Churros with Chocolate Chili Sauce

Serves 4.

• Prep time: 20min
• Cook time: 5min
• Total time: 25min
• Difficulty: Intermediate

Churros are basically Spanish donuts that are made of choux pastry and deep fried until golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. They are tossed in cinnamon sugar and served warm with a variety of sauces. Chocolate and dulce de leche sauces are most common. Spicy chocolate goes really well with churros, so I opted for a chocolate chili sauce this time. If you’re worried this may be too much chili for your taste, add 1/4 teaspoon first and then try the sauce. You can always add more. Churros are best eaten warm. The sauce will thicken as it gets cold, but you can keep it warm by keeping it over a pot of hot water (bain-marie).

For the churros.

Ingredients:

• 250ml water
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 15g butter
• 150g flour
• 2 eggs
• neutral oil for frying
• 70g sugar, for tossing the churros
• 1 tsp cinnamon, for tossing the churros

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, salt and butter and bring to a boil. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the water mixture to make a dough. Stirring constantly, cook the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
Place the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 5 minutes to release the steam and cool the dough. Increase the speed and add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate into the dough. Turn off the mixer and transfer the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to 180°C. Pipe 5 cm long churros into the oil. Do this in batches of fore or five. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove churros from the oil with a slotted spoon and toss them in cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately with the chocolate chili sauce.

For the chocolate chili sauce.

Ingredients:

• 150g chopped dark chocolate
• 150ml heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and melt it in a bain-marie. Add hot heavy cream and whisk until well incorporated. You will get a thick shiny sauce. Add chili powder and serve with churros.

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Commentary.

Category: Donuts & fried treats
Cuisine: Spanish

Donuts and chocolate all in one? Oh, yeah… It’s so wrong that it goes beyond wrong to being right again, and that’s exactly what I need.

The chili in the chocolate gives the sauce that extra umpf that will send shivers down your spine. It’s not too strong, so at first, you won’t even notice it’s there. Only after a couple of bites, you feel a pleasant heat that’s gently tingling your tongue. The more you eat, the more you feel it, and it just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s a hug in a bowl, that sauce.

Thank you!