What are Churros?


What are churros? What are churros made of and why are they so popular?


churros with dipping sauce

What are churros?

You may be asking yourself, what is a churro? Well, churros are a Spanish or Mexican pastry, a bit like a donut or cruller, and are made from deep-fried unsweetened dough and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Churros are normally formed into long lengths of dough pushed through a piping nozzle and then slowly added to a deep fryer or pan filled with hot oil until golden in color. Churros ingredients are pretty simple; they consist of water, butter, sugar, salt, flour, egg, and vanilla extract made into a dough and then deep-fried. Then, of course, sprinkled in sugar and normally served with a warm chocolate dipping sauce.

churros with dipping sauce

What do churros taste like?

Churros taste very similar to a cinnamon sugared doughnut, just better. The dough of the churro is passed through a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle attachment; this creates long crispy ridges in the pastry as it fries; these ridges help hold the cinnamon sugar in place. Churro’s are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside and taste best when they are freshly cooked and warm.

How long do churros last?

You can store your fried churros in an airtight container, and add a couple of sheets of kitchen paper towels to line the bottom of the container to soak up any excess grease. Churros will last up to 2 days at room temperature stored this way; don’t be tempted to refrigerate them as they can soak up moisture making them soggy and damp. Churros are best eaten on the day they are made.

Churros are very popular in Mexico and Spain. When I walked around the city of Barcelona I could see stands with people selling hot freshly made churros in nearly all the street markets. The smell was out of this world and the scent of cinnamon sugar wafting in the air was too much of an enticement to resist. One taste of an authentic spanish churro and I was hooked. I think one of the main reasons for churros being so popular is not only the amazing flavor but the shape. The long-shaped stick of warm dough is easy to hold and eat as you walk around city streets or even amusement parks. It’s the perfect sweet dessert on the go, although I haven’t visited Mexico yet to taste if there is a big difference with a mexican churro.

What are Churros Made of?

Churros are a traditional tube-shaped Spanish and Portuguese sweet snack made from choux pastry that are deep-fried in oil and then sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, and other sweet toppings. The churro dough is made with all-purpose flour, butter, salt, water, and eggs, combined together to form a thick paste that is then piped into hot oil to fry. The result is a crispy and golden brown fried dough that is sweet and delicious.

Are Churros Sweet or Salty?

Churros are usually a sweet treat, as they are usually served with sugar, cinnamon, and other sweet toppings. However, they can also be served savory with salt, herbs, and other savory ingredients, making them a great snack for any occasion. Whether sweet or savory, churros are sure to be a hit with all who try them!

What are churros traditionally served with?

Churros as a spanish food are traditionally served with chocolate sauce or cinnamon sugar mixture.

  • Chocolate sauce: This is a classic dipping sauce for churros. It can be made with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk.
  • Cinnamon sugar mixture: This is a simple and delicious topping for churros. It is made with granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Here are some other popular ways to serve churros:

  • With dulce de leche: Dulce de leche is a sweet, caramel-like spread that is made from milk and sugar. It is a popular topping for churros in Latin America.
  • With ice cream: Churros can be served with a scoop of ice cream for a sweet and refreshing treat.
  • With coffee: Churros can be served with a cup of coffee for a breakfast or brunch treat.

No matter how you choose to serve them, churros are a delicious and popular snack or dessert.

churros with chocolate dipping sauce

What are Churros

Love Food Feed
This churro recipe achieves a delightful balance, with a soft interior and a crispy exterior. The addition of cinnamon sugar provides the ideal touch of sweetness to enhance the deliciousness of these churros.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
cooling time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican, Spanish
Servings 18
Calories 144 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the churros

For the sugar coating

For the chocolate dipping sauce

Instructions
 

Cinnamon Sugar

  • To begin, prepare the cinnamon sugar by combining 100g of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon on a baking sheet. Mix the two ingredients thoroughly and set aside.
    100 g Granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
    cinnamon sugar in a bowl

Churro's

  • Grab a saucepan and add in the water, unsalted butter, and salt, and bring to a boil over a medium heat.
    85 g Unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon Salt, 250 milliliters Water
  • Once the wet ingredients are boiling turn to a low heat and add in your plain flour and caster sugar and stir using a spatula until all the mixture turns into a smooth dough
    140 g Plain flour, 1 tablespoon Caster sugar
  • Transfer the hot churro dough into a large mixing bowl and leave it to cool for 5-10 minutes
  • While the dough is cooling pour the sunflower oil into your fryer or deep skillet and heat it to 180 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit
    1 Sunflower oil for deep frying
  • Once the dough has cooled add in vanilla extract and 1 egg in the mixing bowl and mix really well, keep mixing until the dough comes together and is smooth again.
    1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1 Large Egg
  • Transfer the churro dough into a piping bag or pipping gun with a star tip attachment with the size churro you would like.
  • Carefully pipe the churro dough into your pre-heated oil and cut at whatever length churro you want with a sharp knife or clean scissors being careful not to splash.
  • Leave your churros to fry until they are golden brown, they should only take about a minute or so.
  • Using tongs transfer them to a kitchen roll to let them drip dry for one minute.
  • Now transfer the warm churros to the cinnamon sugar and roll them until they are covered in a coat of sugar and set to one side
  • Repeat this frying, drying, and rolling process with the left-over dough mixture.

Dipping sauce

  • In a saucepan add in 100g of dark chocolate and 100ml of double cream.
    100 g Dark chocolate, 100 milliliters Double cream
  • Heat up over a medium heat keep stirring slowly until the chocolate mixture is all melted and become smooth,
  • Transfer the dipping sauce to a small serving bowl.
  • There you have it warm sweet crisp churros served with a delicious chocolate dipping sauce.
    Chocolate dipping sauce

Notes

Tips and tricks to make churros
When utilizing a deep fat fryer or a skillet pan with hot oil, exercise caution to avoid splashing the churros. Gently and slowly lower each churro, utilizing the safety of the basket in deep fryers. Prioritize safety over speed, and use tongs to extract the churros from the hot oil due to their high temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 41mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 217IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
Keyword choclate dipping sauce, churros, cinnamon sugar
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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