Cinco de Mayo: Lime & Sugar Churros

For a fun treat, make a batch or two of Lime and Sugar Churros. They are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, with a sugary coating that has a tart lime taste and–if you wish–a hint of tequila.

If you’re having a party on Cinco de Mayo, you may want to make these ahead and freeze them. They can be reheated in the oven at 350 F for about 5 minutes.

LIME AND SUGAR CHURROS 

Lime Sugar (make at least one hour ahead)

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon tequila (or water)
Green food coloring – optional
2 teaspoons grated lime peel

1. Combine sugar, tequila (or water) and one drop of green food coloring. Stir well to combine completely.
2. Stir in grated lime peel
3. Spread damp sugar out on a plate and let it dry for one hour, stirring and fluffing occasionally.
4. Place dried sugar in either a bowl (for rolling) or a paper bag (for shaking) and set aside.

Churros

1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, room temperature
Peanut oil for frying

1. In a heavy pan, put enough oil to fill the pan at least 1 inch deep. Place a candy thermometer in the pan and turn the temperature to medium high. Watch carefully while you are making the churro dough. Try to maintain the temperature between 360-370 degrees by adjusting the heat and taking the pan off of the burner briefly if it gets too hot.

2. In a large saucepan at medium heat, bring water, butter, brown sugar, and salt to a low boil. Remove pan from burner briefly while you stir in the flour. Return the pan to the burner and stir until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and becomes a rough ball shape. This happens fairly quickly – less than one minute.

3. Allow the dough to cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan.

4. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook or strong cookie paddle, put the dough in the bowl of the mixer and beat in one egg at a time. Make sure the dough and egg are completely combined before adding the next egg. This can also be done by hand with a wooden spoon, if you have a strong arm!

5. When all 3 eggs have been mixed into the dough, beat for 1 minute.

6. Put an open star tip into a pastry bag and fill it with the dough.

7. Squeeze straight lines of churro dough into the hot oil. If you are using a metal pastry tip, keep the dough straight by scraping the metal tip against the side of the pan to break off the line of dough. Or use a sharp knife to cut the dough from the tip. Make the churros 4-5 inches long. Don’t crowd the pan; they need room to bob around.

8. Turn the churros when they are rich brown in color. Watch your temperature carefully. If it gets too hot the churros will be raw in the middle and hard on the outside. If it is too cool, they will soak up oil and be greasy. Your goal is to keep the oil between 360-370 degrees F.

9. Transfer churros to a bed of paper towels, using a “spider” or slotted spoon.

10. Add more dough to the pan, and while it is cooking, roll or shake the warm churros in the sugar mixture. 

Enjoy!

Check out my other recipes in the food section of Celeb Baby Laundry.