Churros are one of my favorite treats and these Churro Cream Puffs are a little piece of heaven. The perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo or any Mexican meal.
Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Measure flour and set aside.
Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately remove from heat, and quickly stir in flour mixture all at once. Return to heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, or until dough is smooth and forms a ball. Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer, and let cool 5 minutes.
Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and glossy. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. You can also use a Ziploc bag with the tip cut off or a small ice cream scoop. Pipe dough onto prepared pans into 1 1/2-inch rounds (1 1/2 inches high). Smooth out peaks and round tops with a moistened finger.
For the egg wash: Whisk together remaining 1 egg and 1 tsp. water. Brush tops of dough with egg mixture.
Bake at 425° for 5 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Turn oven off; let shells stand in closed oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
For the Churro Topping: Combine granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Microwave honey in a small microwave-safe bowl about 20 seconds, or until it starts to boil. Brush tops of cream puffs with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 5 minutes. Let them cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream and salt at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, and beat until stiff peaks form.
Spoon whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pierce the side of each cream puff with a small knife to create a hole. Insert the pastry tip into the hole and fill with cinnamon whipped cream. You can also just slice them in half and fill them that way.