Churros
It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, which we know is not really Mexico’s Independence Day but one of our favorite holidays nonetheless! Any holiday that celebrates with food is the best in our book. As you would expect, our favorite part of our Cinco de Mayo cuisine is the dessert and churros are our absolute favorite (sopapillas are a very close second, though!).
We used to buy those churros from the freezer section of the grocery store. They satisfied the craving but were fairly chewy and certainly not authentic. There are also the churros mixes you can get at the mercado or World Market, which are really hit-or-miss in our humble opinion. Our favorite way to get our churros fix is to go to la panadería, but they don’t make them every day. Our solution? Make our own at home so we can have them whenever we want!
Churros are very easy to make. They are crafted from a warm dough that comes together on the stove. The hardest part might be finding the right piping tip to create that authentic churro look with the ridges. We use the Ateco #846 Closed Star. We recommend you double up on the piping bags (or zip-top bags if you don’t have piping bags) so they hold up to the dough.
Churros are best served warm right after you make them. If you can’t eat them right away, let them cool completely and store them at room temperature loosely covered with plastic wrap and do your best to eat them within a day of making them (churro party?). We pop them back in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. They may not be as crispy but they are still super tasty!
Jump to Recipe
The dough ingredients come together quickly on the stove.
Allow the dough ball to cool for 10 minutes before mixing in the egg and vanilla.
Pipe roughly 5″ lengths of dough right into the hot oil.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning churros over in the oil half way through.
Remove from oil and allow to drain on a wire rack briefly.
Toss the hot churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat completely.
Return to wire rack to cool just a bit more before enjoying while still warm!
Delicioso!!!
Churros
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 1 cup water
- 4 TBS butter cut in pieces
- 2 TBS sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup 5 oz flour
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Neutral oil for frying
- Topping:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring the water, butter, 2 TBSP sugar and salt, to a boil in a heavy saucepan.
- Lower the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the dough forms a ball.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- While the dough cools, start heating the oil in a medium frying pan. The oil should be about 1 ½”- 2” deep. Monitor the heat of the oil with a thermometer to maintain about 350 degrees.
- In a separate small bowl, beat the egg and vanilla.
- Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture into the pan with the dough and stir to combine. Repeat two more times, stirring with the wooden spoon to form a smooth soft dough.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (we like Ateco #846).
- In a shallow dish, combine 1 cup sugar with cinnamon and use a fork to thoroughly combine.
- Once the oil is at temperature, pipe the dough into the oil in about 5” lengths, using a sharp knife to separate the dough from the tip. You should be able to cook about 4-5 churros at a time. Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning each churro over about halfway through. Remove churros to a wire rack placed over paper towel lined baking sheet and allow to drain about 30 seconds before transferring to the cinnamon sugar mixture and turning to coat completely. Place churros back on wire rack and continue cooking the remaining churros in the same manner.
- Enjoy while still warm!