Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Churros II
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan . Heat gently until the butter is melted.
Bring to a boil and dump in the flour all at once. Mix over the heat for a minute to form a thick, smooth dough .
Remove from the heat, and beat the dough by hand or with a mixer until it has cooled.
Whisk the eggs, and gradually incorporate them into the dough, occasionally scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula. Do not add too much egg at once, or it will not properly incorporate. Wait until the previous addition is incorporated before adding more. After all the eggs are incorporated, you should have a smooth yellow dough.
Place a star-shaped nozzle/tip in a piping bag , and transfer the dough to the bag.
Heat vegetable oil in a pot or deep fryer until it reaches 350°F. Use the piping bag to squeeze 6-inch strips of dough into the hot oil, using scissors to snip the dough. Avoid overcrowding the pot, which will cause the temperature to decrease and make the churros oily.
Fry the churros for about 2–3 minutes until golden brown on all sides. You may need to flip them with a utensil.
Remove the churros from the oil, and let them drain on paper towels . Repeat the frying process until all the dough is used up.
Serve hot.
Medium Difficulty recipes
Butter recipes
Fritter recipes
Fried recipes
Egg recipes
Sugar recipes
Choux dough recipes
Recipes without servings
Recipes without cooking time
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, butter, sugar, flour, egg):
- Vanillathe original
- Raisinfits about as well
- Figfits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, butter, sugar, flour, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes