Churros Bar

Ch ch ch churro! For any party or get together, we love giving our guests options. Creating “bars” are a great way to make your food more interactive! Guests will have fun mixing and matching their own flavor profiles, so that’s why meals like taco or pizza bars are so fun and popular. But why should the main course have all the fun?

Recently, we were prepping for a Dia de Los Muertos party and we thought, why not have a churro bar? These cinnamon and sugar covered fried dough sticks are popular in Mexico and across the border here in the U.S. as well.

So let’s talk about what you need to pull off the perfect, colorful churro bar. First up, the main attraction – the churros. They may look intimidating, but the hardest part of it will be deciding what toppings to put on it. Here’s how to make these famous fair treats:

Churros

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts oil for frying
• 1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Step One. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
Step Two. In order to get a good fry on your churros, you’ll want to use a deep fryer like this one, or you can use a cast iron skillet as well. The frying oil should be 375 degrees. When it reaches the optimal temperature, pipe strips of dough into hot oil using a pastry bag. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.
Step Three. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Next, we have the dipping sauces. Now our favorites are these two sauces here – the Mexican Chocolate Sauce and the Vanilla Sauce. Both are really tasty and whether your guests are a chocolate or vanilla person, you’ll have both preferences covered.

Mexican Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 oz melted dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Step One. Combine all ingredients (except for the powdered sugar) until well mixed. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar until the mixture is glossy and fully incorporated.

Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Step Two. Combine all wet ingredients (everything except the powdered sugar) until well combined. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar until the mixture is glossy and fully incorporated.

For the fun part – the toppings! This is where you can let your imagination run away with you! We chose to use colorful sprinkles, shredded coconut (unsweetened), lime zest, and macadamia nuts, but really, the sky is the limit! Other toppings that might be good could include bacon crumbles, fruity pebbles, miniature marshmallows, or orange zest. You don’t have to have a ton of different options for your guests, but you should at least have some savory elements and some tangy ones as well. The churros and the sauces are going to be sweet, so try having toppings that aren’t overtly sweet so that your guests don’t have sugar overload!

What to serve this all in? Separate colorful bowls are a must! These cute kids’ bowls are perfect for the toppings, while these clear bowls are great for the dipping sauces.

We hope you try out this fun and colorful churro bar with your next get together with friends.