In high school, I studied French to fulfill my foreign language requirement. A bit scatterbrained, my teacher forgot about Mardi Gras for two years in a row, and she apologized by promising our class a Cinco de Mayo part. We combined the holidays and brought in chips and salsa, baguettes and Brie, a colorful King Cake, and even a donkey-shaped piñata.
This year, I remembered to celebrate Mardi Gras, and today, I plan on eating enchiladas and tacos, or at least some freshly prepared salsa. But only after I indulge in my new favorite food: churros!
Mini Baked Churros
modified from this Baked Churros recipe
makes 2 dozen
These are best eaten the day that they’re made, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container for a few days. Try drizzling them with melted dark chocolate for an extra decadent treat!
¼ c. butter
1 c. water
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
¾ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. whole-wheat flour
2 eggs (or 3 egg whites)
½ tsp vanilla
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the water, salt, and brown sugar, and bring to a gentle boil for 10 min. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the flours with a wooden spoon.
- Whisk together the eggs and vanilla, and stir it into the flour mixture. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or a Ziploc bag with one corner snipped off). Squeeze the dough into 4” logs onto the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 10 min or until golden. Let the churros cool for 3-5 min.
- In a plastic bag, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Carefully roll each warm churro in the cinnamon sugar, and lay on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold. (And try not to eat them all yourself!)
By the time I finished photographing these temptations, I had already devoured three or four… I’ll be impressed if anyone can resist these tasty treats!
Brittany says...
Oh yes…just yes. These look amazing.
foods for the soul says...
Thank you! They were much easier to make than I expected too.
kat says...
those churros came perfect!!!! yum!
foods for the soul says...
Thanks! I like that they’re small enough to snack on, but the recipe makes enough to serve a few people as a dessert too.
Cynthia says...
I am here to attest that they cannot be resisted! Thank you for the great addition to my Cinco de Mayo.
foods for the soul says...
You’re welcome, and thank you for the wonderful compliment!
Ashar Tanjung says...
Nice food
foods for the soul says...
Thanks!
Karen says...
This sounds like such an easy recipe since the churros are baked.
foods for the soul says...
It was really easy! The hardest part was waiting for the churros to cool to roll in the cinnamon sugar. If I tried to coat them in sugar too soon, they fell apart… But it meant that I could eat the pieces as I waited for the rest to cool down!
Katie says...
I made these and they look good. The only problem I had is the sugar and cinnamon mixture did not stick to them. Can you tell me where I went wrong. They still tasted delicious! Great recipe.
Amy says...
Thanks Katie! It’s really important to coat the churros with the cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm. After they cool, the mixture won’t stick to them as well. However, if you’re worried about burning your fingers (or just forget and let them cool too long on the wire rack — happens to me all the time!), you can cool the churros completely; then dip each one in milk, shake off the excess liquid, and roll in cinnamon sugar. I hope they turn out a little better next time! 🙂