My family can’t keep a straight face when anyone around us mentions churros. You see, we have this history with them that goes back several years. On one of our many trips to Mexico, my stepdad decided he wanted to go to the churro stand after dinner and a few *ahem* margaritas. None of us objected to going to the little stand that fries up fresh churros straight from this cool extractor thing they’ve concocted. We were more than happy to oblige, in fact. So where does the joke come in, you ask? It all has to do with my stepdad’s inability to pronounce the word “churro” correctly. It seems simple enough, but when he says it, it always comes out “churrismo” with a thick Oklahoma twang on it. Gotta love it.
Now that I’m a Texas girl (hooray!), I don’t get to spend much time with that part of the family (boo!), so I’ll be missing them tremendously on Cinco de Mayo and again toward the end of the month when they all head down to Mexico. To console myself, I think I’ll make up a big batch of this churro snack mix. It’s got all the cinnamony goodness of those fresh churro stand churros I love so much, but without the drive to Mexico. It all comes together in about 10 minutes and, after an eternity a short drying time, the mix is ready for you and your friends to devour. It may not be churrismos in Mexico, but it sure is tasty.
Churro Snack Mix
adapted from Brooke McLay via Babble
Ingredients:
9 c. rice Chex cereal
1 c. pretzel pieces
1 c. slivered almonds
1 1/4 c. cinnamon chips (Some stores only carry them seasonally. You can order them from King Arthur Flour year round.)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine cereal, pretzel pieces, and almonds.
2. In a double boiler, melt cinnamon chips and butter until smooth. Drizzle over cereal mixture and stir gently, to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the mixture over cereal mixture and stir gently to combine. Repeat with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
4. Spread the snack mix onto parchment or wax paper until dry, about 45 minutes. Will keep, stored in an airtight container, up to 1 week.
Yield: 8-10 servings
Oh wow, I have to make this. I love churros. 🙂
Yum. I will definitely make this for Cinco de Mayo along with some fresh, fried "Churrismos" which I think might even be better than the ones we had at the Churro Stand in Mexico. I will miss drinking one of my famous Death-A-Ritas with you. Mexico won't be the same without you when we go later this month. Happy Cinco de Mayo, my beautiful daughter.
This sounds divine! I have to make this!!