Churros might just be the most likable dessert on the planet already, but these heart shaped cuties are somehow even better. With a bit of heart-shaped Valentine’s Day flair, a sprinkle of tangy and fruity freeze dried strawberries, and the most luxurious hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted, this dessert knocks it out of the park.
If you’re feeling more churro-focused and less cute-focused, feel free to make your churros in the traditional shape, piping into simple lines or piping directly into the hot oil.
The Spanish style hot chocolate can also be made without the churros– it’s 100% delicious and enjoyable enough to stand on its own!
Recipe Notes:
Churro Dough:
When it comes to making the churro dough, a few things are important to note:
First, be sure to let the dough stand for 10 minutes before adding the egg. The 10 minute interlude both gives the flour time to soak up the liquid and expand and thicken, and gives the dough time to cool so that the egg doesn’t cook and scramble when added.
If you don’t have a hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat in the egg, you can use some elbow grease and mix by hand!
Second, churro dough is pretty easy to handle. It might seem crazy to form hearts by manipulating the dough with your hands, but it’s not! It’s not super sticky either. It should be a-ok to pipe onto any clean work surface, no flour necessary.
Pipe Dream:
Sooooo, confession time: I totally piped the churros pictured with a much smaller piping tip than is recommended. I had to squeeze and squeeze to pipe them, but hey, it worked!
Anyway, the proper size is an Ateco 845 or 846 or equivalent.
A rounded closed star tip will give you more defined churro ridges than an open star tip!
I Believe I Can Fry:
For frying churros and donuts I like to use my dutch oven, but any heavy bottomed pot will work.
Churros in a shape formation have a tendency to become misshapen when they are first placed in the oil– for whatever reason, they like to cling to the sides of the pot. Watch them and try to keep them in the center if you can!
Remember, when frying, it’s very important to use a thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. You will need to adjust the heat as needed. I like to use an infrared thermometer, but you can also use a candy or frying thermometer.
Magic Dust:
After removing the churros from the oil, transfer to paper towels for 15-30 seconds to give the oil a moment to soak in and dab off before coating in the cinnamon sugar. If the churros are placed in the cinnamon sugar directly from the oil, the excess oil will cause the sugar to clump. However, the cinnamon sugar will not cling to the churro once the churro has cooled off, so be sure to get it coated while it’s still warm!
Sprinkle with the freeze dried strawberries after coating with the cinnamon sugar. If the strawberries are added when the churros are too hot, they will kind of melt into the surface.
I like to get my freeze dried strawberries at Trader Joe’s! I also use freeze dried strawberries in my strawberry mochi recipe!
Keep scrolling for the recipes!
Heart Shaped Churros Recipe
Heart-Shaped Churros with Strawberry Dust
Ingredients
For The Churro Dough:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg beaten
For The Coatings:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp crushed freeze dried strawberries (crush by hand in a bag or in a food processor)
Everything Else:
- rounded closed star tip ateco 845 or 846
- large piping bag
- neutral oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare And Shape The Churros:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula until a ball of dough forms. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand 10 minutes to cool and continue to thicken.
- After 10 minutes, beat the dough on medium speed. As the mixer runs, pour in the egg. Beat the mixture until smooth and combined (it is normal for the egg to take a moment to mix in.) Transfer the dough to the piping bag fitted with the closed star tip.
- On a sheet of parchment paper or clean work surface, pipe lines of dough 10-12” long, and snip with scissors to detach from the piping bag. To form hearts, place one end of the dough on top of the other to form a teardrop shape and apply gentle pressure to adhere the ends together (you will lose the definition of the ridges in this spot, but that’s okay!) Then, push the center of the other end of the teardrop downward and pinch together to form a heart.
Fry The Churros:
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar coating by whisking together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish, such as a pie pan. Prepare your frying station with a heat-proof slotted utensil, a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels, and another rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat 1.5” of neutral oil to 365F. To transfer your heart shaped churros to the oil, pick up by the two pinch points and lower slowly and gently into the oil, or, place the churro on your slotted utensil and use the utensil to lower into the oil. Allow each churro to cook 1 minute before adding another churro to the oil so they don’t stick together or become misshapen. Cook up to 3 churros at a time, flipping once or twice while the fry, until they are golden brown.
- Transfer the churros to the paper towels and allow to sit for 15-30 seconds, then move to the cinnamon sugar while still warm and coat. Transfer to the wire rack and sprinkle with the freeze dried strawberries.
- Serve the churros fresh with spanish style hot chocolate for dipping!
Spanish Style Hot Chocolate Recipe
Spanish Style Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 oz dark chocolate finely chopped (pieces smaller than a green pea)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a small dish, whisk the cornstarch into 1/2 cup of the milk until completely dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining milk over medium-low heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve any skin that forms. When the milk is simmering, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Cover and allow to sit 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and whisk until smooth. Add the brown sugar and the cornstarch mixture and return to low heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and smooth, about 10 minutes more. Stir in the vanilla and salt and serve!
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