Churros with Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce
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on Feb 12, 2016, Updated Jan 30, 2021
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Have you ever made churros? When we were outlining the Muy Bueno cookbook, I asked my daughter, “What is your favorite Mexican dessert?” And she said, “Churros!” I realized at that moment that I had never made churros. Both my children love them. What’s not to love – they are fun to hold, warm to the touch, crunchy as you bite into one, and the combination of sugar and cinnamon gives this dessert its signature outer finish.
For anyone who may not know what a churro is, it’s like a doughnut but long like a bread stick, and covered with a sugar and cinnamon coating. Did you know that they originated in Spain? They eventually found their way into South America and yes of course eventually North America. It truly is one of those delights that satisfy one’s sweet tooth. I mean seriously, who doesn’t love fried dough?
Growing up we never ate them at home but they were definitely a favorite dessert choice at church bazaars, festivals, mercados, taquerias, and even amusement parks. I heard recently that some Starbucks coffee shops will be selling them — Everyone loves churros!
So in my search to make a muy bueno churro I stepped into my test kitchen and got to work. Over the years I’ve tasted many a churro and they are best when freshly made and warm. If you want to get creative you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream over them or even dip them in some warm thick Mexican chocolate sauce just before each bite.
If you like cinnamon-sugar flavored desserts, try this buñuelos recipe.
So here it is…the results of my test kitchen creation and winning recipe. There are so many variations to this classic recipe so I decided that less is more and kept this recipe simple and pure. This is the same recipe that is published in the Muy Bueno cookbook and now I’m sharing it on the blog for you to make just in time for Valentines Day with a decadent and exotic Mexican chocolate dipping sauce with or without a splash of Kahlua.
Churros with Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Churros:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- peel of ½ lemon, cut in strips
Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 3.3 ounce tablet Mexican chocolate (recommend Nestle-Abuelita), chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, optional for thicker chocolate
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur, recommend Kahlua (optional)
Instructions
Churros:
- In a wide dish, mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the eggs and vanilla extract. Add to the cooled flour mixture, beating well with a wooden spoon.
- Fill a decorating bag fitted with a 1M large star tip with some of the churro dough. (The star tip helps create the ridges on the outside of the churro.)
- Heat 2 inches of oil and the lemon peel in a deep saucepan to 350 degrees F. Make sure the oil is hot before squeezing any dough into it. Try testing the oil by dropping in a small amount of dough. If it bubbles quickly then it is probably ready. If you have a candy thermometer test the temperature. (When lemon peel becomes crispy remove from oil and discard.)
- As soon as your oil is hot enough, squeeze about a 4-inch-long piece of dough into the hot oil for each churro. Cut off the dough with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot oil. Cook about 4 churros at a time. Allow the churros to fry for about 1 minute before turning over with a pair of tongs and frying for another minute. Churros should be a golden brown.
- Drain the churros on paper towels. As soon as you are able to handle them roll each one in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve warm with the Mexican chocolate dipping sauce.
Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
- Heat 1/4 cup cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add Mexican chocolate. Let chocolate sit in the hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, and then whisk chocolate together with the cream. Stir in butter, cocoa powder (optional), vanilla, cinnamon, and liqueur (optional).
- If chocolate becomes too thick, stir in more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photos by Jeanine Thurston
This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook and on dearcrissy.com.
The ratio of flour to liquid in the dough is way off. Should be equal parts flour to water. I had to add an extra egg and it still was too thick to where when fried, the dough was not light enough to puff up in the middle which resulted in a dense churro. Not a bad taste, but would recommend using a classic choux dough recipe as the base.
I made these today for a study session for my son. He considers himself an expert in churros and he pronounced these TOP KNOTCH! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
wowww! There are so good and so much easier to make than I ever thought. Churros at Disneyland ain’t got nothin’ on the recipe!
I added 1 tsp of this chai spice blend I just ordered on etsy to the dipping sauce and it really added something special!
Thanks for sharing
Absolutely delicious! I was on holiday now in Portugal and was able to have freshly made churros any time I felt for. SO so delicious! I am thankful I can not have them here at home since I would be bigger than a house! Thank you for your recipe will be trying them out one day soon! Nom nom nom
xxx
Yum Yvette!! I’ve never made churros at home either!! I think I’ll try this recipe this weekend. Thanks!!
Wow Churros!!! A fabulous Mexican cuisine with chocolate sauce… Really love it… you can enjoy the same type of Indian food with a little difference through Online food order in Mumbai… Thanks for sharing!!!