How to make :: Churros

Oh churros. Those little (or big) sticks of warm sugary goodness. Like many others, my love for churros started at Disney. The smell is just irresistible, so it's impossible to not give in and buy one. I've never made them before and was thinking they'd be a good treat on a dreary winter afternoon. So I decided to get together the ingredients and get making.

They turned out well, not quite as tasty as the ones I've eaten in America, but still good! Then again, you can't really go wrong with cinnamon sugar fried dough dipped in chocolate...

To learn from my mistake, I'd definitely recommend using a smaller star nozzle, rather than a more open one, as otherwise they turn out a bit thicker than they should be.

I've included the recipe for the chocolate dipping sauce, but if you're lazy like me you'll just melt the chocolate. If you don't fancy chocolate sauce, you could mix it up and have some dulce de leche as dipping sauce instead, or Tesco do a really good salted caramel sauce.

Ingredients
Based on the recipe by BBC Good Food

50g butter (melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1L sunflower oil

(Also a few chunks of bread, so you can see when the oil is the right temperature)

For the chocolate sauce:

200g chocolate
100ml double cream
100ml milk
3 tbsp golden syrup

For the cinnamon sugar:

100g caster sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Pour 350ml of boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the contents of the jug. Beat quickly until the batter is smooth. Leave to stand for about 15mins.

3. Make the sauce by putting all the ingredients into a pan and stir until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat whilst you make the churros.

4. Fill a large, deep saucepan with oil until about 1/3 full. When a piece of bread turns brown in between 45secs-1min, the oil is ready.

5. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and spoon the churro mix into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe 2-3 strips into the pan, cutting each strip off with a pair of scissors. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and place on the paper lined tray.

6. Carry on with this process until all the mixture is used. Cover the cooked churros with cinnamon sugar as you go. Serve with the chocolate dipping sauce, ideally when the churros are still slightly warm.