Churro Cookies

I’ve been on a mission. A delicious, cinnamony mission.

It all started because I love churros. I mean, who doesn’t? That warm, sugary, cinnamony embrace is a thing of beauty. But let’s be real, deep-frying at home? It’s a whole thing. The hot oil, the mess, the fear of burning down your kitchen… Not exactly a “joyful journey.”

So, I got an idea. What if you could capture the magic of a churro—that perfect mix of soft inside and crispy, sugary outside—in a cookie? No fryer required. That’s how this recipe was born. It’s a churro, but in a much more friendly, low-stress, bakeable format.

These aren’t just cookies; they’re an experience. They fill your kitchen with the most wonderful, comforting smells. And the best part? The recipe is simple enough that anyone can make them.

Quick Look: The Churro Cookie Recipe

Let’s break down what you’ll need and how long it’ll take you to get these little guys into your mouth.

Category	Details
Total Time	55 minutes (30 minutes prep, 10 minutes bake, plus cooling)
Yields	About 30 cookies
Difficulty	Intermediate (The dough can be a little tricky, but I’ll walk you through it.)
Equipment	Stand mixer or hand mixer, piping bag with a large star tip, parchment paper, wire rack
Storage	Airtight container, up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

What You’ll Need

The ingredients for these cookies are pretty simple. But each one plays a crucial role in getting that authentic churro flavor.

For the Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter: Room temperature is key. Not melted, just soft enough to easily press your finger into it.
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract: Use a good one! It makes a difference.
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 to 6 teaspoons milk: This is your secret weapon. You’ll add this little by little to get the dough to the perfect piping consistency.

For the Glaze

• ½ cup hot water: It needs to be hot enough to dissolve all the sugar.
• 2 cups powdered sugar

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon: Don’t be shy here! This is where the magic happens.

Let’s Get Baking

Follow these steps, and you’ll have beautiful, delicious cookies in no time.

Step 1: Prep the Kitchen.

First, crank up your oven to 375°F. While it’s heating, grab a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. This will save you from a lot of scraping later on.

Step 2: Make the Dough.

In a big bowl, use your mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. You want it to look pale yellow and fluffy, not dense. This is what gives the cookies their tender crumb.

Next, add your beaten egg and vanilla. Mix until everything is smooth.

Now for the dry stuff: flour, baking powder, and salt. Switch your mixer to the lowest speed and mix until the flour is just combined. The dough will look like big, soft crumbles. That’s exactly what you want. It should be slightly sticky, but easy to handle.

Step 3: The Piping Test.

This is the trickiest part, but I’ve got a pro tip for you. Fit your piping bag with a large star tip and put a small amount of dough in it. Try to pipe a line.

• Is it too hard to push through the bag? Don’t panic. Add 2 teaspoons of milk to the dough in the bowl and mix again.
• Keep adding milk, 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough is firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough that your hands won’t ache.

Once you have the right consistency, pipe the dough into long lines—about 3-4 inches each—onto your parchment paper. Leave a couple of inches of space between each line so they don’t stick together when they bake. You should see those beautiful churro ridges.

Step 4: Bake ‘Em.

Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. You’re looking for the edges to turn a light golden-brown. The center will still be a little soft, which is perfect. Don’t overbake them! Trust your nose—when you smell that wonderful mix of cinnamon and butter, they’re probably done.

Step 5: Cut and Cool.

Take the cookies out of the oven and, while they’re still on the tray, use a knife to carefully slice them into individual 3-4 inch pieces. This is also a good time to trim off the ends if you want that perfect churro shape. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6: Glaze and Coat.

While the cookies are cooling, get the glaze and cinnamon-sugar ready.

• For the Glaze: In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and hot water. It should be thin and runny, like a syrup.
• For the Coating: In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.

One by one, dip each cooled cookie into the glaze, let the extra drip off, and then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Make sure you get a generous, even coating!

Step 7: Let Them Dry.

Place the coated cookies back on the wire rack. Now, you wait. It’ll take about 45-60 minutes for the glaze to fully set and give you that crunchy, sugary shell. Once they’re dry, they’re ready to eat!

Mix It Up!

This recipe is a great starting point, but you can totally make it your own.

Go Gluten-Free: Just swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Easy.

Make it Vegan: Use a plant-based butter substitute and a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water).

Add Some Spice: Want a little kick? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Make Them Fancy: Serve them with a chocolate dipping sauce, or maybe some caramel sauce.

Get Seasonal: Add some pumpkin pie spice in the fall, or a touch of gingerbread spice during the holidays.

Serving and Storing

These cookies are best served fresh, but they’ll last if you need to make them ahead of time.

Serving: Arrange them on a platter for a party, or enjoy them with a hot cup of Mexican hot chocolate or coffee. A glass of cold milk works too!

Storing: Once they’ve completely cooled and dried, put them in an airtight container. They’ll be good for up to 5 days.

Bringing them back to life: If you want that “fresh from the oven” feel, pop them in a 250°F oven for a few minutes. They’ll get warm and crispy again!

Freezing: You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them. They might lose a little of their crunch, but you can always re-roll them in fresh cinnamon sugar to fix that.

I hope you love these cookies as much as I do. They’re a little bit of magic, without any of the deep-frying fuss. Happy baking!

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