Baked Churros

As the good Mexican girl that I am, I LUV churros, there is something really comforting and homely about them, it just brings a lot of memories of happy Sundays to me. I have tried to re-live those memories many many times by making my own churros only to end up with soggy, greasy little sticks and a mess of a kitchen!!

But this time around I found out a way to make them in a wink and by baking them instead of deep frying them you save lots of time, mess and calories! 

Ingredients:


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 
1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup water
• 
1 cup all purpose flour

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
• 
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add the flour and stir with a spoon to combine. Mixture will thicken and start to resemble the texture of mashed potatoes. 
3. Leave dough in the saucepan, but beat it on low with a hand mixer, adding one egg at a time, mixing well before adding another. After adding each egg, the mixture will become wet and glossy, but after mixing on high for a few seconds it will thicken again, again.
4. When all the eggs are are combined add the vanilla,  the dough will be thick and starchy, that's how you know it is ready.
5. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. 
6. Lightly spray a cookie sheet and pipe rows of the dough with at least 2 cm between each churro (the size of the churro is up to you, you can make large ones or baby ones for the kids here).
7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, and when a toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Spray churros lightly with cooking spray, transfer them to a square tupperware, or shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.