Churros is a wonderful, deep-fried Spanish cookie that can be found on both Mexican and Spanish menus. It is made from a lightly sweetened choux-style paste, and can be made from extra pâte a choux. It is piped into hot fat, fried to a golden brown, then tossed in or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. They are best served warmed or at room temperature. Churros are best eaten fresh. Use a star tip for these as the piping results in the fried pastry having ridges: perfect long crevices for the cinnamon sugar to hold on to. Use a canola oil or a light corn oil for the frying.

Below is a recipe for Churros, adapted from the picture book, "The New Cookie Book," by Catherine Atkinson. We added a pinch of salt to the recipe.

Churros

1 c water
6 T butter, cut in small cubes
pinch of salt
1 c flour, sifted
1 T sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Oil for frying
Cinnamon sugar, as needed

Bring the water, butter and pinch of salt to boil in a heavy saucepan. Mix the flour and sugar and add in the boiling water. Mix briefly and remove from heat. Beat vigorously until well combined, and leave to cool for about 5 minutes. While beating with a wooden spoon, gradually stream in the eggs until the mixture is smooth and has a glossy look to it.

In a deep-fat fryer, or a heavy pan, fill about half-way with oil and bring to a temperature of about 375°F. Spoon your cookie mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, about 1/2 inch or larger, depending on your desired size. Don't overfill the pastry bag and you'll have greater control of the piping. Pipe a length of about 3 to 4 inches into the hot oil. Carefully do this as the oil is obviously hot, and may splatter. Always work carefully with hot oil. Pipe about 5 or 6 into the oil, do not over-crowd the oil. Fry the cookies until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or a skimmer and place on paper toweling for drying. Repeat with rest of the batter. Lightly toss the cookies in cinnamon sugar and serve.

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References used:

Atkinson, Catherine. The New Cookie Book: more than 150 great cookie, biscuit, bar and brownie recipes.
     London: Hermes, 2003.

Copyright © 2009 Renee Shelton.
All rights reserved.