Churro Sticks (Kopie)

*****
I’ll admit it, I have an insane sweet tooth. If it’s in the house, I want to eat it. And usually within the span of one day. So I try not to keep sweets in the house, and I have been limiting any desserts I’ve been making for when I know company is coming over or I have someone who would be thrilled to be on the receiving end of it.

This past weekend, Kristina stopped over with her friend’s sweet dog she was looking after, to enjoy some grill time and our building’s fantastic courtyard. But with what felt like 150% humidity and stiffling temps, we brought the party back indoors.

We ordered from our favorite Mexican restaurant and ended the evening with a sweet treat, churro sticks.

This dessert is light and airy and certainly doesn’t make you feel all that indulgent – until you add a dusting of powdered sugar and homemade chocolate sauce for dipping. YUM. And while traditionally churros are wider in size, my abridged version that I call “sticks” allowed me to easily whip these up with the pastry tips I had on hand and quickly fry up on the stovetop.

INGREDIENTS:

Churro Dough:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 large eggs
Canola oil for frying (will need enough to cover 2 inches deep in a large pot)
3 tbsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
piping bag or ziplock bag with one corner cut
medium – large star pastry tip (the bigger the tip, the fatter the churro – never a bad thing!)

Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2. oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate block, chopped into fine pieces
1 tsp. vanilla

STEPS:

Churro Dough:
Combine butter and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. While mixture is boiling, add flour and rigorously stir the mixture until the flour in combined making sure to scrap the sides to avoid burning. Remove mixture from heat and transfer to a large mixing boil or stand mixer. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. Once fully combined, transfer mixture to your piping bag. Make sure the mixture is fully pushed down towards the pastry tip, removing all air bubbles. Fold over the top of the pastry bag (zip the ziplock bag) to ensure no mixture oozes out as you pipe.

Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set near your stove.

Add 2 inches worth of oil to a large pot and heat to approx. 325 – 330 degrees F. (Test oil with a few drops of water, lots of popping means it’s ready)
Carefully pipe the mixture into the oil, creating a 5-6 inch long churro sticks. Sticks should cook 1-2 minutes per side (make sure to flip to fully cook) and remove from oil. Place cooked sticks onto a paper towel. Immediately sprinkle warm churros with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

You can eat almost immediately and they always taste best warm. Serve with the chocolate dipping sauce below or even a drizzle of honey or caramel.

Chocolate Sauce:
Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add agave nectar, cornstarch and cocoa powder and combine until smooth. Stir in semi-sweet chips and vanilla until the chips have fully melted and sauce is shiny. Remove from heat. Pour into a small dipping bowl and refrigerator to thicken. If mixture seems to thin after chilling, you can heat on the stove with a tsp of additional cornstarch to thicken up. Don’t add too much, as mixture will always thicken once it cools.