Churro Cookies (AKA Chocolate-Stuffed Snickerdoodles!)

You can make any cookie better by adding chocolate in my opinion and my Churro Cookies are essentially Chocolate-Stuffed Snickerdoodles and there couldn't be any better way to enhance this classic cookie! My soft and tender snickerdoodle cookie dough is stuffed with a square of pure dark chocolate before being rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked to perfection.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Brown butter cookies - the addition of brown butter really enhances the flavour of these cookies, giving them rich and nutty undertones.

• Soft snickerdoodle cookies - the cookie dough has a lovely soft and tender texture.

• Spiced cookie dough - a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in the actual cookie dough makes these taste extra special and ties in the Mexican dessert theme.

• Cinnamon sugar - these cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar for a sweet crunchy spicy coating. It's the main feature of snickerdoodles!

• Dark chocolate filling - the filling is a simple square of pure dark chocolate. These are easy yet impressive!

INGREDIENTS FOR CHURRO COOKIES

• Brown butter - for this recipe I prefer salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter too. If you use unsalted butter, then double he added salt to ½ teaspoon. You will also need to brown the butter which makes these cookies taste incredibly rich! It has a rich, nutty, butterscotch flavour that really adds so much depth and complements the spices.

• Brown sugar - the molasses in brown sugar gives these cookies a toffee-like flavour to complement the nuttiness and also gives them a chewy texture.

• Granulated sugar - this recipe uses both brown sugar and white granulated sugar. The white sugar will create a tender texxture.

• Pure vanilla extract - snickerdoodle cookie dough is based on a vanilla sugar cookie, so the vanilla quality is important. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.

• Nutmeg - a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon are traditional spices used in Mexican hot chocolate and pair so well in this delicious cookie.

• Cinnamon sugar - the cinnamon sugar is the essence of snickerdoodles. It's extra flavour and a crunchy exterior. Don't skip this part!

• Dark chocolate - the cookie dough is rolled around a square of pure dark chocolate that is molten when the cookies are warm. Use a nice bar of chocolate with 60 or 70% cocoa solids so that it will have a higher cocoa butter content and melt more smoothly. You can also use couverture chocolate discs which are designed to melt very evenly thanks to the higher amount of cocoa butter.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Brown the butter. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then continue to cook while stirring occasionally until butter begins to bubble and crackle as the moisture boils off. Keep cooking with frequent stirring until it turns a deep golden color. A dense foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. Pour it into a large mixing bowl, then place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until cool and set to a firm yet pliable consistency. It should be soft and spreadable, not hard nor brittle.

• STEP 2). Cream butter and sugar. Add the brown and white sugars to the soft browned butter and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes until a bit fluffy.

• STEP 3). Mix in egg. Beat in egg until incorporated and creamy smooth. Mix in yogurt and vanilla.

• STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl and whisk them together to blend evenly.

• STEP 5). Add dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold it in until evenly incorporated.

• STEP 6). Chill the dough. Cover the dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

• STEP 7). Make cinnamon sugar. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

• STEP 8). Fill and roll. Take mounds of cookie dough and flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a piece of dark chocolate in the middle, then pinch the dough around the chocolate to encase it and roll it up into a smooth ball. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place onto prepared baking trays spacing them 2 inches apart.

• STEP 9). Bake. Flatten dough balls slightly bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and soft in the center. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Measure the flour accurately to ensure you get the right texture. Too much flour will make them dry and crumbly, and too little will cause them to spread excessively.

• Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to portion the cookie dough for even baking and to get the right amount of dough to roll around the chocolate.

• Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least one hour so that you get cookies with a chewy texture. Letting the dough chill will also help it firm up to make it easier to work with when you are rolling it around the chocolate.

• Be generous with the cinnamon sugar. Apply a bit of pressure when you roll the dough balls to help it adhere so you get a nice even coating.

RECIPE FAQ

Can I make this recipe without brown butter?

If you do not brown the butter, then the liquid:flour ratio will be off in the recipe. I highly encourage you to follow this recipe exactly to get the full flavour that is intended, but if you choose to not brown the butter, then I would recommend leaving out the yogurt.

Can I use unsalted butter for these churro cookies?

Yes! Unsalted butter will be fine. In this case I would suggest to double the added salt. So, that's ½ teaspoon of salt instead of ¼ teaspoon.

What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is dried, powdered tartaric acid. It is the acid ingredient that reacts with alkaline baking soda to make gas that leavens baked goods. Baking powder already has a blend of acid and base (alkaline component) to leaven baked goods. The difference is that cream of tartar reacts very fast with baking soda since it is pure acid and may lead to a puffier cookie, but really... in such a dry cookie dough you will barely see a difference at all.

Do I need to chill the cookie dough?

I highly recommend chilling this cookie dough since it will help with the texture and it will improve the flavour even more. It also makes the dough easier to work with as the flour has time to hydrate and absorb the liquid which makes the dough less sticky. Nonetheless, you can still bake these cookies right away.

How do I store these cookies?

These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

If you love cookies, check out these recipes!

Churro Cookies (AKA Chocolate-Stuffed Snickerdoodles)

Christina Marsigliese

Soft and tender spiced brown butter snickerdoodle cookies stuffed with pure dark chocolate and rolled in cinnamon sugar!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients

  

Cookie dough:

• ½ cup 113g salted butter, browned and cooled completely
• ½ cup 100g granulated sugar
• ¼ cup 55g packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon 15ml full fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups 180g all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 oz (100g) dark chocolate bar broken into squares or chopped into chunks

Cinnamon sugar:

• 3 tablespoon 42g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Fires, brown the butter. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then continue to cook while stirring occasionally until butter begins to bubble and crackle as the moisture boils off. Keep cooking with frequent stirring until it turns a deep golden color. A dense foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. Pour it into a large mixing bowl, then place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until cool and set to a firm yet pliable consistency (not hard).
• Add both sugars and to the soft browned butter and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes until a bit fluffy. Beat in egg until incorporated and creamy smooth. Mix in yogurt and vanilla.
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt and whisk to blend. Add it to butter mixture and fold it in until evenly incorporated. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Take mounds of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a piece of dark chocolate in the middle, then pinch the dough around the chocolate to encase it and roll it up into a smooth ball. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place onto prepared baking trays spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and soft in the center. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.