February 05, 2013

Uncle Beefy + Coco+Kelley = Modern Mexicana & Churros



Kids, come this time of year you can bet that those of us living in the Pacific Northwest that have been staring down grey skies for several weeks will start dreaming of sunnier locales. Well, turns out that Cassandra of Coco+Kelley (a fellow Northwest blogger) put those dreams to some stylishly creative use. With the February chill, Cassandra put a spicier spin on your ordinary Valentine's Day festivities and came up with a "Modern Mexicana" fiesta to share with all the ones you love. ¡Perfecto!

So when she called out to your Uncle to whip up some of my cha-cha-churros to round out her vision I was more than happy to share some o' my sugar! Thus, I give to you homemade Churros (recipe below) with 3 different chocolate dips ~ White Chocolate with Orange & Almond, Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Spice, and Chocolate & Chile (you'll find my recipes for the dips over on Coco+Kelley).


CHURROS
Adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious
 
I always had it in my mind that churros were going to be far more complicated to make at home. But one go around and you'll be amazed how simple these hot, fresh, and tasty treats come together.

Update: Thanks to the kindness of Jo writing in stating that she had problems with the batter being runny, I've amended the recipe, which originally stated "8 large eggs", to now read "4 extra large eggs" and that's precisely what I would stick with to get a successful result. I just did a double-check recipe test and this worked out perfectly. Thanks so much, Jo! Sorry, kids! I swear I can cook. Writing recipes? Looks like I need a little more practice in that department.

Cinnamon Sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon sea salt


Churros Batter

2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

4 extra large eggs

Quart of vegetable or canola oil for frying.

Blend sugar, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.

For churros batter: Place milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and, over medium heat, stir until butter is melted and sugar is fully dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour to wet ingredients and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until shiny dough mass forms (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and transfer dough to a large bowl and allow to cool (about 10 minutes). With an electric mixer running (or a standing mixer with paddle attachment), beat in the eggs, 1 at a time and keep beating until the dough turns smooth, shiny, and sticky.

In a large pot over medium heat, bring oil up to 350°F.

Place batter into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (for skinnier churros "sticks" similar to those shown here, use a smaller star tip). In small batches, pipe churros batter into hot oil in 3 1/2- to 4-inch-long ribbons (use knife or, my favorite, kitchen scissors, to cut the batter at end of star tip) and allow batter to gently slide into oil. Fry until a deep golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on size of star tip used). Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool. Gently toss in the cinnamon sugar to fully coat. Best served warm.


PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE HARMSEN CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING BY CASSANDRA LAVALLE
STYLING ASSISTANT, AMANDA GRAY PIñATA BY PINYADAYADA



43 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Holly! And thanks for the twitter shout out! xx UB

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  2. I've always loved churros! I'll never forget the first time I had one in the school cafeteria when I was 13. Cover anything with cinnamon-sugar and I'm all over it. Thanks!

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    1. Right?! Cinnamon and sugar definitely have some magical qualities, huh? :) Thanks for taking the time to comment!

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  3. when can I get you back down to CA so I can get you to make me so of this deliciousness!

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    1. Child, lord only knows at this point! BUT I *still* owe you and Meredith your chocolate ginger cookies. So there's that! xo UB

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  4. Can you post the direct link for the sauces, pretty please? It doesn't seem to be here or at Coco + Kelley. Thanks!

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    1. I now have the direct link/s to the post on Coco+Kelley that feature the recipes for the chocolate sauces! And here's another tip! They also make great bases for hot chocolates... just add hot milk to taste! Enjoy!

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  5. Fabulicious!!! Love churros! I tasted my first churros con chocolate in Barcelona many years ago. Yum!

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    1. Gee, Igor, too bad you had to have them in Barcelona, huh? I mean, who wants an authentic Spanish experience like that? Um, ME! xo UB

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  6. yum to the yum... these are going on my friday faves! xo

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  7. Boy do these look yummy............I can't wait to try them out, along with the dips.
    Thanks for recipe:)

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    1. Thanks, Lizzy! You should totally try them! SO easy! Which, granted, could be a little dangerous. ;) Thanks for stopping by 'The Bedlam' and taking the time to comment. :)

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  8. Love it! I just saw your post on coco+kelly and wanted to get the recipe for churros! I had the best churros in Barcelona (dipped them in chocolate!) and have been looking for an authentic recipe. Excited to give this a try. Keep putting up these great posts for us. Thanks!

