Celebrate Churros and Mexican Chocolate Sauce

Whether you celebrated Cinco de Mayo or not, we can all agree that homemade churros with chocolate sauce should be celebrated. My friend recently had a taco-themed dinner party and when she asked me to bring a dessert, I immediately thought of this recipe that has been taught for years in cooking classes at The Chopping Block. I could not wait to attempt making these churros on my own, and everyone at the party raved about how well they turned out.

I have taken pictures every step of the way to help guide you through the process of making these churros. Scroll down for the recipe in a traditional format with the ingredients and instructions listed. 

Churros with Chocolate Sauce 

Making the dough:

1. Combine the zest of 1 orange, 2 cups of water, 2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan, and heat to a rolling boil. 

2. Once at a boil, quickly stir in 2 cups of flour all at once. Stir briskly until well incorporated and dough is sticky and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan.

3. Remove the dough from the heat and transfer dough to a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix the dough for about 1 minute. You want to release steam from the dough before adding your eggs. Adding the eggs when the dough is too hot will cause them to scramble.

4. Beat in 8 eggs one at a time. Using the mixer for about 1 minute in between each egg to thoroughly incorporating each one.

Frying the dough:

Frying might seem daunting at first but trust me, once you have the proper tools for the task you will be able to fry with ease.

• You will need a wide, deep pot that will be able to hold 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil.
• You will also need a frying thermometer. Without this tool, it is very difficult to safety figure out how hot the oil actually is. The ideal temperature for frying is between 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If the oil temperature is too low, you’ll end up with greasy food. If the oil temperature is too high, the food will burn.

• You also need a tool called a spider. A spider helps you move the item that you are frying around as well as easily remove the food that is fried.

All three of these items are sold at our stores!

5. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Set to the side.

6. Pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a wide, deep pot, and place a deep-frying thermometer in the pot. Heat the oil to 375°.

7. Place the dough in a pastry bag with a large star tip. An alternative method is to pipe the dough onto a pan lined with parchment paper and freeze the uncooked churros until very firm. Then you can peel the churros off the parchment and place them in the hot oil. 

8. Pipe 6-inch-long strips of dough into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 4 minutes, flipping once with a spider to evenly brown. Remove churros onto a wire rack to drain.

9. While the churros are hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

10. Dip the churros in Mexican Chocolate Sauce (recipe follows) and maybe add some ice cream to the mix!

Recipe for Churros:

This recipe yields 12 servings if using a large piping tip and 24 if using a small pipping tip. This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make.

Ingredients for the Churros:

• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 cups water
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 eggs
• Vegetable oil for frying 

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

For the dough:

1. Combine the zest of 1 orange, 2 cups of water, 2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan, and heat to a rolling boil.
2. Once at a boil, quickly stir in 2 cups of flour all at once. Stir briskly until well incorporated and dough is sticky and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan.
3. Remove the dough from the heat and transfer dough to a mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer beat the dough for about 1 minute. You want to release steam from the dough before adding your eggs. Adding the eggs when the dough is too hot will cause them to scramble.
4. Beat in 8 eggs one at a time. Using the mixer for about 1 minute in between each egg to thoroughly incorporating each one. 

For the frying:

1. In a small bowl combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Set to the side.
2. Pour 3 to 4 inches of oil into a wide, deep pot, and place a deep-frying thermometer in the pot. Heat the oil to 375°.
3. Place the dough in a pastry bag with a large star tip.
4. Pipe 6-inch-long strips of dough into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 4 minutes, flipping once with a spider to evenly brown. Remove churros onto a wire rack drain.
5. While the churros are hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
6. Dip the churros in Mexican Chocolate Sauce (recipe follows)

Mexican Chocolate Sauce

This recipe yields 12 servings and takes about 10 minutes to make. 

• 1/4 cup water 

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces Mexican chocolate, chopped

1. Chop 8 ounces Mexican chocolate into small pieces.
2. In a heavy saucepan, heat the water and cream to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate.
3. Stir until melted and smooth. 

If you are looking for more Mexican recipes, check out the following upcoming classes: 

Couples Cooking: La Cocina Mexicana on Saturday, May 18 7pm at Lincoln Square or Friday, May 24 6pm at the Merchandise Mart

• Grilled Strip Steak with Ancho-Spiced Mole
• Roasted Potatoes and Poblano Peppers with Chorizo
• Chili Spice Roasted Zucchini with Lime, Cilantro and Queso Fresco
• Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries

Grilling Fiesta on Thursday, May 23 6:30pm at Lincoln Square 

• Grilled Margarita Shrimp with Chipotle Guacamole
• Grilled Flank Steak Fajitas with Peppers, Onions and Smoked Tomatillo Salsa
• Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato, Lime and Queso Fresco
• Grilled Pineapple with Ice Cream and Citrus Caramel Sauce

Tacos and Tequila on Friday, May 24 7pm at Lincoln Square 

• Tequila Spritz 
• Chayote and Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
• Grilled Seasonal Fish Tacos with Shredded Red Cabbage and Lime
• Green Chili Chicken Tacos with Queso Fresco
• Cumin-Roasted Potatoes with Chipotle Crema
• Ice Cream Sundaes with Tequila-Macerated Strawberries and Citrus-Cajeta Caramel Sauce