Mini Mondays: Churros

One of my favorite memories growing up is going to Costco with my mom.  She didn't take me very often because she would usually go during the week when I was in school because, let's face it, Costco is a mad-house on the weekends.  But occasionally she would put up with the crowds and take me along with her.  After we were done shopping (and tasting all the samples) we would stop by the food court and get a giant churro, and man were they delicious.  Now that I'm an adult, Costco trips aren't nearly as fun.  Mostly I want to get in and out of there as fast as possible; forget about waiting in a forever long line to get a churro.  So I decided I would try my hand at making homemade churros.  I decided to make them miniature for several reasons: 1) I didn't feel like using a ton of oil to fill up a big pot to fry up a normal sized churro.  2) I could eat more of them and feel less guilty if they are small.  3) As we have already established on this blog, things are a million times more adorable in miniature form.

Mini Churros

What you need:

1 cup water

2 1/2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 T vegetable oil

2 tsp Mexican vanilla

1 cup flour

Oil for frying

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

What you do:

Combine water, 2 1/2 T sugar, salt, vegetable oil and vanilla in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat and stir in the flour until a ball forms.  Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow dish and set aside. 

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Allow the dough to cool some them either put the dough in a pastry bag and pipe out the dough into finger length strips (longer if you want to make regular sized churros).  If you use a star tip then your churros will look "normal."  I don't have a pastry bag and I tried to use a ziploc bag but after ripping two I said "screw it" and just rolled them out by hand.  

Now fry the dough until golden brown.  Make sure the oil is not too hot or the outside of the churro will crisp up before the dough on the inside is all the way cooked.  Immediately after taking the churros out of the oil roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture you made earlier.  These taste best when eaten immediately, but they are still quite tasty even a couple days after you fry them (as long as they are kept in an airtight container). 

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I didn't know what to call these cupcakes for the longest time.  Mexican Vanilla Cinnamon cupcakes is too long; cinnamon sugar cupcakes is too boring.  Then, I took these to work and left them in the break room and one of my coworkers walked around the office asking who made the snickerdoodle cupcakes.  And thus, a name was born.  These cupcakes are a cinch to make.  They have a slightly more muffin-like texture compared to most cupcakes.  I like them with a simple chocolate cream cheese frosting (because I love chocolate and cinnamon together), but these would be equally as delicious with a standard cream cheese frosting, or even a buttercream icing (although personally, I am not a fan of the buttercream really).  The real secret to these cupcakes is the Mexican vanilla.  I really have no idea what the difference between Mexican vanilla and regular vanilla is, but I can tell you that Mexican vanilla is approximately 94897374 times better than regular vanilla.  But that's just one girl's opinion.  You can use regular vanilla if you don't have Mexican vanilla and the cupcakes will still be delicious.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

What you need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

2-3 tsp cinnamon (or more, depending on your preference)

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp Mexican Vanilla (feel free to use regular vanilla)

1/4 cup milk

What you do:

Beat the butter and sugar together until it's fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in the vanilla and milk.  Then add in the dry ingredients slowly until fully incorporated.  Bake in a 350* oven for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when you poke into the center of a cupcake.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 butter

4 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 cup cocoa powder

What you do:

Mix cream cheese and butter until it's smooth and creamy.  Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  I actually needed more than 4 cups powdered sugar to make the icing stiff enough.  That's probably because it was really hot and humid the day I was making these cupcakes.  Slowly mix in the cocoa powder.  Be careful or you will have cocoa powder everywhere.

So, now you just need to let the cupcakes cool, frost them, and enjoy the deliciousness.