Description
This baked churros recipe offers a delicious twist on the classic fried treat by baking them to golden perfection. The churros are soft inside and crispy outside, coated in cinnamon sugar and served with melted white chocolate and shredded coconut for dipping, making for a delightful dessert or snack everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients
Churro Dough
- 230 ml (1 cup minus 2 tsp) cold water
- 120 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 160 g (1 1/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 medium eggs
- 240 ml (1 cup) boiling water (needed just before the churros go in the oven)
Coating & Dipping
- 200 g (1 cup) white caster sugar (or superfine sugar)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 200 g (7 oz) white chocolate (broken into pieces)
- 5 heaped tbsp dessicated/shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) fan-assisted. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or baking parchment to ensure the churros don’t stick during baking.
- Prepare Liquid Base: In a saucepan, combine the cold water, unsalted butter, salt, vanilla extract, and soft brown sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil, then simmer for a minute or two until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Add Flour: Reduce heat to low and stir in the all-purpose flour using a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, indicating it’s formed a smooth ball. Turn off the heat at this point.
- Incorporate Eggs: Gradually stir in the eggs one at a time using the wooden spoon, mixing until each is fully combined. Avoid over-stirring to maintain the desired dough texture.
- Pipe Churros: Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as Wilton #1M). Pipe churros approximately 8-10 cm long onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2-3 cm apart to allow for expansion.
- Add Boiling Water to Oven Tray: Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a second baking tray and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. The steam created will help keep the churros soft inside while allowing the exterior to become crispy.
- Bake Churros: Place the trays with the churros on an upper rack in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Melt Chocolate: While the churros bake, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl using a bain-marie or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each burst to prevent burning. Transfer melted chocolate to a serving bowl.
- Prepare Cinnamon Sugar: On a large plate, combine the white caster sugar and ground cinnamon evenly for coating the churros after baking.
- Coat Churros: Once baked, remove the churros from the oven and immediately brush them with melted butter. Then roll each churro thoroughly in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
- Serve: Serve the warm churros with bowls of melted white chocolate and shredded desiccated coconut for dipping and garnish, creating a luscious finishing touch.
Notes
- Using boiling water in the oven creates steam, which keeps the churros soft inside without losing their crisp exterior.
- Do not over-mix the dough after adding eggs to maintain the right texture.
- Ensure even spacing while piping the churros; they will expand slightly during baking.
- Optional: For a richer flavor, you can substitute some butter with vegetable oil or add a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar.
- Store any leftover churros in an airtight container and reheat in the oven for best texture.
