Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these cinnamon-sugar churro bites are a fun and festive treat. They're perfect for Cinco de Mayo, parties or anytime you're craving something sweet.
If you've never made churros before, the piping and frying step might seem intimidating. I'll admit that it did to me the first time. But once I tried it, I realized how simple it is to make churros. After a few snips with the scissors, you'll find your rhythm and watch these bite-sized treats come together quickly and easily.
Served with a rich chocolate dipping sauce, these churro bites are guaranteed to disappear fast.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Ready in: About 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easier than it looks
- Best for: Cinco de Mayo, parties, dessert trays
- Technique: Piping and snipping the dough into hot oil
- Make-ahead: Dough can be made in advance
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Bite-sized treats perfect for sharing
- Crispy exterior with soft, tender interior
- Classic cinnamon-sugar flavor
- Rich chocolate dipping sauce takes it over the tip
- Easier than traditional churros
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for the Churros
- The Churro Dough: For the churro dough, I used water, unsalted butter, salt, ground cinnamon, and large eggs.
- The Sugar Cinnamon Coating: I coated the cooked churros with a mixture of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
- The Oil: I used Canola oil to fry the churros.
How to Make Churro Bites
The churro dough is a basic Choux pastry.
- Add the water, unsalted butter, salt, and cinnamon to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat to a full boil.
- Once the liquids are boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the flour all at once.
- Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes together and forms a dough that clears the sides of the pan. Cook the dough, stirring constantly and smearing it on the bottom of the pan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the hot mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process for 10 seconds to cool the dough. With the food processor running, add the eggs through the feed chute and pulse until they are incorporated into the dough and the mixture is thick. This should take about 30 seconds to form a smooth dough.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1M large star tip.
Cooking the Churros
- Add the canola oil to a medium-sized saucier pan with a temperature probe and heat it over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches 365°F.
- Once the oil reaches 365°F, use kitchen shears to cut the Churro dough into 2-inch pieces and drop them into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pan; cut about 12 pieces at a time.
- Fry the churros, turning occasionally until they are golden brown. This takes four to five minutes. Then, transfer the churros to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeated the process with the remaining churro dough.
Finishing the Churro Bites
While the churros are cooking, mix together the granulated sugar and the remaining cinnamon.
While the churros are still warm, coat them in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Finish the churro bites with a simple chocolate ganache for a dipping sauce.
Combine mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl.
Miicrowave the mixture on high for 45 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds. After 45 seconds, stir the melted chocolate chips and heated heavy cream until it is smooth and lump-free.
These churro bites prove that you don't need a trip to a theme park to enjoy a classic treat. With a simple dough and an easy technique, you can create crispy, golden churros right in your own kitchen.
And once you try the piping and snipping method, you'll wonder why it ever seemed intimidating in the first place. Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- The first time I made this recipe, the churro dough stuck badly to the kitchen shears when cutting them into the oil. I learned that if I rubbed oil on the blades of the kitchen shears, the sticking disappeared!
- Many churro recipes call for adding and beating eggs into the dough one at a time. I've found that adding the eggs through the feed tube of the food processor while the food processor is running is just as effective and easier.
- It's best to hold the piping bag with the churro dough straight up and down, just a few inches away from the oil, to avoid getting burned by the splashing oil.
- The key to perfectly cooked churros is maintaining the proper oil temperature. When the churro bites are added, the oil temperature goes down. Therefore, it's best to avoid adding too many bites to the oil at one time. Also, I constantly increase or decrease the stovetop temperature to maintain the proper oil temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make the churro dough in advance. Store the dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Allow to come to room temperature before piping the dough.
The ideal oil temperature for frying churros is 360-375°F. A candy or deep fry thermometer is crucial to monitor and maintain this temperature range for perfectly crispy exteriors and cooked interiors.
I like to use canola oil because of its neutral taste. However, vegetable oil and peanut oil will also work. Your oil should have a fairly high smoke point because of the high temperature needed to fry the churros.
If you have leftovers, let them cool to room temperature and store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days. Reheat the churros in a toaster oven or oven at 325°F for seven to 8 minutes. While the microwave is the quickest method for reheating churros, it may result in a softer texture:
Other Bite-Size Treats
You've come to the right place if you're looking for other bite-size treats. Check out these delicious recipes.
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Easy Cinnamon-Sugar Churro Bites with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Candy thermometer
- Pastry bag with 1M star tip
- Kitchen shears or a sharp knife
- Medium saucier
Ingredients
Churro Bites
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 237 ml) water
- ½ cup (8 Tablespoons, 4 ounces, 113 grams) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon (divided)
- 1 ¼ cups (6.25 ounces, 177 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 large eggs (enough to make ¾ cup) (See Tip 1)
- 1 ¾ cups Canola oil
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 99 grams) granulated sugar
Chocolate Dipping Sauce (Chocolate Ganache)
- ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (See Tip 2)
- ¼ cup (2 ounces, 59 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
Churro Bites
- Heat the water, butter, salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low; add the flour all at once, then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a dough that clears the sides of the pan. Cook, stirring constantly and smearing on the bottom of the pan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 10 seconds to cool the dough. With the food processor running, add the eggs through the feed chute and pulse until they are incorporated into the dough and the mixture thickens. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1M large star tip.
- Add the oil to a medium saucier pan fitted with a candy thermometer. Heat the oil to 360°-365°F. Hold the piping bag vertically several inches from the hot oil. Pipe 2-inch strips of dough over hot oil, and cut the dough with kitchen shears or a sharp knife, dropping the strips into the hot oil. Repeat until about 12 churro strips have been added to the hot oil. (See Tips 3 and 4)
- Fry the churros, maintaining the oil temperature until golden brown, four to five minutes.
- Remove the churros and drain on a paper towel-lined pan. Repeat with the remaining churro dough.
- Mix the sugar and the remaining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in a medium bowl. Toss in the warm churro bites until well coated. Place on a serving plate and serve with the chocolate dipping sauce.
- Yield: About 8 dozen churro bites. (See Tip 5)
Chocolate Dipping Sauce (Chocolate Ganache)
- Add mini chocolate chips and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir-then microwave for an additional 15 to 30 seconds, or until the chocolate chips are melted.
- Stir mixture until smooth and lump-free.
- Yield: ¾ cups.
Video
Tips/Notes
- If three eggs are not enough to equal ¾ of a cup, add enough egg white from the fourth egg to equal ¾ cup.
- May also use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips. It may take a bit longer in the microwave with the larger chips.
- To prevent the churro dough from sticking, coat the blades of the kitchen shears or knife with oil.
- When the churro strips are added to the hot oil, the temperature of the oil will drop. Therefore, do not crowd the pan. I typically only add 12 strips at a time.
- Leftover churro bites can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in a 325°F toaster oven or oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until heated.
Liz says
These are delicious!