Homemade Churros

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup white sugar and 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon in a medium-sized casserole dish. Set this aside. You'll use this for coating the churros later.

Step 2

To make the batter: Add water, 2 Tablespoons sugar, salt, and butter into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat then stir in the vanilla extract

Step 3

Then stir in the flour. You will need to stir this for a minute or so, until it is smooth and thickened. It will start to pull away from the pan and almost look like play dough.

Step 4

Transfer the thickened batter to a large bowl and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Step 5

While the batter is cooling, pour the oil into a large pot to use for deep frying. You want the oil to be about 2 inches deep.

Step 6

I highly recommend starting your oil on medium heat and using a candy thermometer to check the temperature to make sure it heats to around 350 - 360 degrees fahrenheit. This is important because if the oil gets too hot, you will quickly fry the outside of the churro but the inside will not cook fully and you will end up with a burnt outside and gooey, undercooked middle.

Step 7

Place a paper towel on a plate next to the pot for draining the churros later.

Step 8

Once the churro batter has cooled some, use a hand mixer to beat the egg into the batter until well combined.

Step 9

Place the churro dough into a piping bag with a star or flower tip. This batter is VERY thick. You must use a sturdy piping bag - see my notes below.

Step 10

Pipe churros into 4-5 inch long ropes, directly into the hot oil, using scissors to cut the batter. Don't overfill the pot or they won't cook evenly - work in batches.

Step 11

It should take about 5 minutes to fully cook. Turn them once during cooking to make sure both sides get browned evenly.

Step 12

Immediately as you remove each churro from the oil, roll it quickly on the paper towel. Then place it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, toss to coat, and place it on a cooling rack.

Step 13

Continue with the rest of the churros.

Step 14

Serve immediately with chocolate or caramel sauce.