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Preppy Kitchen

The Perfect Churros

Crisp, golden churros piped from a rich choux dough, fried until shatteringly crunchy and rolled in cinnamon sugar. The insides stay light and airy, and they're even better dunked in chocolate ganache or warm dulce de leche.

Spanishchurrosfriedchoux pastrycinnamon sugarstreet food

Ingredients

For the churros

  • 1 cupwater
  • 6 tablespoonsbutter · 85g
  • 1 tablespoongranulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 1 cupall-purpose flour · 120g
  • 3eggs · sometimes a little more, to reach the right consistency
  • 1 teaspoonvanilla extract · or substitute dark rum
  • —vegetable or peanut oil, for frying · enough for 2 inches in a large pot

For the cinnamon sugar

  • 3/4 cupgranulated sugar · 150g
  • 2 teaspoonsground cinnamon

For serving (optional)

  • —chocolate ganache or warm dulce de leche, for dipping

Steps

  1. 1

    Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium pot. Place over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.

  2. 2

    The moment it boils, remove the pot from the heat, dump in all the flour at once, and stir hard with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms.

  3. 3

    Return the pot to medium-high heat and stir hard for about 30 seconds, until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a cohesive mass.

  4. 4

    Transfer the hot dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium for about 2 minutes to cool it slightly, so the eggs don't scramble.

  5. 5

    Crack each egg into a small bowl first and check for shells, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and scraping the bowl down between additions. The dough is ready when it falls from the beater in a slow, steady ribbon; add a bit more egg if needed to reach that consistency.

  6. 6

    Mix in the vanilla.

  7. 7

    Heat 2 inches of vegetable or peanut oil in a large pot over medium heat until it reaches 400°F, with a thermometer in the oil but not touching the bottom of the pot.

  8. 8

    Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. A closed star tip's deep ridges let the churros expand and fry evenly; a round tip can trap steam and cause the dough to burst.

  9. 9

    Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl or rimmed plate and set it near the stove.

  10. 10

    Pipe 6-inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, cutting each one off at the tip, and fry in batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side until deep golden, flipping partway through. Adjust the heat between batches to keep the oil right around 400°F.

  11. 11

    Toss the hot churros in the cinnamon sugar while they're still warm so it sticks. Drag them through the sugar for a lighter coating, or spoon it over for a darker one.

  12. 12

    Serve immediately, on their own or with ganache or warm dulce de leche for dipping.

Creator's notes

Use a large closed star tip — an open star or round tip gives poor definition and can cause the churros to burst in the oil. Churros keep 1 to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer, but they're best straight out of the fryer.

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