That’s my grandson. livin’ it up in his Happy Place!
One of my grandson’s favorite things to do with his Papa is to visit the doughnut factory! This, if you haven’t guessed yet, is Krispy Crème. There’s something about watching the dough fry in the hot oil, and then travel through that sugar shower that no six-year-old can possibly resist!
With the addition of my new fryer, I’m experimenting with all sorts of fried delicacies. I’ve come to grips with the fact that I can’t match Papa’s doughnut factory experience, but I’ve come up with my own… guaranteed to catch the delight of my grandson and my adult pals as well.
Welcome to my Churro Shop. With just a bit of effort, you can set up your churro shop at home too! Give it a try!!
Churros with Cinnamon Sugar & Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Serves a crowd
30 Minute Cuisine
You cannot eat your way through Spain without finding your way into a Churro shop. Kinda like Krispy Crème, these doughnut-like wedges are served warm, right out of the fryer. They differ in that they are doused in cinnamon sugar, and served with a pot of warm chocolate for dipping. It’s pretty darn delicious.
For Churros:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
For coating:
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For Chocolate Sauce:
½ cup heavy cream
12-ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat 2 cups water, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a deep saucepot over medium-high heat until the butter is melted about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour into the wet ingredients until it forms a dough ball. You want everything mixed together well. Let the dough cool to room temperature, about 5 to 10 minutes. Use an electric mixer to combine the dough with the eggs.
Transfer the dough (in batches) to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until you are ready to fry.
Mix together ½ cup granulated sugar with ground cinnamon in a bowl. Transfer this mixture to a sugar shaker if you own one.
Heat heavy cream with chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave, cooking 1 minute at a time. Stir in between cooking, until all the chocolate is melted.
Heat the oil in a fryer or deep pot to 375°. Remember to make sure that the oil only comes ⅓ up the side of the pot. The oil will bubble up when you add the churros. Cut the piped dough into 4 to 6-inch long pieces. (Basically, churros can be as long as you like, if they fit into your fryer). Place the dough lengths into the hot oil. Use a slotted spoon to gently move the churros in the oil. Cook until just golden brown. Transfer the churros to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Generously sprinkle the hot churros with cinnamon sugar. Serve with hot chocolate for dipping.
I have a new puppy, Brownie (obviously a food name…) who likes to wake up early! I find myself walking her at zero dark thirty in freezing temperatures wrapped in a long coat, gloves and scarf sweetly recommending that she “hurry up, good girl”. Flashback to that early Dunkin’ Donut commercial of that sweet, balding, old man waking up in the dark because it is “time to make the doughnuts!”
Doughnuts are a process. Make the dough, let it rise, cut out the circles, not forgetting the holes and frying them up in batches. Well worth the effort, yes, but what if we could short cut the procedure and have similar results?
Say, “Hello” to DOUGHNUT Muffins! I ran across a recipe in a recent issue of Fine Cooking magazine. I am a fan of their recipes because they explain the why behind the steps. It is almost a scientific approach to baking, which really helps the novice cooks. Of course I tweaked the recipe, just a bit, and will continue to do so, but for now these results are worth posting.
With the holidays upon us it is great to have an easy, go-to baked treat to start the morning off, or in my case to serve at my granddaughter’s Christmas tea party.
Let me know what you think and how you would tweak your doughnut muffins. Remember, Dunkin’ has seventy varieties and still counting!
Sugared Doughnut Muffins
Close your eyes and take a bite of this sugary, warm, light-as air treat and convince me you are not eating a doughnut! Then again, try a second one and convince yourself!
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 ½ sticks
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup buttermilk
For Topping
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¾ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoon butter, melted, 3/4 stick
Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray and dust each cup with flour. Use an electric mixer to cream together ¾ cup softened butter with 1 cup sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in the vanilla. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda into a bowl. Do this by putting all of the ingredients into a fine sieve colander and shaking it over the bowl. It works!
Stir together the milk and buttermilk in a third bowl.
Use a wooden spoon to stir ¼ of the flour into the butter. Stir in 1/3 of the milk. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, taking care not to overwork the batter. Continue this process until all of the ingredients are combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Use an ice-cream scoop to fill each cup in the tin. Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow the muffins to cool slightly. Carefully lift each muffin from the tin to a rack to cool for at least 5 minutes.
Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush each muffin all over with melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the tops, sides and even the bottoms of the muffins. Serve warm!
Variations
Brush warm muffins with maple syrup and dust with granulated sugar.
Add chopped blueberries or other fresh fruit to the batter before baking.
Add peppermint extract in place of vanilla. Brush the tops of the muffins with butter and sprinkle with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies.
Little Hands
Get everyone into the act when making these doughnut muffins. Little ones can brush the warm butter and sprinkle the toppings. Older kids can stir the ingredients together and wash up the bowls!
