Easy Fried orange churros made with a flavorful kick of fresh orange zest and paired with a rich and lightly spiced hot Chocolate milk recipe. Perfect for an afternoon snack!
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What are Churros?
Churros are fried dough sticks that are usually dusted with sugar or cinnamon sugar. While some churros recipes do not use eggs, most churro recipes that do use eggs use a dough made in the same way as pâte à choux or choux pastry.
How to make Orange Churros
On a small plate, mix ½ cup sugar with cinnamon, and set aside. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and, in a shallow dish, add the granulated sugar and Set aside.
In a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat, combine water, milk, unsalted butter, sugar, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
Stir in the flour, mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth dough, and pull away from the pan for about 2 to 5 minutes. Next, stir in the orange zest and pure vanilla extract; continue mixing until there are no flour bits left and all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Spoon mixture to a churro maker or a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or a similar device for preparing orange churros.*(You must work fast and don’t let the dough get cool).
Pipe the batter into 5-6 inches lengths about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (the warmer the dough, the easier it to manipulate when squeezing/pipping the dough).
When the oil reaches 350° F, gently drop a few orange churros in the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp. Once cooked, remove them from the oil and immediately place them in the sugar mixture bowl; roll each fried pastry dough to coat with the sugar mixture fully.
Repeat frying 3 to 4 strips of dough at a time. (about 4 to 5 minutes) * Make sure you keep turning the orange churros so they can cook evenly.
How to Make Spiced Hot Chocolate
In a medium saucepan, heat 1¼ liter of the milk. Add the clove. In a medium bowl, add the remaining 1/4 liter of milk, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, and whisk well until completely combined.
Then pour the cocoa mixture into the saucepan and whisk until well incorporated; increase the heat to medium-low.
Keep heating until the mixture reaches a light simmer, but don’t bring it to a full-on boil. (Boiling milk changes its protein structure and gives it a different flavor).
Once everything is creamy and smooth, add the chopped chocolate and pure vanilla extract, stir to combine, and take the cocoa off the heat. Remove the clove and divide among mugs, top with marshmallows or a dollop of whipped cream. Serve hot alongside the hot spiced chocolate milk. Enjoy!
Differences between Spanish Churros vs. Mexican Churros
Churros in Mexico are made with eggs and are typically rolled in cinnamon sugar. On the other hand, Spanish Churro tends to be eggless and are rolled in plain sugar (or no sugar at all) and are often served with thick drinking chocolate.
Tips for Making The Best Orange Churros
- The warmer the dough, the easier it to manipulate when squeezing/pipping the dough.
- Make sure you keep turning the orange churros so they can cook evenly.
- Make sure your oil is hot: Keep the temperature between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit; if you dip the tip of a wooden spoon into the oil, it should produce a small stream of bubbles.
- If you start frying with too cold oil, your churros will absorb more oil and become greasy. However, if the oil is too hot, the outside will cook faster than the inside, resulting in a raw interior and brown exterior. When you add churro dough to the oil, the temperature will drop, so keep an eye on it and adjust as needed!
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📖 Recipe
Orange Churros with Spiced Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
For the Orange Churros:
- 250 g water
- 250 g whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 350 g all-purpose flour , sifted
- Zest from 1 orange
- 15 ml 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Canola Oil or any neutral oil , to fry
For the Coating:
- 1/2 cup plain white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Hot Chocolate:
- 1½ liter whole milk
- 100 g sugar , to taste
- 50 g 100% pure Cocoa
- 100 g bittersweet chocolate , chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 whole clove
- 15 ml 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Orange Churros:
- On a small plate, mix ½ cup sugar with cinnamon, and set aside. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and, in a shallow dish, add the granulated sugar and Set aside.
- In a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat, combine water, milk, unsalted butter, sugar, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the flour, mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth dough, and pull away from the pan for about 2 to 5 minutes. Next, stir in the orange zest and pure vanilla extract; continue mixing until there are no flour bits left and all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Spoon mixture to a churro maker or a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or a similar device for preparing orange churros.*(You must work fast and don’t let the dough get cool).
- Pipe the batter into 5-6 inches lengths about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (the warmer the dough, the easier it to manipulate when squeezing/pipping the dough).
- When the oil reaches 350° F, gently drop a few orange churros in the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp. Once cooked, remove them from the oil and immediately place them in the sugar mixture bowl; roll each fried pastry dough to coat with the sugar mixture fully.
- Repeat frying 3 to 4 strips of dough at a time. (about 4 to 5 minutes) * Make sure you keep turning the orange churros so they can cook evenly.
How to Make Spiced Hot Chocolate
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1¼ liter of the milk. Add the clove. In a medium bowl, add the remaining 1/4 liter of milk, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, and whisk well until completely combined.
- Then pour the cocoa mixture into the saucepan and whisk until well incorporated; increase the heat to medium-low.
- Keep heating until the mixture reaches a light simmer, but don't bring it to a full-on boil. (Boiling milk changes its protein structure and gives it a different flavor).
- Once everything is creamy and smooth, add the chopped chocolate and pure vanilla extract, stir to combine, and take the cocoa off the heat. Remove the clove and divide among mugs, top with marshmallows or a dollop of whipped cream. Serve hot alongside the hot spiced chocolate milk. Enjoy!
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
