Spanish Churro Bites with Quick Strawberry Sauce

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strawberry dip churros

What’s Up, Hungry People?

If you’re like me and constantly crave the chance to whip up something new and exciting, you’re in for a treat. This time, I’m dabbling in the art of tapas, and not just any tapas – I’m talking about the legendary Spanish kind. So get ready to sink your teeth into the sweet world of tapas with my latest experiment: churro bites with strawberry sauce!

Going Sweet with Tapas

In the spirit of Spanish cuisine, tapas are basically a free-for-all: anything goes as long as it’s bite-sized and delicious. This week, I’ve opted to flip the script and go for sweet instead of savory, introducing my no-fuss version of churro bites. Trust me, they’re ridiculously easy to make and a surefire hit for any gathering – or, let’s be honest, a solo snack fest.

diy churro bites

The Great Star-Tip Disaster

Now, let’s talk churros. Traditionally, these bad boys are piped into scalding oil using a star-tipped pastry bag for that iconic churro shape. But here’s a fun fact: my star tip is currently an abstract art piece, thanks to an unplanned rendezvous with my garbage disposal. So, like any resourceful baker, I found a workaround.

cookie press

Grandma’s Cookie Press to the Rescue

I rummaged through my treasure trove of kitchen gadgets and unearthed a gem – my grandmother’s vintage tin cookie press. Not only does it hold sentimental value, but it also sports a star ‘tip’ large enough to crank out these mini delights. Sure, a pastry bag is the gold standard for churro-crafting, but when life gives you mangled metal, you grab a cookie press and get to work.

star tip for cookie press

Here’s What You Need

  • Water: Used to create simple syrup and dissolve sugar.
  • Sugar: Sweetens the dough and creates a cinnamon-sugar coating.
  • Vegetable Oil: Used in the dough and for frying to a golden crisp.
  • Flour: The base for churro dough, provides structure and chewiness.
  • Cinnamon: Adds warm, spicy flavor to the sugar coating.
  • Strawberry Jam/Jelly: Offers a sweet, fruity dipping sauce option.
sugar water

Crafting the Churro Dough

Let’s kick things off with the dough. We begin with a basic simple syrup – that’s just water and sugar, folks – heated until the sugar waves a white flag and dissolves. It’s crucial to nail this step for the right consistency.

sticky dough churros

Gently marry the syrup to your flour and vegetable oil in a bowl, and get ready to muscle through mixing until it clumps into one sticky mass. You’re aiming for dough that’s thick, sticky, and ready to be transformed into bites of bliss.

frying churros

Frying Up Some Magic

Once you’ve coaxed your dough into its churro form using whatever star-shaped apparatus you have on hand (and if you’re in the same boat as me, a cookie press), grab some scissors. These will be your precision tool for snipping the dough into those cute little churro nuggets as you press it out.

Dive them into a hot oil bath, and watch them turn a tempting golden brown – that’s when you know they’re ready to come out. Employ a slotted spoon to whisk them onto a paper towel where they can shed any oily excess.

The Final Touch: Cinnamon-Sugar Bliss

There’s no churro without its sugar coat. So, while they’re piping hot and just begging for that cinnamon-sugar hug, give it to them. Roll those churros until they’re speckled and sparkling all over. It’s like dressing them up for the tastiest gala ever, and you’re the gracious host.

coating churros

A Dip to Die For

But wait, there’s more! Every churro needs its soulmate, and I’ve gone ahead and paired mine with homemade strawberry jelly – jazzed up with a splash of water for the ultimate dip consistency. Sure, you can go traditional with chocolate or caramel, but why not give strawberries a chance to shine? Dip, bite, swoon, and repeat.

churro in strawberry sauce

Tips for Perfect Churro Bites

  • Avoid Overcrowding the Oil: Fry in small batches to keep the oil temperature consistent.When frying churros, it’s tempting to get the job done quickly by throwing in as many as the pot will allow. But beware, my Hungry People, for that road leads to soggy churros! Overcrowding drops the oil’s temperature, causing the churros to absorb more oil and become greasy rather than crispy.
  • Consistent Oil Temperature Is Key: Maintain oil at 350°F for the best texture.To keep those little bites of heaven crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, keep a candy thermometer handy. If you don’t have one, you can test the oil temperature by dropping in a small piece of dough; if it sizzles straight away without burning, you’re good to go.
  • Proper Dough Consistency: The dough should be thick and sticky for easy piping.If you’ve gotten to the sticky ball stage and your dough is still misbehaving, it might be too warm or too cold. Aim for a warm, pliable dough; if it’s too stiff, you might tear your pastry bag, and we can’t have that. No star-tip massacre today, please!
  • Troubleshooting the Pastry Bag: If the dough is too thick, add a teaspoon of water to soften.If your dough resembles the surface of the moon with craters and crevices, a teeny tiny splash of water may just be your savior. Add it a teaspoon at a time until you’ve got a dough that’s willing to pass through the star tip like a dream.
  • Frying Technique: Cut the piped dough with scissors for clean edges.Once you start frying, you’ll want to snip the dough swiftly and surely for those Instagram-worthy edges. Hesitate, and you’ll have wonky churros, and nobody wants a wonky churro. We’re going for golden-brown glory, not something that looks like it had a rough night.
  • Coating the Churros: Coat them in cinnamon-sugar while they’re hot for the best coverage.Timing is everything. Toss those piping hot churro bites into the cinnamon-sugar mix right after draining for a sticky, sweet coat that stays put. If they cool down, you’ll end up with a churro that’s dusted rather than dressed, and we can’t have them underdressed for the party.
easy fried churros

Alright, Hungry People, let’s wrap this up with a sweet, crispy bow. If you ever find yourself in a pinch without a pastry bag, remember, improvisation is the mother of invention – and sometimes leads to the tastiest results. The churro bites, coated in that perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar, are just begging to be dunked into your choice of sauce. And whether it’s the homemade thinned-out strawberry jam or the rich embrace of caramel, your taste buds are in for a treat.

Dive into these little guys while they’re warm, share ’em if you’re feeling generous, or hoard them all to yourself – I won’t judge. Just make sure to enjoy every last bite, because homemade churro bites with strawberry sauce? They’re a small batch of happiness, one dip away from pure bliss.

pinterest churros

Sweet and Easy Churro Bites with Sauce

The Starving Chef
Crunchy, cinnamon-sugar churro bites paired with a sweet strawberry dipping sauce for an indulgent treat.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Finger Food, Spanish
Servings 24 bites

Equipment

Ingredients
  

FOR CIN-SUGAR COATING:

Instructions
 

  • In a small skillet over high heat, combine the water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
  • Heat a pot of vegetable oil to 350°F for frying the churros.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour with two tablespoons of vegetable oil until the mixture is crumbly. Pour in the cooled simple syrup and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
  • Pipe 1-2 inch long sections of the dough into the hot frying oil. Use scissors to cut the dough. Fry the churros for 2-5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove the churros with a slotted spoon and drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll the warm churro bites in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until they are completely covered.
  • OPTIONAL: For the dipping sauce, dilute the strawberry jam or jelly with 1 tablespoon of water to thin it for dipping, if desired.
  • Serve the churros while they are still warm, accompanied by the strawberry sauce and optional chocolate, caramel, or marshmallow dipping sauces. Enjoy!
Keyword brown sugar, cinnamon, dessert, dough
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