Churros festivos con forma de árbol de Navidad

Ingredientes

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g.)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• Cooking spray
• Vegetable oil, 4 to 6 cups (for frying)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (85 g.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g.)
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• Red and green sprinkles and/or white nonpareils (for decorating)

Preparación

1. 1

   Prepare dough: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water, and 2 tablespoons sugar; bring to a boil. Stir in vanilla extract, then remove from heat. Add flour and salt, stirring vigorously until the mixture thickens and forms a dough, about 30 seconds. Let cool for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Add eggs: Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat in eggs one at a time, fully blending each before adding the next, until dough is smooth and glossy.

3. 3

   Prepare piping guides: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Using cookie cutters or a ruler, trace 3 circles of 2 1/2 inches, 3 circles of 2 inches, 3 circles of 1 1/2 inches, and 3 circles of 1 inch in diameter on the parchment.

4. 4

   Pipe churros: Transfer dough to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe dough over the traced circles, leaving space in the center for the largest and medium sizes as instructed. Add 3 dollops of dough about the size of Hershey’s Kisses separately on the sheet. Freeze the sheet until dough is firm, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

5. 5

   Heat oil: Pour vegetable oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high until oil reaches 375°F (190°C) on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer.

6. 6

   Make ganache and cinnamon sugar: Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Microwave heavy cream until bubbles form around 1 minute, then pour over chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and ground cinnamon.

7. 7

   Fry churros: Fry the 3 largest churro circles in oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove, drain excess oil, then toss in cinnamon sugar. Place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining churros and Hershey’s Kiss-shaped dollops, which fry in about 1 minute.

8. 8

   Assemble trees and serve: On a serving platter, stack churros from largest to smallest—start with 2 1/2 inch ones, then 2 inch, then 1 1/2 inch, and finally 1 inch on top. Drizzle 2 to 3 spoonfuls of chocolate ganache over each stacked tree and decorate with red, green, and white sprinkles.