Out here in the country, we’ve always had a soft spot for anything that tastes like a county fair churro, but I don’t always feel like fussing with frying oil and a mess of dishes. My sister is the one who showed me this little slow cooker trick: tuck a simple churro-style filling into sweet dough, wrap it up in tiny foil parcels, and stack them high in the crock. As they bake, the whole house smells like the fairgrounds, and everyone keeps lifting the lid to guess what’s hiding inside those shiny packets.
Foil-wrapped churro bites stacked in a slow cooker
Foil-wrapped churro bites stacked in a slow cooker
It’s just four everyday ingredients, no fancy equipment, and it reminds me of the old church potlucks where clever women stretched simple pantry staples into something downright magical.
Serve these warm churro bites straight from the slow cooker, still nestled in their foil parcels so everyone can unwrap their own little surprise. A small bowl of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on the side makes them feel extra special, and a drizzle of caramel sauce never hurts.
Warm churro bites in foil with ice cream and caramel
Warm churro bites in foil with ice cream and caramel
They’re lovely with coffee after Sunday dinner, or with hot cocoa on a chilly evening. Set the slow cooker in the middle of the table, lift the lid, and let folks reach in with tongs to grab a parcel—half the fun is in the unwrapping and the cinnamon-sugar that falls onto the plate.
Slow Cooker Foil-Wrapped Churro Bites
Servings: 6–8
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) tube refrigerated biscuit dough
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
Simple churro bite ingredients on a farmhouse counter
Simple churro bite ingredients on a farmhouse counter
Directions
Line the bottom and lower sides of your slow cooker crock with a single layer of foil to catch any drips and make cleanup easier. Lightly mist or grease the foil if your slow cooker tends to stick.
In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon. This will be your inside churro coating.
In a second small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set this aside for the final dusting on top.
Open the tube of refrigerated biscuit dough and separate the biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 small pieces so you have bite-sized chunks.
Cut biscuit dough pieces beside bowls of cinnamon sugar
Cut biscuit dough pieces beside bowls of cinnamon sugar
Working a few pieces at a time, dip each dough piece lightly into the melted butter, letting any excess drip off, then roll it in the first bowl of cinnamon-sugar to coat all sides.
Tear off small squares of aluminum foil, roughly 6×6 inches each. Place 4–6 coated dough pieces in the center of a foil square, keeping them in a loose cluster so they have room to puff as they cook.
Fold the foil up and around the dough to form a small, loosely sealed parcel—pinch the seams together, but don’t wrap too tightly. You want a little air pocket inside so the bites can rise and steam-bake.
Hands folding foil parcels around cinnamon-coated dough
Hands folding foil parcels around cinnamon-coated dough
Repeat with the remaining dough pieces, butter, and cinnamon-sugar until all the dough is wrapped in mini foil parcels.
