A sweet Spanish treat, perfect for sharing
250g Plain Flour
50g Unsalted Butter
1 x tsp Baking Powder
2 x tsp Vanilla Essence
300ml Boiling Water
Sunflower Oil to fry – about 1 litre
1 x 200g block Choceur Dark Chocolate
150ml Double Cream
50ml Semi Skimmed Milk
25ml Maple Syrup
Caster Sugar and Ground Cinnamon to sprinkle
Sift the flour and the baking powder into a bowl.
Melt the butter and pour into the boiling water, along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
Pour this over the flour mixture and beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Cover and rest for 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
Break up the chocolate and put in a small pan along with the cream, milk, maple syrup and remaining vanilla essence.
Heat gently until the chocolate has melted, stirring as you cook. Put to one side while you cook the churros.
Heat the oil in a pan until the oil reaches 180°C – or until a small piece of bread goes brown after 30 seconds (a simple test to see if the oil is hot enough).
Put the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle.
Pipe 2-3 strips of the dough into the pan, cut the strips off with a pair of scissors and cook for about 3 minutes until golden and crispy.
Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on some kitchen paper, then cook the rest of the dough in the same way.
Sprinkle with some caster sugar and ground cinnamon and serve alongside the chocolate sauce.
