggs to the flour mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and continue beating until the mixture comes together and is smooth (it will separate at first but keep mixing until it comes together).
-Transfer dough to a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a rounded star tip (no bigger than 3/4-inch). Carefully pipe mixture into the preheated oil, as close to the surface of the oil as possible (so it doesn’t splash) into about 6-inch lengths. Cut off the 6-inch length with scissors, then let it float into the oil. Repeat with the dough until you have about 6 churros cooking at one time in the pan. Don’t over-crowd them.
-Let fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, turning with a slotted spoon or spider as needed. Transfer to paper towels to dry briefly, then place in the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.
-Repeat process with remaining dough (frying no more than 6 at once). Serve warm with chocolate ganache (recipe below) or caramel sauce for dipping, if desired. Makes 18 pieces.
Melt butter in the water in a medium saucepan.
Dump in the flour all at once then stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
Continue stirring over medium-high heat until mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
When mixture has come together in the center of the pan into a smooth round-ish ball, remove from the heat.
Place dough into an electric mixer and beat for about 30 seconds then let rest for about 5 minutes, in order to cool it down a bit.
Heat oil to about 360 F degrees, place dough into a pastry bag, then pipe churros directly onto the surface of the hot oil.
Cut dough into 6-inch lengths into the oil, about 6 at a time.
Fry churros about 2 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown.
Remove from oil with a slotted spoon or spider.
Set aside to drain on paper towels for about 1 minute.
Dredge and roll warm churros in cinnamon sugar until well coated.
Serve warm accompanied with a chocolate ganache dip or caramel sauce (or both!)
An easy treat to make but one that appeals to all ages. You might want to eat yours first to be sure to get some before the snackers catch sight of them!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
To make Chocolate Ganache:
-Place 1 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan and heat just until cream comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate pieces or chips and without stirring, allow to sit for 15 minutes. Then stir the chocolate into the cream with a whisk until all the chocolate is melted and ganache is very smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Serves as dip for Churros. (Add a big pinch of ground cinnamon and stir it into the chocolate ganache to give it more of a Mexican flavor.)
**My Favorite Caramel Sauce:
Salted Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(for salted caramel, add 1/2 tsp. coarse salt or fleur de sel)
-In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in Karo syrup, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Over medium-high heat, stir ingredients until sugar is melted and mixture is smooth. Continue stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat slightly to medium and continue cooking and stirring until sauce is slightly thickened - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Set aside but keep warm until ready to use. (If you prefer the shortcut of buying your caramel sauce, excellent brands include Mrs. Richardson’s, Williams-Sonoma and Trader Joe’s.)
**Churros are best served the same day they are cooked - there is little chance of leftovers anyway!
