Churros con Chocolate

Method

1. 01

   Cook the thick drinking chocolate

   Whisk 15 g cornstarch into 100 ml of the cold milk until smooth. Heat the remaining 400 ml milk with 20 g sugar until steaming. Whisk in the slurry and cook 2 minutes, then add 180 g chopped chocolate and stir over low heat for 3–4 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Keep warm below a simmer.

   

2. 02

   Make the hot-water dough

   Bring 300 ml water, 15 ml olive oil and 3 g salt to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add all 300 g flour at once and stir vigorously for 60–90 seconds until no dry flour remains and the dough forms one smooth, very thick mass.

   

3. 03

   Cool slightly and load the churrera

   Spread the dough in a shallow bowl for 8–10 minutes until warm rather than steaming hot. Pack it firmly into a churrera or heavy piping bag fitted with a 12–14 mm star tip, pressing out trapped air pockets before closing the bag.

   

4. 04

   Pipe and fry in small batches

   Heat the frying oil to 180°C. Pipe 12–15 cm lengths directly over the oil, cutting each with scissors, and fry only 4–5 at a time. Cook 3–4 minutes, turning once, until evenly deep golden while keeping the oil between 175–185°C.

   

5. 05

   Sugar and serve with hot chocolate

   Drain each batch on a rack for 60 seconds, then toss while hot with part of the 60 g sugar. Let the oil return to 180°C before the next batch. Serve the churros within 5 minutes with the warm thick chocolate in small cups for dipping.