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  9. Thanks for stopping by, Joody! Hope you give the recipe a try and enjoy! :)

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  10. These looks absolutely delicious!! I'm so excited to try and make them, it'll be great to have a new recipe to try with my Mum and Sister when I go home to visit!

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    1. I hope you do try them, Chloe! And thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your comment... and for the kind follow. Cheers! :)

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  11. YUMMY! And what a fabulous idea for Valentine's.

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    1. Wasn't this a great idea, Susan?! You can thank Cassandra for that... I just brought dessert! :) xx

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  12. Just made a batch. After following the directions exactly, my dough was the consistency of runny pancake batter. I had to add two and a half more cups of flour. Then the dough was perfect and they turned out just great. Has anyone successfully made them with just two cups of flour?

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    1. Hi Jo! Sorry to hear that the recipe didn't work out for you. Hmmm? I've never had that problem before and I've made these several times before. However, I will make up another batch tonight and see if I'm missing something somehow. Reading over it doesn't appear that anything is askew with the recipe but, ddmittedly, I was putting this post together in the wee hours so doesn't hurt to double check. I'll follow up with you again later tonight! :)

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    2. Okay, Jo, I'm back! I tried out the recipe again as promised and as I had it written and, sure enough, all went well... until the eggs! This time around I happened to have "extra large" eggs on hand and, once I reached 4 eggs I knew that was sufficient - 8 of those eggs would surely have created 'runny pancake batter'! So, while I know I used smaller eggs the last time, I'm not sure how 8 would have worked previously, anyway. I'm chalking it up to a kitchen mystery and humbly thanking you for writing in so I could correct the recipe for all to enjoy! Cheers!

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  13. I was looking for something to make for my neighbors for Valentine's Day, and I believe I just found it! Thank you so much!!!

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    1. That's great, Tina! Hope you enjoy making them as much as your neighbors will enjoy eating them! :)

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  14. They look absolutely delicious, can't wait to try them! :)
    Thanks for sharing, and big hugs from snowy Sweden!

    Mijbil

    Ps: come and check my free Valentine's printables, if you want! :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mijbil! Hope you enjoy the churros and pre-Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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  15. This does it -- I'm moving to Seattle. I want in on these churros. In exchange, I will provide crazy good baked goodies and homemade dinners. Plan? Good.

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    1. Well, child! I gave you the recipe so a cross-country move isn't entirely necessary. Besides, while I'd *love* it I fear that Miss Melissa would *kill* me if I took you away. ;) xoxo

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  16. Ooo. Gorgeous looking food and photos. Wonder if these little gems would work with gluten-free flour??

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  17. Hmmmm... I'm not sure really? But I hear that there are some great gluten-free flours out there now so it seems there would be a good chance that you could get your cha cha churro on! Let me know if you happen to try! Good luck! :)

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  18. {Just had to wipe the drool off my keyboard} Yum.

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  19. oooh, that looks appetizing, mouth watering, the only problem is that i dont take sugar, what is the best substitute for sugar.

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  20. what a magical brunch idea! love it, love your blog, officially stalking! xoxo chelsea http://nowismagic.blogspot.com

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  21. Amazing...thank you for sharing ...now I know how to made mine...
    http://lttreasure.blogspot.co.uk

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  22. This looks amazing Bradford! Totally making churros now...or at least eating some?!

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  23. Thank you so much for listing me! It was a pleasure meeting you and your churros were a huge hit with my friends! {we indulged at a social event after the shoot}

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  24. GREAT POST:)
    Your blog is so wonderful and Im following...I hope you follow me also:)

    If you want some cute swedish decor inspiration...check out my blog:)

    Have a great weekend

    LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
    (sweden)

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  25. Beautifull photos and great blog, especially for me thanks.

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