By Justin turns 17 Saturday May 18. Dinner with family. Steak. Sheet cake. Gayle gave him a leather wallet with $50 inside. "For gas money." He hugged her. Hard. She patted his back.
Drove Tuesday-Wednesday.
Gayle was a little tired Thursday but rallied Friday.
Graduation in two weeks. Amber is coming for it all week.
Sunday: lasagna.
We had steak for Justin’s birthday dinner and a sheet cake, but the weekend kept going — and with Amber coming for graduation and lasagna on Sunday, I wanted something fun I could pull together without much fuss. These baked red velvet churros felt exactly right: festive enough for a 17th birthday, easy enough for a long family weekend, and that deep red color just felt like a celebration. Justin’s the kind of kid who deserves a little extra something, and these delivered.
The Best Red Velvet Churros (Baked)
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 42 min | Servings: 24 churros
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for coating)
- Cooking spray
- Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Make the dough. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a full boil, stirring until butter melts completely.
- Add flour and cocoa. Remove from heat and stir in flour and cocoa powder all at once until a smooth ball forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
- Cool slightly. Transfer dough to a stand mixer or large bowl and let cool 5 minutes so it doesn’t scramble the eggs.
- Add eggs and color. With mixer on medium (or beating vigorously by hand), add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla extract and red food coloring until dough is uniformly deep red and glossy.
- Pipe the churros. Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (1M or equivalent). Pipe 4-inch strips onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake 18–22 minutes until churros are set and lightly crisp on the outside, rotating pans halfway through. Do not underbake — they should feel firm to the touch.
- Coat in cinnamon sugar. While churros are still warm, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow dish. Roll each churro gently to coat all sides.
- Make the dipping sauce. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk one tablespoon at a time until a dippable consistency forms. Serve alongside warm churros.
Nutrition (per serving, 2 churros)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 72mg