Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches for the Win
Photo credit: churroboroughla/Instagram
Who doesn’t love a good dessert mashup? One of the best submissions to the category ever is surely these churro ice cream sandwiches from Los Angeles catering company Churro Borough.
Because, hello. Churro ice cream sandwiches.
If you’re not familiar with churros, the cinnamon-y, sugary fried dough sticks maybe ”invented by Spanish shepherds herding longhaired sheep (churra)” or maybe “brought to Spain by Portuguese sailors,” well, brace yourself.
Owner Sylvia Yoo makes churro “cookie” sandwiches using scoops of horchata, Mexican hot chocolate, and vanilla custard ice cream. (!!!) Although Yoo, whose career has included stints at Jean-Gorges and WD-50, has been making these babies since 2011, it seems like they’re only just starting to get some internet love.
So how good are they, really? “The churro is fluffy yet crisp, with a thick layer of cinnamon sugar clinging to its delicate surface,” cooed Los Angeles Magazine last year. “The ice cream, made from a custard base, leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s rich and cool and just what you’ve been waiting for all week long.”
These babies are hard to come by if you don’t live in L.A., but here’s the next best thing: Make your own. All you need to do is follow the churro recipe below (adapted from Epicurious with tweaks suggested by pastry chef Alex Levin of Osteria Morini in Washington, D.C.) and pick up a pint of your favorite ice cream.
Then make like the Earl of Sandwich and combine the two.
Churro Ice Cream Sandwich
Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 6
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
3 cups canola oil (for frying)
Ice cream of your choice
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour; stir vigorously with wooden spoon until shiny dough mass forms, about 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl; cool 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat in eggs, 1 at a time; continue beating until smooth, shiny, sticky paste forms. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat to 350°F. Working in batches, spoon batter into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. On a large greased pan, pipe batter into pinwheels about four inches in diameter. (Use a knife if necessary to cut batter at end of star tip.)
Stick the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until the pinwheels are firm enough that they don’t lose their shape when moved. Then carefully use greased spatula to lift each pinwheel and insert it into the oil.
Fry churros until brown and cooked through in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels. Cool 5 minutes, then toss in cinnamon sugar to coat.
Take two churros and sandwich a scoop of ice cream between them. Repeat until all churros are Serve immediately.
For more sweet goodies, head to Epicurious.
