Deliciously Easy Churros Recipe

One of my favourite desserts. When I went to Madrid for a week, I made sure to have churros every day to make the most of it. I didn't think it was easy to get good churros in the UK, let alone make them! I thought it was one of those desserts that are quite technical to make, and I couldn't be more wrong. One day, I stumbled across a Facebook post with a step-by-step churros recipe that looked suspiciously easy to make. I checked out other churros recipes and they all confirmed that it was actually quite easy to make.

It's one of those recipes where you probably already have all the ingredients at home: sugar, salt, butter, flour and cinnamon.  You just need a piping bag and a big nozzle.  

Please read before you start making them!

Tips

  • Nozzle size: To make traditional sized churros, make sure you use a large enough nozzle. Try using a nozzle with a diameter of 35mm. This is the one I got from Amazon. I've made them with smaller icing nozzles before, and the churros still turned out great! They just turned out to be thinner churros.  
  • Piping bag: The piping bag should be strong enough to hold the dough, as the dough might cause the bag to rip if it's too thin. 
  • Digital thermometer: If you don't have a digital cooking thermometer, dip a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If small bubbles rise to the chopstick quickly, then it should be read. Leave the oil on low-medium heat. 
  • Cooking time: When you deep fry your first batch, try one churro out and see if it's perfectly crispy on the outside but the dough is nicely cooked. It might look ready on the outside, but the dough might not be cooked on the inside!   There isn't really a set time to cook the churros, as it depends on its thickness and how many you fry together. When I was using the 35mm nozzle, it took about 6-7 minutes to cook. Just watch out for the colour- it should be a nice golden brown all over. 
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Category:
Servings: 1 yield(s)
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cup vegtable oil
    • Churros Dough
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 55 g butter (diced)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
    • Sugar and Cinnamon Coating
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar (I used granualted)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
Instructions
  1. Start by adding the oil to a saucepan and leaving it on low-medium heat. I used a small-medium sized saucepan because it was big enough to fit the churro size I wanted.
  2. In a shallow dish, mix the sugar and cinnamon together to make the churros coating and leave to the side.
    3. Churros
  3. In a saucepan with medium heat, add butter, sugar, salt and water. Mix and bring to a boil. Once it's started boiling, turn the heat down to low and add the flour. Mix with a spatula for a few minutes until the mixture becomes a smooth dough.
  4. Once you get a smooth consistency, transfer the dough to a separate mixing bowl and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
  5. Once the dough is cooled, add eggs and vanilla essence. Mix immediately with an electric mixer on medium until you reach a smooth dough consistency. The mixture might separate at first, but keep mixing and it will come together.
  6. Transfer dough into a strong piping bag with a nozzle. If your piping bag is thick enough, you can transfer all the dough, but I found it easier to transfer in chunks.
  7. Check that the temperature of the oil is 350 degrees Fahrenheit (see tips above if you don't have a digital thermometer). Slowly pipe the dough into the oil and cut with scissors when you're happy with the length. Fry about 4-5 churros at a time (more if you're making bite-sized churros).
  8. Deep fry the churros until it becomes golden brown (see tips above for timing recommendations).
  9. Repeat steps until you've finished the dough and you're done! Pair with your favourite dipping sauce.