Disclaimer: In December 2019, I was commissioned to develop a variety of recipes for Dairy Australia. This is one of them, featuring the use of butter. Styling and photography by me. Both the recipe and the photo is now property of Dairy Australia, however I was given permission to publish them on my website. © Dairy Australia. All rights reserved.
Did you know there are Spanish churros and there are Mexican churros?
I know, I didn’t either, until I started doing some research in preparation for developing this recipe. Spanish churros are vegan, and made with olive oil, while Mexican churros add butter and eggs to the dough. Naturally, my version of churros are the Mexican variety, a) because I’m a self-confessed butterholic, and b) well, developing a recipe with olive oil instead of butter wouldn’t have been a smart move when your client is Dairy Australia… hehe.
Doughnuts vs churros
When people try churros for the first time, they often say it’s just a fancy version of a doughnut. Yes and no. Yes, because both are sweet pastries fried in oil. But while doughnuts are made with a yeasted dough, churros are more like eclairs, as in they are made from choux pastry.
How to make the crispiest churros
The key is in the choux. And in the oil.
Firstly, when you make this dough for the first time you’ll think that it’ll never come together. The eggs don’t seem to be interested in bonding with the roux you’ve carefully made in the pot. But don’t give up! Keep on beating it together and suddenly you’ll see it form a beautifully smooth mass.
Secondly, the oil you’re using for frying, if that ain’t hot enough, your churros will soak up too much fat and become soggy. Make sure it’s at 180°C, and that it stays there while your churros are frying. The outside of the churros will crisp up quickly, not letting the oil penetrate to the inside, so the inside will pretty much steam itself and become light and fluffy.
The toffee sauce
While I do like the traditional dark chocolate sauce you dip churros in, I chose to mix it up a little bit and make a toffee sauce, flavoured with white chocolate. Thought it better complemented the garam masala the churros are coated with. The good thing about the sauce is that it microwaves beautifully. You can make it ahead, and when it becomes too stiff to dip your churros in, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, give it a stir, and voila, it’s ready again!
Enjoy! But be careful. These churros are so addictive!
Spiced churros with white chocolate toffee sauce
Ingredients
Churros
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 250 ml water
- 10 g castor sugar
- pinch of salt
- 120 g flour
- zest of ½ orange
- 2 eggs
- 1 litre vegetable oil for frying
Coating
- 50 g castor sugar
- 1 tsp garam masala
- zest of ½ orange
Toffee sauce
- 50 g castor sugar
- 90 ml thickened cream
- 60 g unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 70 g white chocolate
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil to 180°C.
- To make the churro dough, bring butter, water and sugar to the boil. Stir in flour, salt and orange zest and vigorously mix for 2 minutes until the dough comes away from the side of the pan. Take off the heat and wait for about 3 minutes before adding the eggs, one by one. Keep mixing until eggs are completely integrated and a smooth dough is formed.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle. Pipe 10cm strips directly into the hot oil, cutting with scissors. Fry for about 5 minutes while frequently turning until they are golden all around. Drain on paper towels.
- Combine sugar, garam masala and orange zest on a plate and toss the warm churros in the mix.
- For the toffee sauce, make a caramel by melting sugar in a small saucepan. As soon as all sugar is melted and a golden colour develops, take the pan off the heat and carefully stir in cream and butter. Place back on low heat and stir until all sugar lumps are dissolved. Add salt and white chocolate and stir until smooth and silky.
- Serve churros with the warm sauce.
- Tip: The sauce will harden significantly when cooled. To make it pourable again, just microwave it for 20 seconds and stir until you have the desired consistency.
