Mexican churros — ridged fried dough cylinders rolled in cinnamon sugar — use a dough similar to Spanish churros but typically richer (sometimes with egg) and the dough is piped through a star-shaped tip that creates the ridges that simultaneously provide structural support and maximise surface area for frying. The ridges become crispy while the interior remains slightly tender.
- **The dough:** Flour + water + salt + sometimes butter or lard — brought together in a hot liquid-flour base similar to choux. The hot water partially gelatinises the starch, producing the characteristic slightly crispy exterior. - **The piping:** A star tip creates the ridges — essential. Without ridges, the churro has insufficient structural surface area for the crisp exterior. - **Oil temperature:** 175–180°C. The churro must be added with the oil at temperature and not moved for the first 30 seconds — movement before the exterior sets produces uneven, misshapen churros. - **Chocolate dipping sauce:** Mexican churro accompaniment — unsweetened chocolate + cream + cinnamon + sugar.
Mexico: The Cookbook