Location: Every three steps in a Disney Park

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Hi bakers!

So I finally got to see the new Avengers movie today and it was … well, I thought it was ok.

I know people are in love with it. People are ready to sell their firstborn for spoilers of the next one. There are thousands of people creating fan-fiction and speculating what’s going to happen in the second movie. They have theories on how… well I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say people’s imaginations are running wild.

This is going to sound odd but I thought there was too much action in this action movie. I know how crazy that sounds. I also know they had a lot of characters they had to fit in. The fans wouldn’t have had it any other way. It just felt like a bad guy showed up on screen, character one punched him, character two punched him, character three punched him… Then a new bad guy would appear. Character one punched him, character two punched him, character punched him. Where’s the story? Where’s the build up? Where’s the suspense?

I know I’m in a minority with my opinion and that’s fine. Again I thought it was good, it just seemed like a lot of the same thing. Which makes me think about our recipe today; Disney Parks Churros. Technically we made the churro tots but it’s the same recipe.

You can not go two feet without hitting a churro stand in a Disney Park. Every land has a churro cart, restaurants have churro desserts and Disney is always advertising a new variety. You can get red ones, green ones, strawberry, cinnamon, s’mores, carrot cake… the list goes on. Like the movie, I think they are great, but it’s starting to get a little repetitive. I say that as someone who likes churros. Let me correct that, loves a good churro. I just wonder if are they watering down the excitement aspect of them.

I feel conflicted though because churros are turning into an iconic Disney Park snack. Just like a Mickey Bar or The Kitchen Sink, you have to try them. I know I always have too.

If you have never had one or want to make them at home, the recipe is pretty simple. It doesn’t take long and instantly transports your Disney family back into the Disney parks. More and more you can find churros across North America but there is nothing like a Disney Park Churro. Even if there are a million of them in the theme parks.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of water

• 3 eggs

• 4 oz butter

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/4 cups flour

• Cinnamon/Sugar Mix

• 1 1/2 cup oil

Instructions:

1. Prepare three plates. One plate with paper towel, one with cinnamon/sugar mix and one with nothing. Set them aside.

2. In a medium saucepot over medium heat, combine the water, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Bring to a rolling boil.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour. Stir very quickly. Stir until the dough forms a ball.

4. Remove the saucepot from the heat and set aside. Allow to cool down for 5-7 minutes. It won’t be cold by that point. It will just be cooler. I like to place mine in a stand mixer and turn the paddle on low. It will allow the steam to escape the dough.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, mix well between each egg. Do not worry if the dough pulls apart between additions. Just keep mixing and the dough will come back together. I promise you.

6. Place the mixture in a piping bag with a large tip.

7. In a skillet, heat 1 1/2 cups of oil. I actually ended up using twice that amount.

8. Squeeze a 1-inch strip of dough into the oil. I used scissors to cut the dough from the piping bag. Be careful to not let it splash.

9. Fry until golden brown on all sides. This took about 6 minutes per churro.

10. Drain the churros on the plate with the paper towel.

11. Once drained, roll the churro in the cinnamon/sugar plate.

12. Place on the third plate to serve.

Note: Serve with melted chocolate sauce for an authentic Disney Parks snack.

Happy baking everyone!