Churros with Cinnamon Sugar and Chocolate Sauce

Twig had been waiting all week. Hazel had promised to teach her churros, and Twig was at the inn before the bread came out of the oven, wearing an apron that reached her toes.

Gerzsi stirred the flour into the boiling water and butter. In about a minute it pulled together into one smooth ball. “Magic,” said Twig. “Chemistry,” said Hazel. Then the eggs went in one at a time, and the mixer did the hard work. Hazel spooned the dough into a piping bag with a big star tip. “The star makes the ridges,” she said. “The ridges make the crunch.”

Frying is a grown-up job, so Twig got the most important job of all: the cinnamon sugar. She stood on a stool at the far end of the table and waited. Gerzsi held the bag over the pot, squeezed, and froze. The dough would not stop coming out. Chef Tamás reached past him with a pair of kitchen shears, snipped the strip at six inches and put the shears in Gerzsi’s paw. Then he went back to his own stove.

Hazel turned each churro once with the spider. When they came out deep golden, Twig rolled them in cinnamon sugar until they looked like snowy logs. Then she rolled her paws in it too, just to check.

The chocolate sauce took two minutes: hot cream, chopped chocolate and a pinch of cinnamon. In Spain, people dip churros in thick hot chocolate for breakfast or late at night. At the inn they ate them at four in the afternoon, which Twig said was the best time of all.

Why this one works

Stirring the flour into boiling water and butter cooks it into a thick dough, the same kind used for cream puffs, and that dough holds its shape when you pipe it. The star tip gives each churro deep ridges, so there is more crisp edge and more surface for the cinnamon sugar. Keeping the oil close to 350°F (175°C) lets the inside cook through before the outside gets too dark.

Churros with Cinnamon Sugar and Chocolate Sauce

• Servings: 8
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Time: 50 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
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Crisp, ridged churros piped straight into hot oil, rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with a quick chocolate dipping sauce.

Ingredients

For the churros:
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
• A scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• Vegetable oil, for frying
For the cinnamon sugar:
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the chocolate sauce:
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
• 5 oz (140 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Directions

1. Get ready first, because the frying goes fast. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Line a tray with paper towels. Fit a piping bag with a large open star tip.
2. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low, add the flour all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. After about a minute the dough comes together into a smooth ball.
3. Move the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and leave it for about 5 minutes, so it is warm but not hot enough to cook the eggs. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, waiting until each is fully mixed in before adding the next. Beat 1 more minute, until the dough is smooth, glossy and thick enough to pipe.
4. Heat about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F (175°C).
5. Fill the piping bag with dough. Hold it just above the oil and pipe strips about 6 inches (15 cm) long, cutting each one off with scissors. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown. Watch the thermometer and adjust the heat to keep the oil near 350°F (175°C). Lift the churros onto the paper towels.
6. While they are still warm, roll the churros in the cinnamon sugar.
7. For the sauce, heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just starts to boil. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate, cinnamon and salt, wait a minute, then stir until smooth and shiny. Serve it warm for dipping.

Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling the top. A packed cup makes the dough too stiff to pipe. Pipe and fry one test churro first. If it bursts open in the oil, the oil is too hot. Churros are best within an hour of frying. Hot oil is a grown-up job. Children can help with the cinnamon sugar, well away from the stove.

🛒 Worth buying for this recipe

• KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Qt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. The best mid-priced mixer in America’s Test Kitchen’s stand mixer test. It beats the eggs into the hot dough one at a time, so your arm doesn’t have to. Check price. See it on Amazon
• Wilton 20-Piece Beginning Buttercream Decorating Set. Recommended in America’s Test Kitchen’s piping set test, and it comes with a large open star tip for the churro ridges. About $12 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7 qt enameled cast iron casserole. The Best Buy in America’s Test Kitchen’s Dutch oven test. A heavy pot keeps the oil steady near 350°F. Check price. See it on Amazon
• ThermoPro TP16. The Best Buy in America’s Test Kitchen’s leave-in thermometer test. The probe stays in the pot, so you can watch the oil temperature the whole time. Check price. See it on Amazon
• Shun Multi-Purpose Shears. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s kitchen shears test. A clean snip cuts each churro off at the tip. About $60 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• OXO Good Grips Scoop and Strain Skimmer. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s spider skimmer test. It turns and lifts the churros without breaking them. Check price. See it on Amazon
• Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad 2 qt Saucepan. The small saucepan Best Buy in America’s Test Kitchen’s saucepan test. Right size for the dough and later the chocolate sauce. About $54 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• OXO Good Grips Everyday Silicone Spatula. A co-winner in America’s Test Kitchen’s silicone spatula test. Stiff enough to beat the flour into the hot dough. Check price. See it on Amazon

How Chef Tamás makes it

Chef Tamás’s verdict on this recipe: “Simple, but great.” He also makes the Spanish version without eggs, with just water and flour.

At his restaurant he makes churros as a dessert on the menu and for events.

Tools we use

• A piping bag with a star tip. See the ATK pick on Amazon
• A heavy pot for frying. See the ATK pick on Amazon
• A thermometer for the oil. See the ATK pick on Amazon
• Kitchen scissors to cut the dough into the oil. See the ATK pick on Amazon

Tamás didn’t name brands for this one. The linked models are the testers’ picks for the same jobs.

Chef Tamás’s tricks

• Let the dough cool a little before the eggs go in.
• Add the eggs one at a time.
• Keep the oil at a steady temperature.
• Roll them in cinnamon sugar while they are still warm.
• The mistakes he sees most: churros that split or burst in the oil, a raw middle, oil that is too cold so they turn greasy, and dough so thin it won’t hold its shape. Here too, he says, fry a test one first.
• To serve: with a sweet túró cream (Hungarian farmer’s cheese) or with ice cream.

Adapted from Churros on Once Upon a Chef. Cooked our way at the inn.

Sources

• Once Upon a Chef (Jennifer Segal): Churros
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best stand mixers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best piping sets
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best Dutch ovens
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best leave-in thermometers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best kitchen shears
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best spider skimmers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best saucepans
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best silicone spatulas
• NBC Select: The best board games for kids