Churros + Bliss

Love is in the air and so is the smell of freshly fried vegan churros! If you’re a fan of ice cream and churros then you’ve come to the right place. Who can resist crunchy warm dough dusted in cinnamon sugar? Especially when it’s paired with creamy blissful ice cream. Not us!

Churros are a sweet snack consisting of a strip of fried dough dusted with sugar and cinnamon. We wanted to put a different spin on things so we created churro ice cream bowls and heart shaped churro ice cream sandwiches. All gluten and dairy-free! Now you can have your ice cream and eat the bowl too!

This dessert recipe is a fun activity for the whole family and is also the perfect interactive date night idea (Valentine’s Day!). We encourage you to get creative with your churro shapes. Circles, squares, and triangles are all fun ways to create a churro ice cream sandwich. Add any of your favorite Coconut Bliss ice creams to the churro bowls and churro sandwiches and enjoy. We know it’s hard to pick a favorite so we suggest mixing and matching different flavors to find your favorite combo! You can also include fresh fruits, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, and other fun toppings to make it a choose your own churro adventure!

Looking for plant-based recipes for a Valentine’s Day dinner? We recommend heading over to Live Kindly’s blog for 7 Romantic Vegan Recipes.

Ingredients for the Churros:

• 1 quart frying oil

• 2 cups water

• 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of plant-based butter

• 4 Tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup aquafaba - the liquid drained from canned garbanzo beans

• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour

Sugar Topping for Churros:

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

Filling & Toppings for Bowls and Sandwiches:

• 2 Pints of your favorite Coconut Bliss flavors

• Favorite caramel sauce (optional)

• Favorite chocolate sauce (optional)

• Fresh fruit (optional)

(Use organic ingredients whenever possible)

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, add water, butter, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk to combine and bring just to a boil over medium heat. 

2. Remove mixture from heat when bubbles begin to form. 

3. Add flour to boiling mixture and stir well with a spatula until mixture smooths out. 

4. Add aquafaba to mixture until well incorporated and churro batter is smooth. There shouldn’t be any lumps. 

5. While churro batter is cooling prepare your sugar coating by mixing together the sugar and cinnamon on a plate. Set aside.

6. Scoop churro batter into your piping bag fitted with a small star tip

Method 1: Churro Bowls Filled with Coconut Bliss

1. Turn a muffin tin upside down and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Pipe the dough around the inverted cups in spirals to form the bowls.

3. Immediately transfer to the freezer and freeze until solid (1-2 hours).

Method 2: Heart Shaped Ice Cream Sandwiches

1. Take a cookie sheet and pipe medium sized heart shapes making sure to fill in the middle of the heart. Try to pipe each heart the same size to eventually create a heart shaped ice cream sandwich.

2. Transfer immediately to the freezer and freeze until firm.

Frying the Churros:

1. Preheat your frying oil in a deep pot (cast iron is best) to 375 degrees F. It is crucial that you maintain 375 degrees throughout the frying process.

2. Remove the muffin tin and cookie sheet from the freezer and flex it to release the churro bowls (you may need to also use a butter knife under the bottom edge to initially release them). Return any extras to the freezer while you wait to fry.

3. Allow churros to fry for -2 minutes before gently flipping. Continue to fry for a combined total of 4-5 minutes until golden brown.

4. Remove churros from oil and place on a paper towel lined cooling rack.

5. Dust churros with cinnamon sugar mixture while they are still warm.

Assembly:

1. Allow churros to cool off to room temperature.

2. Scoop your favorite Coconut Bliss flavors into the churro bowls and in between the churro hearts to make an ice cream sandwich.

3. Garnish with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, fresh fruit, or all three!