Churros

O.K., so today I went to my happy place.  Hmmm.  What do churros have to do with my happy place.  Well, I'm from California even though I have been in Utah for 30 years.  With the crummy winter we have had here my heart wonders back to the warmth and bright sunshine.  We visit often and love to go to the Orange County Swap meet.  I guess technically it is called the Orange County Marketplace.  They have the best pork tacos and churros so when I saw this recipe in a Food Network magazine I had to give it a try.  Yes, just what I thought, very good and very easy.  If you ever drive to CA and have room in the car to bring stuff home you must go.  Everything is new not used. Very good prices.  It's at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa which is southern CA.  It's only open on Saturday and Sunday and you can check on line for the time.  It's also closed when the fair is on, check their calendar. 

These churros put a smile on my face today.  I'll pass this recipe along for you to make and maybe you'll have a smile on your face too.

Churros

1 3/4 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar, plus more for coating

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 large eggs.

Vegetable oil, for frying.  I used Canola oil

Cinnamon sugar coating: Mix 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar and set aside for coating the churros.

1. Bring the milk , butter, sugar, vanilla and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stirring, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.  Reduce the heat to medium low; add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture gathers into a gloss ball, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time with a mixer.  Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip.

2.  Heat 2 inches of oil in a wide saucepan until a deep fry thermometer registers 350 degrees.  (I used a candy thermometer.)  Working in batches of 4, pipe 5 inch-long segments of batter into the hot oil; use a knife to cut off the segments.  fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch.  (Return the oil to 350 degrees between batches.)  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain briefly, then roll in the sugar mixture.

Makes about 15, 5 inch long churros.