Classic Cinnamon Churros

Instructions

1. 1

   Set up the cinnamon sugar and the draining station

   Whisk the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a wide, shallow dish — a pie plate is ideal, since you want room to roll a churro end to end. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove. Do this first, because once the churros come out of the oil you have about thirty seconds of grace before they cool too much to grip the sugar.

2. 2

   Heat the oil

   Pour the oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches, leaving at least 3 inches of clearance at the rim. Clip on a thermometer and heat over medium until the oil reads 360°F. Keeping it steady here is the single biggest factor in how your churros turn out, so adjust the burner as you go rather than walking away.

3. 3

   Cook the flour paste

   In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter has melted completely. Dump in all the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until it pulls together into a shaggy ball. Lower the heat and keep stirring and smearing the dough against the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, until it looks smooth and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan. You're driving off moisture and cooking the raw starch here, which is what gives the fried churro its structure.

4. 4

   Cool briefly, then beat in the eggs

   Scrape the dough into a mixing bowl and stir it for about 2 minutes to release steam — it should feel warm, not hot, before the eggs go in, or they'll scramble. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is fully absorbed before the next. The dough will look slippery and broken after each addition and then come back together. You're done when it's thick, glossy, and falls from the spoon in a slow, heavy ribbon that holds a soft peak.

5. 5

   Fill the piping bag

   Fit a large piping bag with a large open or closed star tip — a 1M or an Ateco 845/846 both work. Use a sturdy bag and don't fill it more than two-thirds, because this dough takes real pressure to push through. Twist the top tightly and let it sit while you confirm the oil is back at 360°F.

6. 6

   Pipe and fry in batches

   Holding the tip a couple of inches above the oil surface, pipe 6-inch lengths directly into the pot, snipping each one off with scissors dipped in oil. Fry 4 or 5 at a time — crowding the pot drops the temperature and gives you greasy churros. Fry for about 5 to 6 minutes total, turning once or twice with a spider or tongs, until they are deep golden brown all over and feel rigid and light. Pale churros are raw and doughy inside; go darker than feels comfortable.

7. 7

   Drain and roll while hot

   Lift the churros to the wire rack and let them drain for about 30 seconds, just long enough to shed surface oil. Then roll each one through the cinnamon sugar, spooning extra over the ridges to get full coverage. Let the oil come back to 360°F before piping the next batch, and eat them as soon as you can stand to.

8. You did it! Help us bring baking back home by selling your delicious baked goods on Homebaked!

Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Fry a test churro before committing to a batch. If it bursts or splits open, your oil is too hot; if it soaks up grease and stays pale, it's too cool.

• 2.

  A closed star tip gives sharper, more defined ridges than an open star, and those ridges are what create the crackly surface area.

• 3.

  If the dough fights the piping bag, it's too stiff — beat in a tablespoon of beaten egg at a time until it loosens slightly.

• 4.

  Don't skip drying the churros on a rack before sugaring, but don't let them sit either. Thirty seconds is the sweet spot: oil-free but still tacky enough to hold the coating.

• 5.

  Churros are a same-hour food. The crisp shell softens noticeably within a couple of hours, so fry them when people are ready to eat.

• 6.

  For dipping chocolate, pour 3/4 cup hot heavy cream over 5 ounces of chopped dark chocolate, let it sit a minute, then whisk smooth.

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
• Clip-on deep-fry thermometer
• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spoon or stand mixer with paddle
• Large piping bag (16-inch)
• Large open or closed star tip (1M, Ateco 845 or 846)
• Kitchen scissors
• Spider strainer or tongs
• Wire rack and sheet pan

Storage