The first time I’ve had a churro was at a Mexican tapas restaurant where I felt cheated that they were so delicious and paired with the spiciness of the hot chocolate, it just blew my mind. The only negative experience was how much they charged me for such a pitiful amount of churros and hot chocolate. Small plates should mean small prices. Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk.
While this recipe is for baked churro and not fried like churros traditionally are, they come pretty close. The crispiness of the pastry dough shell and the chewiness of the inside pairs amazingly with the cinnamon sugar coating. Add the heat of the Mexican hot chocolate and the combination is one of my top five favorites. With that, let’s get into it.
Baked Churro Dough Notes
Churro dough is prepared similarly to pate a choux. Add the butter, sugar, salt, and water to a sauce pan and heat over low-medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, add the flour to the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. Take care to mix thoroughly so there are no lumps of flour in your dough and a ball has formed.
Keep stirring and beating the dough ball with the wooden spoon for one minute. Or until the film that has formed on the bottom of the pan has been reabsorbed into the dough. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add a little of the egg mixture to dough mixture and mix until the egg mixture is well incorporated. Continue adding and incorporating a little at a time with the rest of the egg mixture. The final consistency won’t be as smooth as choux and you won’t get that “V” off the spoon.
The dough is meant to be a bit thick so don’t worry about it seeming too firm. Set up a piping bag with a large star tip and transfer dough to the piping bag.
Churro Piping and Baking Tips
Applying firm, slow pressure, pipe the long churros onto the lined baking tray. Leave around 2 inches between the churros. Spray the tops of the churros with cooking spray before baking. This will help the churros keep their shape during baking.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. If you’re using two racks in your oven during baking, rotate the trays at the ten minute mark. Once the churros have turned a golden brown color, turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. This helps the churros cool slowly and reduce the risk of them collapsing.
After ten minutes, toss the baked churro with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with the rest of the baked churros. The warmer the churros are, the better the cinnamon sugar will stick.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Tips
While the churros are baking, make the hot chocolate. Heat the milk in a sauce pan until simmering, whisking frequently to prevent a film from forming on the milk. Once the milk begins simmering, add the chocolate and spices and whisk constantly until all of the chocolate has melted. Add the cornstarch mixture and heat for an additional two minutes on medium heat, whisking constantly. Taste the hot chocolate during this step and adjust the spices to your preference. I like mine with a good kick so I add an extra teaspoon or so of cayenne. Serve the hot chocolate in a large mug with the churros and prepare for an amazing experience.
Baked Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate
Equipment
- 2 Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- piping bag Ziploc bag works too
- Star shaped piping tip optional but recommended.
Ingredients
Churros
- 225 grams water (1 cup)
- 113 grams Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
- 24 grams Brown sugar (2 tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 143 grams AP flour (1 cup +3 tbsp)
- 3 Large Eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Churro Coating
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Mexican Hot Chocolate
- 592 ml milk (2-½ cups)
- 175 grams Bittersweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch (mixed with 2 tsp water)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Chile powder (adjust to your preferred spice level)
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper powder (adjust to your preferred spice level)
Instructions
Churros
- Place the oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside until ready to use.
- Combine the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter in a sauce pan and heat over low heat.
- Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the flour in all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to break up the flour and get it fully incorporated. The mixture should come together into a dough ball.
- Stir with the wooden spoon vigorously for around one minute, slapping the dough back and forth in the saucepan. Once the film on the bottom of the sauce pan has started to incorporate back into the dough, remove from heat and set aside.
- Whisk together the three eggs and the vanilla extract.
- Pour a little bit of the egg mixture into the sauce pan and using the wooden spoon, mix into the dough. Adding more of the egg mixture a little bit at a time until it has all been incorporated and the mixture has the consistency of whipped mashed potatoes.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a large star tip.
- Pipe the churros onto the prepared baking sheets. The churros can be long or short depending on your preference. Pipe them thick by going slow and applying firm pressure on the piping bag.
- Spray the tops of the churros with cooking spray and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
- While the churros are baking, combine the sugar salt and cinnamon in a gallon size Ziploc bag and set aside.
- When the churros are golden brown, turn off the oven and place a wooden spoon in the door to allow the churros to cool slowly. Let cool in the oven for ten minutes
- Remove the churros from the oven and place in the Ziploc bag of sugar, cinnamon and salt and shake to coat. Place a few churros at a time to prevent crowding and breaking in the bag.
- Serve the churros immediately and consume while still warm.
- Churros can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or so but they're best fresh.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Finely chop the bittersweet chocolate
- Add the milk to a saucepan and heat over low heat until simmering, whisking constantly to avoid a film forming over the milk.
- Once the milk is simmering, add the chopped chocolate until chocolate has melted, whisking constantly.
- Add the cornstarch mixture and increase the heat to medium. Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and cook for another minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken up.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, chile and cayenne powder. Adjust the chile and cayenne to your preferred spice level.
- Serve in a large cup with the churros.
