Churros Please!

If you've ever had churros, then you'd know how amazing they are (depending on where you get them that is). I have had churros from places around Boston, England and even France (which were my favorite). Churros originated from Spain and Mexico. Each with their own unique twist. You can choose to dip them in Nutella or melted chocolate or in caramel or even have them plain. In today's post, I will be showing you how to make Churros from a recipe book my mom had called Sugar Rush by Johnny Iuzzini with Wes Martin. The recipe I got is called Chipotle Churros with Dulce de Leche Cream. On the side of this dish, I will be making a Drinking Chocolate which is a richer hot chocolate than your average cup. You can actually also dip the Churros right in this cup since its thick.

For the Churros:

1 Cup Water (240 g)

8 Tablespoons (1 Stick) unsalted butter (113 g)

1 Tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers in adobo (15 g)

1/2 Cup Sugar (100 g)

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (4 g)

1 Cup Bread Flour (132 g) 

3 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (2 g)

1 teaspoon chipotle chill powder (2 g)

Vegetable Oil for deep frying

To make the churros, in a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, adobo, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour all at once and mix until combined.                              

                                     

Return the pan to medium-low heat and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes to dry out the mixture. Transfer the dough to a standing mixer bowl and use the spoon to spread the dough out in a thin layer against the sides of the bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, until cool. 

Attach the paddle to the bowl and turn the mixer on to low speed. Add 2 of the eggs and mix until completely incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Turn the mixer back on to low speed and add the remaining egg; mix until incorporated and the dough is shiny and elastic, 2-3 minutes. 

                                     

Fill a large heavy saucepan with oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 360 F. 

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Mix the remaining sugar and salt with the cinnamon and chipotle powder and pour it into a plate. 

Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip (Ateco #822). Holding the piping bag in one hand, and a pairing knife in the other, squeeze 6-inch long strips of churro dough directly into the oil, cutting them cleanly from the tip with the knife. Fry, turning frequently, for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain briefly on the paper towel-lined baking sheet. While still warm, roll them in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Continue frying until the batter is used, monitoring the oil temperature and being sure it remains at 360 F during the frying process. 

To make the dulce de leech cream, put the dulce de leech into a large mixing bowl. Add about a third of the whipped cream and fold lightly to combine. Add the remaining and fold gently just until the mixture is streaky. Use immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve for up to 1 day. 

For the Drinking Chocolate:

6 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 oz Milk

Heat the milk in a pot and add the chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Mixture should be fairly rich. Serve.

You can choose to make the drinking chocolate or a classic hot chocolate or even pair it with a cup of coffee!

Comment below and let us know what you like to dip your churros in!