Churros {The Mexican Funnel-Cake}

"I hate funnel cakes"- Said by no one ever.

"I hate extra credit"-Said by no one ever.

In Spanish class, the opportunity arose to use cooking for extra credit...I snagged that opportunity up like no ones business. The food to be created are known as Churros. In Spanish speaking countries, Churros are a dessert served with a drink similar to hot chocolate. Churros taste a lot like funnel cakes, but with regular sugar instead of powdered sugar.They are simply amazing... but a little difficult to create. This tutorial is my first attempt at making these, so bare with me.

My Spanish teacher told me my churros were very good and tasted as they should. However, they didn't look as they should. Real churros are piped into the oil using a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch star tip, which makes them straight and pretty. I used a sandwich bag with the end snipped off. As you can see, they look like strips of a funnel cake.

These are how they will look if you use the pastry bag and star tip!

What You Need:

-1 cup of water

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-4 large eggs

-1 cup sugar

-1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick)

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-oil for deep frying

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a full boil.

2. Remove from heat. Add flour all at once, stirring briskly. Stir until mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball.

3. Put the mixture in a bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, add one egg at a time. After adding the last egg, beat mixture for one more minute.

4. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a deep, heavy saucepan at 375 degrees F (the number 6 on the stove).

5. Transfer the mixture to pastry bags with the 1/2" star tip, or seal-able bags. Do not cut the tip of the bags until you are ready to squirt into the hot oil.

6. When oil is hot, pipe out 6 inch-long tubes of dough into the oil. Fry, turning a few times, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

*This is where things got messy for me. When I began to squeeze the dough out of my baggie, the tip would jerk back and forth, making the dough go into the pan in a wavy-fashion. I do believe this is where the star-tip would come in, making the end of the bag stay straight.*

7. When all the batter has been fried, place the sugar on a plate, and roll the churros in the sugar.

I am now thinking of these as funnel cake- bites. And I will be making these again, soon. They are to die for!

Best of luck to you! This is a perfect excuse to have "Mexican Night" every night.