Baked Churros with Easy Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Did you know that churros are actually Spanish? I discovered this while creating a "theme dinner" for my boys. I wanted to serve a Mexican dessert after our Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowls. Of course, I instantly thought of churros. Well, what do you know... churros are from Spain. I was already hell bent on making churros, so I decided to mix cultures. I was also inspired to create a healthy churro recipe... if that was possible.

Let's be clear, I wasn't looking to make my churros diet food, I just didn't want to deep fry them (frankly, I hate the mess).

Anyway, you can't just take churro batter and bake it. The batter is designed to be deep fried. So... I fiddled around with ingredients and realized that the perfect batter would be one similar to a traditional “choux” pastry dough (or pâte à choux) - the dough used for cream puffs, eclairs and profiteroles. It's a simple blend of water, butter, flour, and eggs and the dough comes together quickly and easily (in a saucepan).

Note: Eggs are NOT in a classic churro recipe, but classic churros are also deep fried, not baked. I took some culinary license here, and I'm reasonably confident that you'll approve.

These churros bake up crispy and golden, and then they're rolled in cinnamon-spiked sugar. I'm 100% confident you will adore them. And the easy "ganache" fudge sauce that they're served with.

If you have leftover churros (I doubt you will, but just in case), store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat them on a baking sheet, in a 300-degree oven, for about 5 to 10 minutes. Store leftover fudge sauce in the refrigerator. You can also reheat the sauce - 30 seconds in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat.

About the star tip: You don't NEED a large star tip to make churros. Yes, you'll get the cool groove marks, but it's decorative only! If you don't have a large star (or any other tip that's about 3/4-inch wide), simply cut your pastry bag to create a 3/4-inch opening (or snip the corner of a gallon-size freezer bag to create a 3/4-inch opening).

Baked Churros with Easy Chocolate Fudge Sauce

For the churros:
1 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the chocolate fudge sauce: 
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter, brown sugar, and salt. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour. Stir until well blended and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Stir the mixture into the flour mixture and mix until well blended (it might seem like the mixture won't get smooth at first, but it will). Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a #9 star tip (you can also spoon the dough in a gallon-size freezer bag and snip one corner, making a 3/4-inch opening).
Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making 12 to 14, 4-inch long churros.
Bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the churros are puffed up and golden brown on both sides.
In a shallow dish, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. Add the hot churros to the sugar mixture and stir to coat.
Meanwhile, to make the fudge sauce, place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let stand, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, stir the melted chocolate and cream together until smooth and glossy.
Serve the churros with the hot fudge sauce on the side.

Makes 12-14 churros and 2/3 cup fudge sauce