Mini Churros Food

CHURROS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
• Heat oil for frying in a deep fryer or deep pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pipe 5- to 6-inch strips of dough into the hot oil using a sturdy pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Do not overcrowd the oil. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.
• Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

MINI CHURROS

Steps:

• Heat 1 3/4 inches oil to 400°F in a wide 3 1/2-to 4-quart heavy pot over high heat (oil will be just beginning to smoke). Drop in zest (oil will bubble vigorously) and fry until browned, about 1 minute. Remove with tongs.
• Prepare churros while oil heats:
• Line 2 trays with parchment paper.
• Bring water with salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, covered. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and remove from heat. Immediately add flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined (mixture will be stiff and not very smooth). Fill churro-maker with some hot dough and wrap a kitchen towel around churro-maker canister.
• Turn screw handle of churro-maker until dough emerges from star opening. Holding opening about 2 inches above a tray, turn handle to squeeze long lines of dough onto parchment. Cut lines into 3-inch pieces with kitchen shears. Repeat with remaining dough, including any scraps.
• Fry churros, 10 to 12 at a time, turning occasionally, until golden but still slightly moist in center, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Return oil to 400°F between batches.
• Roll warm churros in sugar and serve with warm chocolate sauce if desired.

CHURROS

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.

MINI CHURROS

Steps:

• For the caramel sauce: Add the milk, 1 can condensed milk, cream and then the remaining can condensed milk to a blender. Add the salt. Blend, starting on low and going all the way up to high, until smooth. Pour into a serving dish.
• For the cinnamon sugar: Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and sea salt to a shallow dish and mix together, breaking up any clumps with your fingers.
• For the churros: In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture is the consistency of an elastic paste.
• Add the hot mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and allow to cool to room temperature (do not refrigerate) for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a Dutch oven with oil to come about 3 to 4 inches up the sides. Heat to 375 degrees F.
• Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and add the eggs one at a time. Transfer dough to a piping bag. Pipe the dough in 3-inch pieces into the preheated oil. Fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray and toss churros in the cinnamon sugar while they're still very warm. Serve churros in small waxed parchment bags with caramel sauce on the side.

HOMEMADE CHURROS

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.

CHURROS

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.