Homemade Churros Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, oil and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Transfer to a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. , Beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute or until the dough softens. Add egg and lemon zest; beat for 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool. , In a deep cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat 1 in. oil to 375°. Insert a large star tip in a pastry bag; fill with dough. On a baking sheet, pipe dough into 4-in. strips. , Transfer strips to skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over churros. Serve warm.

Steps:

• For the churros: In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the butter, sugar and salt to the water and stir until the butter is melted, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is returned to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl until combined.
• Turn off the heat. Using a heatsafe rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until it's evenly saturated and coming together in a smooth ball. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Use the spatula to break up the dough into small pieces in the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, work your way around the bowl incorporating the chunks of dough, egg and vanilla. The mixture will be lumpy at first. After 5 minutes of mixing, it should be evenly hydrated and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Note: A quart container or large cup is very useful to have standing by, since you will be picking up and putting down your pastry bag quite a bit.
• For the coating: In a baking dish or large bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon and salt. This will be used to coat the churros, so make sure the vessel is large enough that a churro can lay flat in the sugar mixture.
• To a large heavy-bottomed pot, add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil. Set over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
• Reduce the heat to medium and using your pastry bag, pipe four 5-inch-long churros directly into the oil. Use kitchen shears or a paring knife to cut off the dough from the piping bag so that it will fall into the hot oil. (The churros should not feel crowded; the number you can cook at a time will vary depending on your pot size.) Cook until the outsides are dark golden brown and the insides are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. The churros should be a dark golden color before you flip them. Periodically check your thermometer and increase or decrease the heat as needed to keep your oil at 350 degrees F.
• When the churros are dark golden on both sides, lift them out with tongs and place on a rack to cool slightly and drain excess oil. While they are still warm, toss them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture so they have a nice even coating. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• To make the churro dough: Combine 1 cup of water with the butter or margarine and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Reduce the heat to low and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove the dough from the heat and, while stirring constantly, gradually beat the eggs into the dough.
• To make the chocolate for dunking: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 cup of milk and reserve. Combine the chocolate with the remaining cup of milk in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, melt the chocolate over medium-low heat. Whisk the sugar and the dissolved cornstarch into the melted chocolate mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about 5 minutes. (Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes.) Remove the pan from the heat and whisk until smooth then reserve in a warm place.
• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy, high-sided pot over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 360 degrees F. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon on a plate and reserve.
• Meanwhile, spoon the churro dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Squeeze a 4- inch strip of dough into the hot oil. Repeat, frying 3 or 4 strips at a time. Fry the churros, turning them once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked churros to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• When the churros are just cool enough to handle, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar (in Spain churros are simply rolled in sugar.)
• Pour the chocolate into individual bowls or cups. Serve the warm churros with the chocolate dip.

Steps:

• Boil the kettle, then measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a big mixing bowl with a big pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Rest for 10-15 mins while you make the sauce.
• Put all the sauce ingredients into a pan and gently melt together, stirring occasionally until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat.
• Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous - before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds to 1 min. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
• Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag - 1.5-2cm wide is a good size. Fill with the rested dough, then pipe 2-3 strips directly into the pan, snipping off each dough strip with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Be very careful here - if air bubbles form in the churros they can explode, especially if the oil overheats or you use old flour. Cooking with hot oil can be dangerous - before you start, read up on how to deep-fry safely to avoid accidents in the kitchen. Keep children out of the kitchen and protect yourself by wearing long sleeves and eye protection, and keeping your face away from the pan.
• Once the churros are crisp and golden brown, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined tray. Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with some cinnamon sugar as you go. When you've cooked all the churros, toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce, for dipping.To see a video of how to prepare churros, take a look at our churros ice cream sandwich recipe.