Description
Celebrate the holidays with festive Christmas Tree Churros—crispy, golden fried dough shaped like stacked tree layers, coated with cinnamon sugar, and finished with rich chocolate ganache and colorful sprinkles. This fun and delicious treat makes a perfect dessert or festive snack for your winter gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
For Frying
- Vegetable oil, 4 to 6 cups (for frying)
- Cooking spray
Coating and Decoration
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- Red and green sprinkles and/or white nonpareils
Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare Dough: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water, and 2 tablespoons of sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove from heat, then add flour and salt, stirring vigorously until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Let the dough cool for 10 minutes.
- Incorporate Eggs: Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, add eggs one at a time to the dough, beating well after each addition until fully blended.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Using cookie cutters or a ruler, trace three 2 1/2-inch circles, three 2-inch circles, three 1 1/2-inch circles, and three 1-inch circles onto the parchment.
- Pipe Dough: Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough over the circles: leave 1 1/2 inch space in the center of the largest circles, a fingerprint-sized space in the middle circles, and fill smallest circles completely. Pipe three Hershey’s Kiss–sized dollops as well. Freeze the dough shapes until firm, 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat Oil: Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches in a large Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until an instant-read thermometer reaches 375°F.
- Make Ganache and Cinnamon Sugar: Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl until small bubbles appear, about 1 minute. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Fry Churros: Fry three largest churro circles at a time, turning halfway, until golden brown, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Toss warm churros in cinnamon sugar and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining churros and fry the Hershey’s Kiss–sized dollops about 1 minute each.
- Assemble and Decorate: Arrange the churros on a platter by stacking each size from largest to smallest to resemble a Christmas tree. Spoon 2 to 3 dollops of chocolate ganache over each churro stack. Decorate with red and green sprinkles and white nonpareils.
Notes
- For best results, freeze the piped churro dough until very firm before frying to maintain shape.
- Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer to monitor oil temperature for crisp, evenly cooked churros.
- Substitute dark chocolate chips for a richer ganache flavor.
- For gluten-free option, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend designed for baking.
- Store leftover churros loosely covered at room temperature and reheat in an oven for crispness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
