Happy Friday! It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted, mainly because I was away at Disneyland! It was an amazing trip and I definitely wish I was back there now. So this week I’m having a taste of Disneyland at home with these Disney Parks Chocolate-Hazelnut Strawberry Churros!
I love churros and I was lucky enough to be in Disneyland during National Churro Day! To celebrate, Disneyland released a bunch of special flavored churros, including these chocolate-hazelnut strawberry ones. These cinnamon sugar covered churros are topped with Nutella spread and freeze-dried strawberries! if you’re at the Parks, you can find these at the Cozy Cone Hotel in California Adventure through August.
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I first made churros a few years ago when Disney released a recipe for churro bites. If you’re interested in those, check out these Disney Parks Churro Bites. For this recipe, I made the churros a bit larger and then added the toppings after they were rolled in cinnamon sugar.
To make these churros, start by making the pastry dough. Similar to making a choux pastry, you’ll make this dough in a saucepan on the stove. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt, and cinnamon over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat and add the flour, stirring vigorously. I like to use a wooden spoon for this part, as I’ve found the dough sticks to it a little bit and makes it easier to stir and combine. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Once combined, set aside and let rest for 5-7 minutes.
While the dough is resting, prepare your frying materials. First, place a large star tip inside a large piping bag. Then, add the oil to a medium pan, skillet, or dutch oven. I do almost all of my frying in a dutch oven. Fit a candy/oil thermometer to the side of the pan. While this is not entirely necessary, I do recommend using a thermometer. I use one made by Taylor Precision Products, which is available on Amazon. Using a thermometer makes it easy to know when the oil is ready for frying and helps you monitor it while cooking so it doesn’t get too hot or cold.
Finally, place a plate, baking sheet, or other surface covered with paper towels near your pot of oil. This will be for draining the churros.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 F. Transfer the dough to the prepared piping bag, and pipe a strip of dough straight down over the pot of oil. Use a sharp knife or clean kitchen shears to cut the end of the dough strip from the piping bag and let it fall into the oil and cook until golden brown.
For these churros, I aimed for 2-3 inches in length. Repeat until the pot of oil is full but the churros still have room to move around freely as they cook. I rotated my churros occasionally in the oil as they cooked so they got an even color on all sides.
Once the churros are golden, remove them from the oil using a heat-safe slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer. Place the churros on the paper towel covered surface and let rest.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Working in batches, toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar until they are well coated. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl.
For the toppings, warm a couple spoonfuls of Nutella in the microwave and then drizzle it over the churros. If you’re looking for more control, you can also transfer the Nutella to a piping bag and pipe it over the churros. Then, sprinkle a handful of freeze-dried strawberries over the top of the churros. The strawberries I had were kinda large so I broke those into smaller pieces. Add as many as you’d like!
Enjoy these Disney Parks Chocolate-Hazelnut Strawberry Churros!
Disney Parks Chocolate-Hazelnut Strawberry Churros
Ingredients
Churros
- 1 cup water
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 quart vegetable or canola oil
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toppings
- ½ cup Nutella, warmed
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries, broken into small pieces
Equipment
- large piping bag
- large star piping tip
- candy/oil thermometer
Instructions
Churros
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In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, and ground cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil.
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Reduce the heat to low and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5-7 minutes.
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Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir until combined and set aside.
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Heat oil in a medium skillet, pan, or dutch oven over medium-high heat until the temperature of the oil reaches 350 F.
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Transfer the dough to the large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a 2-3 inch strip of dough over the oil, cut the end with a sharp knife or kitchen shears, and drop the dough into the oil. Repeat until churros fill the saucepan with room to fry.
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Fry the churros until golden brown, rotating occasionally. Remove from the oil using a heat-proof slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
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Drain the churros on a plate lined with paper towels.
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Mix sugar and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Toss churros until coated.
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Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with Nutella and sprinkle with freeze-dried strawberries.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Disney Parks