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Baked Pumpkin Churros covered in cinnamon sugar are the perfect fall and winter dessert. They’re baked, not fried, which means you can eat more of them!
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In case these Baked Pumpkin Churros didn’t give it away, I’m finally in the fall mood!
Though the weather has definitely been having some serious mood swings lately, I was able to wear my boots, a big scarf and a sweater this weekend without sweating! That’s a total win in my book.
Another huge win this weekend? These pumpkin churros. (Not to be confused with regular classic churros that are fried.)
I took a batch to a friend’s surprise 30th birthday party and everyone loved them. His grandma even came up to me and gave me lots of compliments! You know you’ve made it when grandmas like your desserts. Weekend = made.
These churros are very easy to make. They make look super fancy because they require using a piping bag and a star tip, but I promise they’re not complicated at all. Just follow the step-by-step instructions in the recipe and they’ll come out perfect every time!
If you’re not a baker and don’t have a clue what a piping bag and a star tip is, here’s what you need.
The 1M star tip gives you a thinner churro than you’re probably used to seeing at restaurants, but I prefer it because it just means I can eat more. Also, it’s a common size tip that’s often used for piping frosting swirls onto cupcakes, so you’ll get lots of use out of it.
One of my favorite things about these pumpkin churros is that they’r baked, not fried.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not against eating fried food. Lord knows I eat it when I’m out at a restaurant. But deep frying food at home is such a pain in the butt and isn’t always necessary. Take these churros for example – they’re absolutely delicious baked! They still have the same crunchy texture on the outside while being light and fluffy on the inside. They’re still covered in a sweet cinnamon sugar coating and can still be dunked in your favorite dessert sauce! Super important.
I dipped mine in some dulce de leche, but you could also serve it with a chocolate sauce or some vanilla icing dip.
Baked Pumpkin Churros
Ingredients
For the churros
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup margarine, cut into pieces (about 8 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the coating
- 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
For the churros
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, chili powder and salt.
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add water, pumpkin puree, margarine and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly and remove from heat.
- Pour the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Let sit and cool down for 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, vigorously mixing together the dough with the wooden spoon until each egg is incorporated. It may seem like the eggs aren’t mixing with the dough, but just keep mixing until they are, about 1 to 2 minutes each egg. The dough should be smooth and the consistency of a very thick pudding.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the dough into a pastry bag with a star tip. I used a Wilton 1M star tip. If you use a larger one, you may get less churros overall because they’ll be thicker, but they’ll still be delicious!
- Pipe 6-inch lines of churro dough onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 25 minutes. Turn oven off and leave churros in for another 10 minutes.
For the coating
- While churros are baking, add cinnamon and sugar to a large plate. Mix together until well combined and set aside until ready to coat the churros.
- To coat, brush churros with melted margarine using a pastry brush and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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can I pipe them through a plastic bag rather than a star tip?
Hi Ally! Yes, you can!
Can I use almond flour instead of all purpose flour for the churros
Hi Greg! We haven’t tried it but it should work! If you try it let us know how it goes.
Hi can you use the same recipe and fry the churros?
Hi there! I’m not quite sure since I haven’t fried them myself. But I think it’s worth a shot! If you fry them, let me know how they turn out. Next time I make them, I’ll fry one an see if it works just as well. Thanks for asking!
Made these yesterday and they were delicious! I made a chocolate sauce for dipping into, too.
Aw yay! I’m so glad you liked them! And eating them with chocolate sauce sounds amazing.
these sound great! how many do they make? and can you prepare them in advance and serve them at room temperature?
Hi Sarah! If you use the Wilton 1M star tip that I mention in the post, they make about 36. Yes, you can prepare them in advance and serve them at room temperature. They longer they stay out, the soggier they can get, but they don’t get too soggy and they’re super addicting so you won’t have any trouble eating them all, haha 🙂
Hi Isabel! These look so yummy! How long do they stay fresh? I’m hoping 2-3 days? : P
Hi Faye! Yep, they stay fresh for 4-6 days in the fridge. They do lose their crispness so I would recommend warming them back in the oven if you’re not going to eat them right away.
Can I substitute butter for all margarine?
Yes.
Sounds tremendous do you think I could make them a few days in advance
Hi Jill. Yep! You can make them a few days earlier and then just crisp them back up in the oven before serving. They tend to get a little soggy once they’ve been sitting for a while.
What would happen of I omitted the chili powder? That ingredient surprised me.
Hey there, you can definitely omit the chili powder if you’d like. I just like to add a little touch of heat to my sweets, but removing it doesn’t hurt the recipe, so feel free!
Can I use almond flour instead of all pourpose flour in the pumpkin churros.
What is the chili powder for? I’m not a big sweet and heat kind of person. Can it be left out?
Hi Ashley. Yep! Feel free to leave out the chili powder. The recipe will work just fine without it. I love a touch of heat with my sweets so that’s why it’s in there, but it totally works without it.
Hi Isabel Can I use almond flour instead or all purpose flour for the churros.
Greg
Hi Greg, I’ve never tested this recipe using almond flour so I’m not sure.