Fiestas should not be confined to Cinco de Mayo, especially when my kids are as fanatical as they are about Mexican food. And of course I use the term Mexican food loosely, as they are used to our Americanized version of it. But still, I’ve never met a burrito, taco, quesadilla, etc. that I didn’t like, so I’m happy to fix them often.
When I was thinking about back to school lunches, I knew both my kids would appreciate the “fixins” for burritos the first week back. I made things a little more nutritious by using whole wheat tortillas and ground turkey meat. Plenty of fresh fruit makes for a healthy lunch, so a churro baked donut as a treat for their school lunch “siestas” seemed like a great idea!
I simply used this basic baked donut recipe I’ve used many times before (thanks to Wonky Wonderful), then brushed the tops of the freshly baked donuts with a little browned butter and dipped them in a mixture of white and brown sugars and cinnamon. Yum! You’d not know they were baked. They’re a really decadent treat and sure to kick off the school year on a happy note.
And speaking of notes, I made a little printable to go along with this fiesta themed lunch. Just “save as” to your computer and print at best quality. And of course this lunch theme works any time your kiddos need a little extra celebration… not just the first week of school. Enjoy!
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 1/2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
- 1/4 c. plain yogurt
- 3 T. milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 3 T. unsalted butter
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. light brown sugar
- 1 t. cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spray non-stick donut pan (6 donut size) with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter.
- Make a well in the dry ingredient bowl and pour the wet ingredients into the center.
- Using a spatula, stir gently until no flour streaks remain. It is a thick batter.
- Scoop two tablespoons of batter into each donut well and spread evenly.
- Bake on center rack of oven for 12 – 13 minutes, until donuts feel springy when touched.
- Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, brown the remaining 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the pan often until the bits in the bottom are browning and smelling nutty. Remove from heat and put into a shallow bowl.
- In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the sugars and cinnamon. Brush the tops of each donut with the browned butter until well coated and then dip the tops to coat generously with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Store in a air-tight container until ready to serve. Yields 6 donuts.
Amy | Club Narwhal says
Jill, I am a huge fan of churros (in fact, I would go to Disneyland just to walk in and grab a churro and walk out, that’s how much I love them). Thanks goodness Costco has decent ones 🙂 These donuts look so good! And you’re right–fiestas should happen all the time!
foodtasticmom says
That’s a lot of love for churros… don’t you live in Detroit? LOL 🙂 I really need to visit Costco. I’ve never been, but we have several friends around here that just can’t say enough good things… our closest one is about 25 minutes away.
Allie|Baking a Moment says
I am totally going to do this for my 7 year old! He loves Mexican food and he’d probably get a kick out of the DIY aspect of this. So cute with the printable too, Jill!
foodtasticmom says
Awesome! Yes, I’m loving playing around in PicMonkey lately 🙂
Mila Furman says
OMG this looks sooo YUM!!! I would love to have thats as MY lunch!!! Thanks for visiting us at Foodie Fridays!!!