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These paleo pumpkin churros with dark chocolate sauce are heavenly: loaded with fall flavor, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and made in the waffle iron! They’re such a perfect paleo fall recipe because they’re totally delicious but there’s no frying necessary. These paleo pumpkin churros with dark chocolate sauce are a must make when it comes to paleo fall recipes!
This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. As always, all opinions and recipes are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support 40 Aprons!
There are certain foods that punctuate my life’s memories, appearing in different forms and in different contexts, meaning entirely different things. The different manifestations of the particular dish ends up defining a period of my life, mutating with growth and movement.
One of these especially memorable foods for me? The humble churro.
The stick of fried dough, rolled in cinnamon sugar and burrowed inside a cardboard carrying case for on-the-go churro devouring on 5a Avenida in Playa del Carmen.
Or maybe balanced on a tiny teacup of dark chocolate sauce in Madrid, toddler hands grabbing incessantly for the curved wand.
Or maybe fried by high school students from a giant box in the freezer, the bottom half wrapped in a food service sheet of wax paper with a zig-zag edge, passed out at Disneyland or, you know, Costco.
No matter the medium, the churro seems to pop up in my life at different junctures, serving as a representative memory from each moment.
It was the churros con chocolate in Madrid that really did it for me, though, that really convinced me of the gourmet versatility of the humble treat.
We were staying near the Palacio with my parents and with Leo, and O and my dad had gone exploring during naptime the day before. They came back excited about this little pastry shop with giant vats of chocolate visible through the windows, insisting on taking us there for breakfast the next day.
We very generously obliged and found ourselves at an elegant diner-inspired Spanish staple with black-and-white tiled floors and café chairs settled around the bar.
Open 24 hours a day just in case, Chocolatería San Ginés is known for their churros and dark chocolate sauce, served in a little teacup to encourage you to finish it all.
In fact, the emphasis on the chocolate leads their vernacular: the dish is called chocolate con churros, rather than churros con chocolate. And for good reason! The chocolate was so deep and rich, it inspired me almost more than the churros themselves. Almost.
And so, almost a year later, with fall on the horizon, I knew I had to come up with a paleo pumpkin churro of my own, served with a rich, dark chocolate sauce, inspired by the Chocolatería I can’t wait to revisit.
The thing is, though, I kind of hate deep frying. So much oil! So much mess. Just… if I don’t have to, I don’t want to.
Instead, I opted for cooking these paleo pumpkin churros with chocolate sauce in the waffle iron, making them super easy to bake, yet still crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Kind of perfect for National Waffle Day, don’t you think?
These paleo pumpkin churros with chocolate sauce are paleo fall recipe perfection. Truly, don’t let winter take over your crisp autumn days without making these first!
Paleo Pumpkin Churros with Dark Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
Paleo Pumpkin Churros
- ⅔ cup water
- 6 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 4 whole eggs
- ½ tsp Sprouts Pure Vanilla Extract
- ⅔ cup Sprouts Organic Pumpkin Puree
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice store-bought or make your own
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
- 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sprouts Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Spray coconut oil
Dark Chocolate Sauce
- 3 ounce bar Sprouts Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa , chopped
- 1 cup Sprouts coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Sprouts Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, ghee, and maple syrup. Whisk the mixture well and bring to a gentle boil. Add the tapioca flour, remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir together using a rubber spatula. Do not use a whisk. Stir until the mixture is well combined and forms a ball. Remove the ball from the pan and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes. It will be very sticky; this is OK!
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon-sugar coating: in a blender or spice grinder, add coconut sugar and cinnamon. Process on high for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is powdered. Transfer to wide, shallow dish.
- Make the chocolate sauce: combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat gently, whisking regularly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is very smooth. Remove from heat.
- Once the dough has cooled to the touch (This is important: dough that is too hot will scramble your eggs and will ruin the recipe), add the dough to a food processor or high-speed blender (a blender is preferable). Begin processing and add the eggs one at a time, blending until incorporated before adding each additional egg. Blend in the vanilla extra, pumpkin purée, and pumpkin spice, processing until well incorporated.
- Heat your waffle iron and spritz with a generous amount of spray coconut oil. Scoop about a 1/2 cup of dough onto the hot waffle iron and cook according to directions, adding 2 minutes on top of the waffle iron instructions (about 4 1/2 total minutes). Carefully remove from the waffle iron, spritz both sides with more coconut oil, and toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Remove from mixture and place on a baking sheet until remaining dough has been cooked (keep warm in the oven if desired).
- Cook in waffle iron. Spritz with coconut oil and cook according to directions + 2 minutes (about 4.5 minutes). Spritz with coconut oil and transfer to cinnamon-sugar dish; toss in coconut sugar. Repeat until all dough has been pressed in the waffle iron, making about 4-6 waffles.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Hi Cheryl! These sound delicious. How thick or thin was your batter?
It’s quite thick, so you’ll need to scoop it out, rather than pour, and make sure to smooth it a bit. They come out quite light and tender after cooking!
Theses waffles look so perfect for chilly autumn weekends. Love the color too! Thanks for the idea 🙂
I hope you try them Alexa! They’re sooooo good 😀