Recipe #3: Churros

I started this blog with the intention of finishing all the recipes in Bayless' book Mexico: One Plate at a Time, or at least all the recipes in the book that appealed to me. Needless to say, I've gone off on a tangent. It was expected, I don't always have time to get every ingredient needed for specific recipes, so I often just wing it. The techniques and fundamentals are still coming from Bayless, for the most part.
I thought it was time to get back to the book, and there was no better way to do it than with a tasty treat like churros.


The "exact" recipe isn't on his website, so I won't post it "exactly" here. But I think I'm allowed to tell you the components of the dough and how to make the dough into the wonderfully delicious churros. Of all the recipes I've tried so far, this was probably the easiest. Again, if you don't have a fryer, it will take a little trial and error to get your oil temperature just right. But once you do, a couple minutes in some hot oil and a cinnamon sugar bath make these delectable treats irresistible, unless of course you actually have some willpower.

Making Churros

This guide is based on the recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexico: One Plate at a Time (see end of post for link to the book on Amazon.com)

To make churros you must first make the churro dough. The recipe from the book calls for flour, water, sugar, salt, and a little bit of vegetable oil. You can find varying recipes online, some use eggs, some don't.

After boiling the water, oil, sugar, and salt, the recipe called for removing the pot from the heat and adding the flour all at once, stirring until the dough forms a ball, and allowing it to cool. Learn from my mistakes and do not use a whisk. Use a wooden spoon or spatula.

Using a cookie press, pick an attachment that you think will work well for churros. Typically a star shape is used, but the one I had was a bit too small. So I used an attachment consisting of six diamonds in a circle. I extruded the dough and twisted it, and fried it in vegetable oil heated to 375 degrees.

Fast and easy, delicious and kid-friendly...I think these will become a dessert staple in our house. Now if only they lasted long enough to share them...


Flavor - 5/5

It's basically a doughnut stick rolled in cinnamon and sugar. You can't go wrong...I'm pretty sure it's impossible to NOT like them. Next time I'll get creative with the toppings.

Difficulty - 1/5

I give it a 1 because if you don't have a fryer, the oil temperature issue might result in a few bad churros. But once you have it right, this recipe couldn't be easier.

Kid-Friendliness - 5/5

We're all kids at heart...especially when it comes to doughnuts, or churros.

Tools Required - Not required but a cookie press makes life a lot easier. Here's the kind I used (borrowed from a friend):