Dulce de Leche Filled Churros (Uruguayan Churros)

Why you’ll love it

• Street-cart flavor at home: crispy, sugary and full of dulce de leche.
• Pantry ingredients: water, butter, flour, eggs and sugar.
• Ready in 45 minutes: no rising, no resting.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 3 tbsp (45 g) butter
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Neutral oil, for frying (about 1 quart / 1 liter)

For the coating and filling

• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (about 450 g) thick dulce de leche (repostero)

Step-by-step method

1. Cook the dough. Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add all the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the pan.

2. Add the eggs. Let the dough cool 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the dough is smooth, glossy and thick enough to hold its shape.

3. Heat the oil. Heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a deep pot to 350°F (175°C).

4. Pipe and fry. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a large open star tip. Pipe 6-inch (15 cm) strips straight into the oil, cutting them with scissors. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp.

5. Coat. Drain on paper towels for a few seconds, then roll them in the sugar while still hot.

6. Fill. Spoon the dulce de leche into a piping bag with a small round tip. Poke a hole in one end of each churro with a skewer, then fill it from both ends until it feels heavy. Serve warm.

Tips for the best result

• Use a thermometer: if the oil is too cool the churros soak up oil; too hot and they brown before they cook through.
• Fry them a little longer than you think: a crisp, slightly hollow churro is easier to fill.
• Warm the dulce de leche for a few seconds so it flows through the piping tip.

Storage

Churros are best the day they are made. Keep leftovers unfilled in a paper bag up to 1 day and re-crisp them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes before filling.