Churros with Berries and Cream

Churros with Berries and Cream, aka Breakfast

It seems I am always finding new ways to enjoy berries and whipped cream with baked goods. First was the original Shortcake Biscuits with Warm Berries and Whipped Cream, thanks to my friend Jen Wilson. Next, the berries and cream tasted fabulous with waffles. Today seemed like a great day to see how the berries and cream taste with churros, and not surprisingly, they taste FABULOUS. I don't know if there's anything berries and whipped cream don't taste good with at this point. The tart sweetness and the rich creaminess go with just about any bready/cakey sort of thing. 
After eating about 3 of these myself, I had to take what remained to my friends who are meeting at church this morning. I walked away from them hearing the happy sounds of my friend exclaiming, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" That's what I like to hear. 
Seriously, if you've never tried anything with these berries and whipped cream, you have to do it soon. I'm not even a berry fan, and I just can't get enough. Do it. 
[P.S. Jack, if you're reading, this was my breakfast today. No popcorn. :)]

Churros with Berries and Cream
     --Adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Churros Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk 
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/3 cups Better Batter Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (or regular all-purpose flour if gluten isn't a problem)
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• canola oil for frying
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Berries Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed frozen berries (blueberries, black berries, and raspberries)
• 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Churros Instructions:
In a medium sized heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk and butter to a simmer. Stir in flour and stir vigorously for a minute or two, until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a standing mixer (or you can leave it in the pan to cool--but it will take longer).  While dough cools, prepare the berries according to directions below.
When dough is cool enough to touch (about 10 to 15 minutes in the mixing bowl, longer in the pan), beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next (see below for what it should look like). 
Place a cooling rack over a sheet pan and cover with paper towels. Set aside.
In a shallow baking dish, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large sized heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, bring about 2 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
While oil heats, transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
When oil has come to temperature, carefully squeeze about 5-6 inch ropes of batter into the oil, and use kitchen scissors to cut the end. Fry about 4 ropes at a time, turning when one side is well-browned. If churros seem to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium and/or add a little more oil. I ended up frying churros about 1.5 minutes on each side.
Remove fried churros to the paper-towel lined cooling rack. Squeeze more churros into the hot oil. Then place the fried churros in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and turn to coat with cinnamon sugar. Place sugared churros on another paper towel lined surface and continue with this frying and coating cycle until you are out of batter.
Makes about 1 dozen fat churros (depends on the size of your piping tip)

Berries Instructions:
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, mix the berries, cornstarch, lemon juice, and sugar. Heat until berries come to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off and let berries sit there until ready to serve.

Whipped Cream Intructions:
In a medium size bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla, until firm peaks form. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.