January 24, 2009

Mini Churros - Baked vs Fried

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Commonly referred to as "Spanish doughnuts", Churros are originally a Spanish breakfast dish which are deep fried and then coated with sugar. I was first introduced to Churros at Costco (the little eatery they have) by a friend of mine while we were shopping.
Bunch of girls, walking around a store for hours together, shopping, what else would anyone expect!
They were a $1 each and we were in love with it. I have so badly wanted to make them at home ever since but without deep frying them.

That is when I turned to my trusty puff pastry sheets that always reside in my freezer. I love making vegetable puffs or egg puffs with them, and this time we have something sweet. Please note that puff pastry sheets by themselves have butter in them, that is how the layers are formed, so remember the term "relatively" guilt-free.

I cut the pasty sheet into strips, drenched them in cinnamon sugar, twisted them and baked them till golden. Taste wise, if you have had churros before, then you will know the difference since these are baked. But if you have no clue as to what the original tastes like, then you will be pleasantly surprised. They taste awesome and with a little dulche de leche to dip... can't ask for a better relatively guilt-free dessert.
If you don't have dulche de leche, then try dipping them in caramel or nutella.
Oh! Please don't drool all over my blog! :)

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Mini Churros - Baked Vs Fried

Ingredients:

Puff pastry sheets - 1
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup (They don't take up so much sugar, it is only for coating, you will have some left over)
Egg - 1/2 beaten (optional)
A.P flour - To dust

Method:

Thaw out pastry sheets according to package instructions. It should be at room temperature or slightly still cold.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and keep them ready.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

Unfold the sheet, dust a little All purpose flour if need be and roll out slightly.

Cut into thin strips of desired lengths. I did mine about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick.

Brush beaten egg on both sides roughly. Coat with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Lay them on the cookie sheet with little space in between them so that they can puff up.

Bake at 400F till slightly golden brown on top.

Serve with caramel, nutella or dulche de leche.

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93 comments:

  1. I am like addicted to Puff pastry sheets..So am sorry,am already drooling here..:P

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  2. I love churros, in spain you get them with the most amazingly thick hot chocolate to dip them in. Not health food by any stretch ;) But now you've got me wondering if you can make donuts in an actifry machine...

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  3. yummylicious :)
    I have never tried anything with puff pastry sheets... will start with these... U made me drool all over my monitor with the mention of cinnamon and nutella on the same page!

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  4. hey can you tell me from where did you bus puff pastry sheets..i tried finding in safeway, costco, and some other stores also but couldn't find anywhere..

    Sorry but i am drooling too by seeing those yummy pics..you might need some cleanup tonight..:):):)

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  5. i love making churros like this! :)yummy!

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  6. OMG! I love churros, smothered with cinnamon sugar. Looks so yum, great post! :))

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  7. wow, love churros..got to eat everytime we go to costco..with cinnamon..yummy..lovely post

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  8. Oooh yummy! These looks delicious! What brand of puff pastry do you use?

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  9. Bet the flaky pastry puff churros are much tastier than the costco ones ...drool..drool..drool

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  10. CHurros looks cute n crispy..with pastry sheet will give a try soon, i always heard that churros r usually made with all purpose flour batter, this is quite easy for me, i have a bunch of churros lovers at home..thanks for this Anu..

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  11. Rachel - That actifry machine sounds too good to be true... have you tried it before?

    Sala - There aren't many out there. The only one I know of is Pepperidge Farm Puff pastry sheets. There is another one, but way too expensive than the former.

    Preety - All grocery stores (except Costco) carry Puff pastry sheets. Check in the frozen dessert aisle right next to the pie crusts and everything.

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  12. I too love the churros from Costco, wow homemade churros with puff pastry, this is such an easy and great idea Anu..

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  13. drooollllliiiinng....:P

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  14. looks so delicious..I remember this recipe in one of martha stewart cook books..really looks awesome

    and coming to the chutney,sadam kooda sapdalam pola irukae divya...looks very nice..

    Unaku epdi thaan ivlo different recipes kedaikutho :)))

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  15. Sounds like a perfect 'chain reaction' snack!! There are some snacks you cannot stop eating even if you are FULL...my hubby calls them chain reaction! These sure fit the bill!!!! Divs - can you tell me if filo pastry and puff pastry the same or different??

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  16. wow great idea to use puff pastry.. looks awesome. i am gonna have churros the next time i go to costco. u have tempted me very much.

