Churros are made from butter, water, flour and eggs. Instead of a raising agent, Churros use the high moisture content to create steam during cooking to puff the pastry. This tasty Mexican recipe is great for any party or gathering or anytime you want a tasty snack.
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Homemade Churros
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Canola Oil for frying
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar for coating
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, add enough canola oil to fill the pan about half way, heat it over medium heat to heat it to 375 degrees. You can also use a deep fryer for this.
- In a large saucepan, add the water, butter, vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp of sugar, vanilla and salt, bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and add the flour, stirring constantly until the mixture turns into a ball, cook this mixture for about 1 minute. (Remember to constantly stir)
- Add the dough into the bowl and add one egg a time and mixing well after each addition to make sure the egg is well combined.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe 5 inch ropes into the hot oil (be very careful) and make sure you only cook a few at a time so you don’t bring down the temperature of the oil. Cook them for a few minutes on each side or until deeply golden brown.
- Drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil and then dip them in the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with your remaining batter and serve right away!
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History of Churros
The origin of churros is unclear. One theory suggests the concept was brought to Europe from China by the Portuguese. The Portuguese sailed for the Orient and as they returned from Ming-dynasty China to Portugal, they brought along with them new culinary techniques, including altering dough for youtiao, also known as yóuzháguǐ in southern China which bears a resemblance to the churro. The new pastry was soon introduced to Spain, where it was modified to have the dough extruded through a star-shaped nozzle rather than pulled.
Another theory is that the churro was made by Spanish shepherds to substitute for fresh baked goods. Churro paste was easy to make and fry in an open fire in the mountains, where shepherds spend most of their time.
Not dissimilar from a recipe with flour and water fritter from Apicius’ Roman cookbook and even older Greek ones, forms of fried dough have been around in the Mediterranean basin since ancestral times.
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