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Mixing fancy French pastry with cozy Spanish treats, these Churro Cruffins hit the spot. They blend flaky croissant texture with that sweet cinnamon-sugar coating we all love from churros. The result? Something totally wonderful for your morning table or afternoon snack time.
Since trying these out, my weekend kitchen hasn't been the same. The smell of butter and cinnamon floating through the house gets everyone up and at the table faster than usual.
Fantastic Ingredients Breakdown
- All-purpose flour: Go for unbleached to get better taste and feel
- Instant yeast: Make sure it's fresh for a good rise
- Unsalted butter: Better quality makes more amazing layers
- Ground cinnamon: The fresher and more fragrant, the tastier the result
- Granulated sugar: Smaller grains stick better to warm treats
- Salt: Brings out both the sweetness and butter flavor
Easy-to-Follow Making Process
- Making Your Base:
- Mix your flour and sugar in a big bowl, put yeast in warm water until dissolved, stir until you get rough dough, work it till smooth, then let it sit and grow.
- Creating Layers:
- Flatten dough into rectangle, spread soft butter all over it, fold in three like a letter, chill between each folding step, keep everything cool as you work.
- Forming Your Cruffins:
- Slice dough into strips, roll each one up tight, put them in muffin pan, leave space for growing, cover them loosely while rising.
- Getting Them Baked:
- Get your oven nice and hot first, put rack in middle, look for golden brown color, turn the pan if needed, check if they're done.
- Adding The Good Stuff:
- Mix cinnamon and sugar together, brush hot cruffins with melted butter, roll them in your mixture right away, make sure to coat them all over.
I came up with these after visiting both France and Spain, where I totally fell for both croissants and churros.
Watching Your Temps
Getting these cruffins right really comes down to temperature. After making tons of batches, I've found that keeping your butter cool but still soft makes the best layers. Working in a cool kitchen and putting the dough in the fridge between folds stops the butter from soaking into the dough.
Prep Ahead Perks
These treats are great for making ahead. I often fix the dough and shape everything the night before, then stick it in the fridge. Come morning, I just let them warm up while the oven heats, and boom – fresh pastries for breakfast.
Tasty Filling Ideas
They taste amazing plain, but you can stuff these cruffins with all sorts of goodies. My family goes crazy for caramel filling, but melted chocolate, custard, or even jam works great too. I just use a small tip to squirt fillings in after they're baked.
Keeping Them Fresh
While they're best right away, you can keep leftover cruffins in a sealed container on your counter for about two days. Pop them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes and they'll crisp right back up.
Fixing Common Problems
If you can't see clear layers, your butter probably got too warm during folding. I've learned to feel the dough often – it should be cool to touch but not cold, kind of like your fridge temperature.
Ways To Serve Them
These cruffins look amazing on any brunch table. I like to put them out with some fresh fruit and hot coffee. For special times, I set up different sauces for everyone to dip them in.
These Churro Cruffins have become my go-to breakfast treat that everyone asks for at family get-togethers and holiday mornings. Those buttery, flaky layers with sweet cinnamon coating create something really special. Served for breakfast or as an afternoon treat, they always make people smile and ask how to make them.
Recipe Q&A
- → Is it okay to make the dough a day early?
- Absolutely, you can get the dough ready and keep it in the fridge overnight before you shape and bake them.
- → What's the point of all those dough folds?
- Folding creates butter streaks throughout the dough, giving you that amazing flaky texture like a croissant.
- → Can I swap out the caramel filling?
- Sure thing, try it with chocolate spread, vanilla custard, or any thick, creamy filling you like.
- → How should I keep any extras?
- Pop them in a sealed container at room temp for up to 2 days, but they taste way better when they're fresh.
- → Why all the fridge time during prep?
- Cooling helps the butter get firm between all those layers, and that's what makes your pastries nice and flaky.