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  17. What a great idea! I love churros but never want to make them because of the frying mess.

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  18. WOW,and WOW.I love it.Surely these are much much better than the commercial ones

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  19. Well I am used to Churros,but not a fan of deep fried stuff.So you can guess how happy i am to find this one..yes,i can guess the differnce,but feel more happy with less regrets while having.perhaps thats the imp thing anu.puff pastries are my regulars in fridge too..thanks.

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  20. Looks so inviting! So you do have some fat too:)

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  21. I ve posted long back in my blog but not with puff pastry! Tasted exactly like the costco one we get here, u can try to dip with choco it is heaven :) Puff pastry makes life much easier looks absolutely delish...

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  22. This is a very creative, not to mention delicious, way to use the puff pastry!! Great idea!

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  23. Churros!!! Love em! I am surround by them here, on every corner they sell them but they just don't add up to home made... They look fabulous...

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  24. I have not tasted original churros, I can take puff one. Yummy snack..

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  25. Oooo yum! Anything with cinnamon is a must try for me and these sound incredible! Even better, I've never tried the original (although I'm thinking this may be a dangerous recipe to know about, I'm suddenly seeing me making it ALL the time :P)

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  26. Anudivya you are so clever. Making the churros out of puff pastry and baking them is outstanding. I'm from the desert Southwest so churros are common fare for us. Kudos to you my friend.

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  27. Nice variation a tad more healthy :) I love these.I love cinnamon and with your suggestions like nutella oh my!! what a superb invention !

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  28. heh heh!
    I was going to report this blog for inappropriate content! Giving us this simple recipe is extremely dangerous!

    I ask you to immediately place a black box warning at the top of this recipe!

    And dipping it in Nutella? Are you nuts! This can cause me to empty a whole jar of nutella in a few days! - BTW, Costco and BJs carry Nutella in a mega-jar! Thank God, you won't run out at some un-godly hour!

    Bestest!

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  29. I love cinnamon flavored sweets,this is something similar to cinnamon sticks we get here in Pizza hut,but they use bread sticks,i meant the flavor:)
    Sure its easy to make and going to try sometime!

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  30. I jave to admit i love the fied ones with chocolate coated. I know it is not healthy.
    But thinking aobut health i think baking them is a wonderful idea.

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  31. what a great idea!!! they would seem so much less guilty if baked :)

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  32. Anu, Cham did help me and so did Sangeeth....n thts not watermarking..plan simple paint hai..lol

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  33. Never had them before, but sounds yummy. Started drooling when i read that you dipped them in dulce de leche :-) Have you tried haagen daaz dulce de leche? It's so addictive..i stopped going to the icecream aisle because i can't control myself :D

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  34. Hi Anu,

    Churros is one of my fav snacks and used to buy them all the time until I heard that they use lard in its preparation. There ended my desire to buy them anymore. Its good to see other alternatives. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. smart as I think I am, on the domestic front I continue to be startlingly naive :)
    I got introduced to puff pastry sheets a couple of weeks back and have been addicted ever since :) Have been trying out new stuff and this sure looks to be an awesome treat! I`ll try it out today itself!

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  36. churros sounds so simple to make...

    Thanks for sharing so many delicious recipes.

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  37. Puff pastry is something that's easy and always gives fabulous results. My husband quite likes churro - looks pretty.

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  38. Nice idea to bake the churros, Divya. They look delicious.

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  39. Nice idea to bake the churros, Divya. They look delicious.

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  40. You r real creator of new dishes. It looks great. Wonderful pictures & mouth watering dish.
    There is something for u in my blog. You may find interesting.

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  41. Cool Anu! I am a big fan of Pastry puffs. they let u go real creative. I make fake cinnamom rolls kinda like this, but twist & roll like a bun. Nutella is a weakness, don't ever mention it again:-)

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  42. Nice one, sounds interesting to me...

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  43. cool idea. looks great anu.

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  44. These look absolutely delicious...wish I could have a couple of those right about now...and please do not remind me of dulce de leche and nutella, I am trying to stick to my diet here :-)

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  45. Oooh, though I have seen them, I have never actually eaten a churro, so your recipe probably could have fooled me. Looks awesome!

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  46. Hey Sweetie, so sorry for not visiting recently.

    Many happy returns for the New Year!

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  47. I can't help but drool here.. Don't get Puff pastry sheets easily here.. I am craving to eat Veggie puffs too.. looks like I will have to make my own soon.. BTW loved the addition of cinnamon powder.. house must have filled with the aroma isn't it?

