Red Velvet Churros with Cream Cheese Dip

Name: Red Velvet Churros with Cream Cheese Dip
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 18
Ingredients: 240 mL water; 1/2 tsp. coffee granules; 1 tbsp. caster sugar; 85 g butter; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 15 g tube of intense red food gel; 160 g plain flour; 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tbsp. cocoa powder; Pinch of salt; 1 large egg; Sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying; 1 tsp. cocoa powder; 2 tbsp. caster sugar; 150 g full-fat cream cheese; 40 g icing sugar; 50 g white chocolate; 3 tbsp. milk

By Javaria AkbarPublished: 01 August 2022

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Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle and dusted in cocoa and sugar, these red velvet style churros are dangerously good.

This recipe includes a touch of coffee because it deepens the chocolatey intensity of the cocoa powder. You can’t taste the coffee in the final product but if you’re coffee-averse feel free to omit it.

Note you'll need good quality food gel colouring, rather than a liquid colouring, to achieve the characteristic hue of a red velvet cake (a professional colour paste will lend your churros an even brighter colour but you’ll need to use less).

If you want to prepare your churros ahead of time, pipe them out on a lined baking tray and refrigerate them until you're ready to get frying. And if you're making the dip in advance, add a splash more milk and mix through before serving to achieve the perfect saucy consistency.

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Yields:

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Ingredients

For the churros

240 ml
water
1/2 tsp.
coffee granules
1 Tbsp.
caster sugar
85 g
butter
1 tsp.
vanilla extract
15 g
tube of intense red food gel
160 g
plain flour
1/2 tsp.
baking powder
1 Tbsp.
cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1
large egg
Sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

Cocoa dusting

1 tsp.
cocoa powder
2 Tbsp.
caster sugar

For the cream cheese dip

150 g
full-fat cream cheese
40 g
icing sugar
50 g
white chocolate
3 Tbsp.
milk

Directions

1. Step 1In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Put butter, sugar, coffee and water in a pan and bring to the boil before removing from heat. Add in vanilla extract, food colouring gel and flour mixture. Beat well with a wooden spoon until it becomes a soft, hot dough.
2. Step 2Put dough in bowl of a stand mixer and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Turn mixer on medium setting and add eggs one at a time until incorporated (if doing this by hand be sure to beat the eggs in well). The mixture should be smooth and gently fall off the beater when at the correct texture.
3. Step 3Pour enough oil for deep frying into a large pot over medium heat. Put churro dough in a piping bag with a medium star nozzle. Once the oil reaches 180°C, squeeze a length of the dough directly into the oil and snip off with scissors. Aim for about 12cm in length and fry a maximum of 3-4 at a time. They’ll puff up in the pan so don't be tempted to add more.
4. Step 4Flip the churros after 1 minute. Wait a further minute, remove them and place on a cooling rack to help retain their crispy exterior. Combine caster sugar and cocoa. Roll churros in the mix. Use your hands to cover each of the grooves with sugar.
5. Step 5Continue to fry the churros in batches, each time waiting for the oil to reach the correct temperature before adding more dough.
6. Step 6Meanwhile, make the dip. Whip the room temperature cream cheese with the icing sugar and vanilla in a mixer for 2 minutes. Melt white chocolate in the microwave in short bursts. Check it every 15 seconds and stir to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cool for one minute.
7. Step 7Pour white chocolate into cream cheese and mix until combined. Add milk and mix again to thin it down. If you prefer a thinner consistency add more milk. Serve the hot churros with the cream cheese dip.