My Mother's Day Present to Me

Years ago, when our kids were small, we took them to Disneyland. It was there that we discovered Churros, a Mexican treat. There were churro vendors all over Disneyland and we were hard pressed to keep away from them. I think we all remember those churros fondly and have craved them ever since.

Yesterday, while doing some much needed grocery shopping, I picked up a magazine that was all Mexican recipes, including.... You guessed it.. Churros!

Today, being Mother's Day, I decided to spoil myself by making up a batch of these absolutely scrumptious treats. The dough is, basically, a choux pastry, the same kind of recipe as cream puff dough. They're crispy on the outside, soft and yummy on the inside. The recipe recommends a Mexican chocolate sauce for dipping, but I really don't think they need it. They're so good all on their own. Sheer decadence!

Start with 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup butter, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Bring that to a boil and when the butter's melted, add one cup of flour, all at once.

Using a wooden spoon, stir it like crazy until it all comes together in a ball. Remove it from the heat. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Mix together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the egg/vanilla mixture into the slightly cooled dough and stir it with your wooden spoon until it's all mixed in. The dough will be quite thick and will stay in a ball.

Put the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star point.

Pipe the dough onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet into 4" strips.

Preheat the oven to 300F and heat the oil to 375F. When the oil is ready, fry the churros 4 or so at a time until they're golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Line another baking sheet with paper towels. Drain the churros on the paper towels and keep them in the oven until all the churros are done.

Once they're all fried, dredge them in 1/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

And then....... Indulge!!!

John had never had churros before. His comment? "You done good!"

The diet starts tomorrow.