Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate -- The More Rosa Always Wanted For Us

February approaches and with it Valentine's Day, which the bakery has never done before but which Sofia insists we "absolutely have to capitalize on," a phrase I am fairly certain she learned from YouTube and which she delivered with the confidence of a Fortune 500 CEO and not an eleven-year-old girl with flour on her jeans. Her plan: heart-shaped conchas with pink sugar topping, and a special strawberry tres leches cake available by pre-order. I said yes because the ideas are good and because saying no to Sofia's bakery ideas has become a thing I simply don't do.

The recipe notebook has ninety-four entries. I am slowing down — not because I am running out of recipes but because the easy ones are done. The chile colorado. The tortillas. The caldo. The enchiladas. What remains are the harder recipes — the ones Rosa made only on special occasions, the ones I watched from a distance, the ones where I remember the taste but not the technique, the ones where my hands have to guess because my memory is incomplete. I spent twenty minutes this week trying to remember whether Rosa put oregano or marjoram in her albondigas. I think oregano. I am eighty percent sure. The twenty percent haunts me.

Diego entered a science competition at school. His project: a water filtration system using sand, gravel, and activated charcoal, designed to filter contaminated water into drinkable water. He told me it was inspired by the water problems in Juárez — the contaminated water that Rosa used to boil before drinking, the water that was never quite clean, the water that was one of a hundred quiet humiliations of poverty. He is eight years old and he is building water filters because his mother told him about water in Anapra and he decided to fix it. He is eight and he is already an engineer and he doesn't even know it yet.

Camila has learned to read. Not fluently — she is four, nearly five — but she reads. Simple words, simple sentences. She read the bakery menu board — Sofia's beautiful chalkboard — from bottom to top, sounding out each word, and when she got to "Panadería Rosa" at the top she said each syllable slowly — "Pa-na-de-rí-a Ro-sa" — and then she said, "That's Abuela!" and I knelt down to her level and said, "Yes, baby. That's Abuela." And the word — Abuela — in her mouth, read from a menu board in a bakery named for the woman it refers to, was a sentence that contained my entire life.

I made churros this week. Not for the bakery — just for the kids, after school, as a surprise. Choux dough piped through a star tip into hot oil, fried until golden, rolled in cinnamon sugar. Served with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate for dipping. Rosa didn't make churros — they are a treat, a luxury, the food of fairs and festivals — but I make them because I can, because the bakery gives me access to ingredients and equipment and the freedom to make things that Rosa couldn't, and using that freedom feels like honoring her. She gave me everything so I could have more than everything. Churros are the more.

That afternoon, watching my daughter read her great-grandmother’s name off a menu board and feel the word Abuela settle into her mouth like something that had always belonged there, I wanted to give her something warm to hold onto — something that said abundance, celebration, you are loved beyond measure. Churros are not a weeknight food, which is exactly why I made them on a Wednesday. Here’s how I did it.

Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6 (about 18 churros)

Ingredients

• For the churros:
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 inches deep)
• For the cinnamon sugar coating:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• For the Mexican hot chocolate dipping sauce:
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 oz Mexican chocolate (such as Ibárra or Abuelita), roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for gentle heat)

Instructions

1. Make the choux dough. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring until the butter is fully melted.
2. Add the flour. Remove the pan from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Return to medium heat and stir constantly for 1–2 more minutes to cook out any rawness. The dough should look slightly glossy.
3. Incorporate the eggs. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Beat on medium speed for 1 minute to release steam and cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. The finished dough should be smooth, shiny, and thick enough to hold a stiff peak. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (1/2-inch or larger).
4. Prepare the coating and heat the oil. Stir together the cinnamon sugar in a shallow dish or sheet pan and set aside. Pour vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°F, using a candy or deep-fry thermometer to monitor temperature.
5. Fry the churros. Working in batches to avoid crowding, pipe 4-to-5-inch lengths of dough directly into the hot oil, snipping the ends with kitchen scissors. Fry, turning once, until deep golden brown on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Maintain oil temperature between 360°F and 380°F. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper-towel-lined plate.
6. Coat immediately. While still hot, roll the churros in the cinnamon sugar mixture, turning to coat all sides. Arrange on a serving platter.
7. Make the hot chocolate. While the churros fry (or just before serving), warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Add the chopped Mexican chocolate and whisk constantly until fully melted and smooth, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, vanilla, and cayenne if using. Keep warm over low heat, whisking occasionally, until ready to serve.
8. Serve. Divide the hot chocolate among small cups or mugs for dipping. Serve churros immediately alongside — they are best eaten fresh and hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 51g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg