I came across a Valentine’s version of churros, which I thought was too cute to not try. However, I am not a fan of frying foods, so I baked mine instead. They puffed up nicely and were crispy and delicious. And it is such a quick dessert. The second time I made them, it took less than an hour from start to finish. The recipe is just the basic recipe. The only thing I did differently was to divide the dough into two parts and dye one half red. And instead of piping the dough in strips I made X’s and O’s and hearts. They were a fun dessert and I will be making them again. Soon.
- 1 cup cold water
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, salt, vanilla, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring. Reduce to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
- On low heat, stir in the flour, using a wooden spoon. Once the flour is combined, the dough will pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Continue to stir and allow dough to cool slightly.
- Using the wooden spoon, stir the eggs into the dough, one at a time, stirring until combined. The eggs make the dough very wet. Stir until the egg is completely mixed in before adding the next egg.
- Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a large star tip. (If you don’t have a piping bag and decorating tip, the dough can be spooned into a zipper-top baggie with one corner cut off and squeezed into strips.)
- Pipe dough 4 inches long onto lined baking sheets, leaving room between each churro, as they do expand slightly.
- Pour the boiling water into a separate baking dish and place on the bottom rack of the heated oven. (The steam helps keep the churros softer on the inside while still crispy on the outside.)
- Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
- While the churros are baking, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Remove the churros from the oven and brush with the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- Serve warm.
Delicious dipped in chocolate or caramel sauce.
Makes about 30 churros, depending on how long each one is.