Happy New Year! Nice to be back…
Well I’m not much for small talk, with the exception of a few things, such as intimate conversations about food. Today, I simply wanted to share this wonderful sweet-tooth craving recipe with you but rather with a healthy alternative in mind. If you can recall from one of my past blogs I mentioned that our deep fryer broke. That was two years ago, and I have yet to replace it… Meanwhile, I still like my fair share of ‘fried’ goodies, but have been meaning to find a way to substitute the ‘frying’ with ‘baking’ without losing the originality of its flavors.
Without further adieu, this bake churros recipe can be fried as an option…so you’re not totally deprived. The original recipe was adapted from Sprinkle Bakes, who then adapted it from Latina.com.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar (using organic, as an option)
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/3 cup light or reduced-fat butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (using organic, as an option)
- 2 large eggs (using organic/ cage-free, as an option)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granular sugar (using bakers fine or brown sugar, as an option)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and coat with organic (optional)cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water, brown sugar, salt, and butter. Bring to a boil, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and add flour, stirring with large wooden spoon until well blended.
3. In a bowl, combine the two eggs and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until completely incorporated. Spoon the dough into pastry bag with large star tip (AKA French Star Size 7). I don’t have very good luck with pastry bags as they get all messy on me…so what I am showing above is a large cookie press, alongside the star tip. Squeeze the dough onto a large cookie sheet in 8-inch strips (you can make it shorter, i.e. 4-inch strips), leaving about a 2-inch space for each churro to expand. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until they are golden brown (I baked them for about 7 minutes–since I live in a higher altitude).
4. In a large plastic or paper bag, combine sugar and cinnamon. Add the hot churros and shake to cover. Best served warm.
OPTIONAL: Drunken Caramel Drizzle…
Everyone knows that I am a sucker for caramel…EVERYONE. Thus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drown these churros with caramel, and adding salt to injury, a smidgen of spirit mixed right-in for that complete package 😉
Preparation:
I happen to be lucky and live nearby a store that make these wonderful, handy caramel in-house. You can probably purchase ready-made caramel just about anywhere, or make it yourself, as well. After microwaving the caramel for about 30-seconds interval, I added approximately (as I don’t often measure when cooking) 2 tablespoons of organic milk, a capful (or more) of Kahluá rum, and mix, mix, mix until a saucy (not liquid-like) mixture is achieved. Drizzle as you please, and save some aside for those extra dipping’s!