Mini Pumpkin Churros Chocolate Coffee Dipping Sauce Recipes

CHURROS WITH CHOCOLATE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the churros in a wide, shallow dish; this is for coating the cooked churros.
• Churros: Put the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder, then beat in the olive oil and 1 cup freshly boiled water. Keep mixing until you have a warm sticky dough, and let rest for about 10 minutes or for as long as it takes for the corn oil to heat up.
• Heat the oil in a smallish saucepan; it should come about a third of the way up the sides of the pan. When you think it's hot enough, toss in a cube of bread and see if it sizzles and browns. If it browns in about 30 seconds, it's hot enough; or if you're using an electric deep-fat fryer regulate the temperature, it should be at 325 degrees F. Keep a watchful eye on your hot oil pan at all times.
• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.
• When you are ready, load up a piping bag with a large star shaped nozzle (8mm) and fill it with the churro dough. Squeeze short lengths, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches, of dough into the hot oil, snipping them off with a pair of scissors as you go. Cook about 3 or 4 at a time. Once they turn a rich golden brown, fish them out with a slotted spoon or tongs onto a kitchen towel lined baking sheet. To keep the churros warm while you fry the remaining dough. Blot them with paper towels and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into the oven to keep the churros warm. Even if you let them sit out of the oven, they do need 5 to 10 minutes to rest before you eat them, to allow them to set inside.
• Chocolate sauce: Melt all of the chocolate sauce ingredients in a heavy based saucepan over low heat. Once combined and the chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside in a warm place.
• Toss the hot churros into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and shake them about to get a good covering, just before serving. Arrange the churros on a serving platter and serve.
• Pour the chocolate sauce into individual pots for serving (to avoid the double dipping dilemma) and dip'n'dunk away.

PUMPKIN SPICE CHURROS WITH SALTED MAPLE CARAMEL DIP

Steps:

• Pour maple syrup into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring with a spoon, until syrup starts to coat the spoon and has a caramel-like consistency, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk 1/4 cup butter into the syrup until melted, about 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and salt, whisking constantly to combine. Pour sauce into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mostly cooled, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl.
• Whisk the remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and white sugar together in a large bowl to make pumpkin spice sugar.
• Combine water, pumpkin puree, 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk thoroughly. Bring to a boil; add the flour mixture. Cook and stir vigorously until dough is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until cool, about 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. Beat until dough is glossy and thick.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Test the oil with a small squeeze of dough; churro should float to the top of the oil and brown on the bottom in about 30 seconds. Adjust the heat if necessary.
• Pipe roughly 3-inch strips of dough into the oil, keeping the tip of your pastry bag 1 to 2 inches above the oil. Fry until golden, brown, about 30 seconds per side.
• Drain churros on paper towels for 1 minute; toss in the pumpkin spice sugar until evenly coated. Serve warm with the salted maple caramel sauce.