Mini Roasted Apple Churros With Salty Caramel Food

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.

MINI CARAMEL APPLES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Wash the apples well, then dry them thoroughly. Insert candy apple sticks into the stem end of the apples.
• Combine the caramels, cream and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly melted and smooth, 7 to 8 minutes. Dip an apple into the caramel, tilting the pan if necessary to ensure the apple is well-coated. Roll the apples in the garnishes if using. Repeat with the remaining apples and caramel. Cool completely on the parchment paper, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the paper and serve.

MINI ROASTED APPLE CHURROS WITH SALTY CARAMEL

Steps:

• 1) To make Caramel Dip, in 1-quart saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and the salted butter until well combined. Heat to boiling. Continue to boil 10 to 15 minutes, without stirring (don't do it!), until mixture becomes deep, golden brown. Remove from heat; immediately stir in whipping cream until smooth. Stir in coarse sea salt. (If there are lumps or the caramel is not combining, gently heat while stirring until smooth.) Pour into heatproof bowl or jar; cool to room temperature. 2) To make Roasted Apples, heat oven to 400°F. Toss Roasted Apples ingredients until coated; spread in even layer in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Roast about 25 minutes or until apples are tender and begin to caramelize around edges. Remove dish from oven to cooling rack; cool to room temperature. 3) To make Churro Dough, in 2-quart saucepan, heat unsalted butter, 1 cup water and the salt to boiling. Add flour all at once; stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until dough becomes a ball and no longer sticks to saucepan. Remove from heat; scrape dough into large bowl. Cool several minutes. (I use this time to crack the eggs and separate the one egg.) While mixture is still warm, beat in eggs and yolk, one at a time, until completely combined before adding the next. Fold in cooled apples. 4) Heat several inches canola oil in another 2-quart saucepan to 350°F. (I used about 4 cups, making the oil about 4 inches deep in the saucepan.) 5) In shallow bowl, stir together Coating ingredients; set aside. Line plate with paper towels; set near frying oil. 6) Fit decorating bag with large closed-star tip. Fill bag with churro dough. Pipe 1- to 2-inch-long ropes of dough into hot oil; fry 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove from oil to paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly; toss immediately in coating. Serve warm churros with caramel dip.

PUMPKIN SPICE CHURROS WITH SALTED MAPLE CARAMEL DIP

Steps:

• Pour maple syrup into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring with a spoon, until syrup starts to coat the spoon and has a caramel-like consistency, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk 1/4 cup butter into the syrup until melted, about 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and salt, whisking constantly to combine. Pour sauce into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mostly cooled, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl.
• Whisk the remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and white sugar together in a large bowl to make pumpkin spice sugar.
• Combine water, pumpkin puree, 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk thoroughly. Bring to a boil; add the flour mixture. Cook and stir vigorously until dough is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until cool, about 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. Beat until dough is glossy and thick.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Test the oil with a small squeeze of dough; churro should float to the top of the oil and brown on the bottom in about 30 seconds. Adjust the heat if necessary.
• Pipe roughly 3-inch strips of dough into the oil, keeping the tip of your pastry bag 1 to 2 inches above the oil. Fry until golden, brown, about 30 seconds per side.
• Drain churros on paper towels for 1 minute; toss in the pumpkin spice sugar until evenly coated. Serve warm with the salted maple caramel sauce.