Churros con Chocolate
Crisp, ridged Spanish churros made from a simple flour and water dough, fried until golden, rolled in sugar and served with thick drinking chocolate.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total
- 45 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Traditional Spanish churros are made from flour, water and salt, with no eggs, which gives a crisp, ridged outside and a soft, slightly chewy middle. A churrería fries them to order and serves them with chocolate a la taza, a hot chocolate thickened until it sits closer to a pudding than a drink, for dunking.
The ridges are not decoration: piping through a large star tip gives the dough a ribbed surface that fries evenly and does not burst. Keep the oil at 180°C (355°F). Too cool and the churros soak up grease, too hot and they brown before the middle cooks. Eat them within minutes of frying.
Churros con Chocolate is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.
method
Bring the water, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, tip in all the flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon for about a minute, until you have a smooth ball with no dry flour.
Let the dough cool for 10 minutes, so it is warm but not hot to the touch, then spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (about 1 cm / 1/2 in opening).
Make the chocolate: stir the cornstarch into 50 ml of the milk. Heat the rest of the milk with 1 tablespoon sugar until steaming, whisk in the chopped chocolate until melted, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture and simmer gently 2 to 3 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm on the lowest heat.
Pour the frying oil about 4 cm (1.5 in) deep into a wide, heavy pot and heat to 180°C (355°F), checking with a thermometer. Spread the 4 tablespoons sugar on a plate.
Pipe 12 cm (5 in) lengths directly into the oil, cutting each with kitchen scissors, and fry 3 or 4 at a time. Turn after about 1.5 to 2 minutes and cook 3 to 4 minutes in all, until deep golden and crisp all over.
Lift the churros out with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels for a few seconds and roll them in the sugar while still hot. Serve right away with cups of the hot chocolate.
chef's tips
- Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep the piping tip and scissors dry: water spits violently in hot oil.
- Do not crowd the pot. Each batch lowers the oil temperature, so wait for it to return to 180°C (355°F) before the next one.
- Pipe extra churros onto a parchment-lined tray and freeze, then fry straight from frozen for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Use a real piping bag with a metal or sturdy star tip; a thin plastic bag can split under the pressure of the stiff dough.