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  48. sounds interesting and new thing for me... noticed?!.. i have picked one from them...ha ha ha.

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  49. super di...nalla iruku...eppo pannina?

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  50. Sorry! I could not stop drooling over your post.... I always eat them whenever i visit COSTCO!

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  51. wow thatz a nice twist .. Im always for baked goodies rather than deep fried ones .. yumm

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  52. its unique and mouthwatering dish divya..will sooon come to ur place to have them...

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  53. I want to eat the pics! Yummy yum yum! You'll keep me coming back! Waaaah!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Freeallcards
    www.freeallcards.com

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  54. Seen them many times but never tasted. Will definetly try. BTW I've tried your spinach - potato naan...turned out great and yummy :-)
    Hey, I've started an event at my blog, please participate if you are interested. Thank you :-)

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  55. Like any other self-respecting Mexican food lover, I'm a huge fan of churros but they're so terrible for you that I never get them. Thanks for the great tip, I never would have thought to bake those suckers.

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  56. Sounds new to me..But looks yummy...

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  57. hi anu,mini churros are tempting me very much..as my healthy is not feeling..iam not able see ur blog yaar...

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  58. Lovely recipe. When i was in California i used to make puffs put of this pastry sheet. But seeing this yummy recipe , here now in India we don't find this sheet. You have tempted me.

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  59. Hi AD, Your churros are simply so inviting, and imagine eating them baked rather than fried. And the chutney looks so green and healthy. Enjoyed reading the post! I am gonna win brownie points with my kids for sure :).

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  60. I love that these are baked!! They look so good!

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  61. I am so glad you baked them. I love churros but never made them because I don't fry food. Delicious.

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  62. Hey Anu, i made this last week,used brown sugar.Yours look perfect!

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  63. Churros looks so nice crispy !!Yummy !!

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  64. I love churros but I've never thought to make them. I'm a huge baker and I think the kids are going to love these. They can help too! Yum

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  65. You are awesome!!! Can i come live with you? Please!!! :D

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  66. Trail back girl I have somethin for you in my blog!

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  67. Ooh sounds so good with a dulce de leche dip.

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  68. they look so delicious.. love your blog!

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  69. chorrus sounds interesting and easy 2 make:)give it a try sometime:)

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  70. Dearie where are you,are you hibernating?

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  71. I love this version of this treat! Sounds amazing. You have a great blog, by the way. Looking forward to returning soon.

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  72. Hey hope you are doing fine, I haven't seen you around very much so I thought I would check....I tried your mixed dry fruits fudge and have made it numerous times now...loved it, plan to post it today...

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  73. Looks and sounds awesome and i m damn sure they wud have tasted heavenly

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  74. these look soooooooo good! It is time to go to bed and my mouth is watering now. :D
    Just passed by to ask you to come and pick up something so you can add mine to your list of awards or maybe rather my name to the list of those awarding you with it. :)

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  75. can't help but drool!! sorry about that! :):)

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  76. Churros look lovely...Nice recipe...Very inviting.

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  77. I already ate it. So drooling over. I am amazed how soon u found its recipe after hearing its name only

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  78. These are really cute, they look tasty and crispy too :).

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  79. Thanks for making me hungry! You've received a "Make Me Hungry Award".

    http://slocooking.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-ever-make-me-hungry-awards.html

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  80. I was looking for something creative like this. Then tried this awesome recipe. This recipe does not disappoint. It's a snap to prepare and really tasty.

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  81. AnonymousMay 17, 2010

    yummmmmmmy

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  82. Teeheehee...yummy...

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  83. I am really sorry, I don´t mean to ofend anyone, but: this are not spanish churros!!! puf pastry is it noting to do with a Churro dough. this are "corbatas de unquera" something original from Cantabria in te North of Spain.
    If you are trying to make spanish churros, you should go for something like: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/churros-ii/detail.aspx
    to go fully spanish you should dip them in a really thick homemade hot chocolate (from real chocolate and milk, no powder plz)
    :)

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  84. SusiBuO - I am sorry you felt that way. I never claimed that these were authentic churros. They are a playful take on the fried version, and that is about it. Thanks for your detailed literature about churros though! :)
    Food and cooking is all about having fun!

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  85. Ughhhhhhhh i really wanted to makw theese now but i dont have pastry dough :(

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  86. I really wanted to make theese today but I dont have pastry dough :(

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)