Churros with chocolate-custard sauce

These Spanish doughnuts are made for dunking in hot chocolate. Their distinctive star shape is the secret to a crunchy exterior and fluffy centre.

• makes

  20

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

This is my mum's and grandma's recipe. I remember standing on a chair watching my grandmother cook these and my girls, now, make it the same at home. These are shallow-fried in a pan of oil, so they keep their shape and make it easier to turn. For the dipping sauce, the consistency should be thick enough to cling to the churros, and it has to be silky smooth - my secret is custard powder. Make the sauce when you're ready to serve, as it does form a skin.

Ingredients

Churros

• 300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour
• 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water, plus 60 ml (¼ cup) extra
• 1 pinch table salt
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil, plus extra for shallow-frying
• cinnamon sugar, for dusting 

Chocolate dipping sauce

• 1 litre (4 cups) full-cream milk
• 250 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2-3 tbsp custard powder

Instructions

For the churros, place the flour in a large bowl and add a pinch of salt. Combine 250 ml (1 cup) of the boiling water with the 80 ml oil and gradually add to the flour, while stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together to form a ball, pulling cleanly from the sides of the bowl. You may need to add the extra 60 ml water.

Spoon the mixture into a churros press with a star attachment (or a sturdy piping bag fitted with a star nozzle).

Heat 2-3 cm of oil in a large frying over medium-high heat. When hot, carefully pipe 15 cm lengths, in batches, into the oil. I like to pipe the churros in a twisting motion into the oil, which adds to their shape.

Fry until golden on one side, then gently turn over with tongs and fry the other side until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Repeat until all the batter is used up.  

 

For the dipping chocolate, bring the milk to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over medium heat (use less or more milk depending on how runny you like your dipping chocolate). Remove 250 ml (1 cup) of the milk and set aside.

Add the chocolate to the pan and stir until melted.

Combine the custard powder with the reserved milk, stirring until dissolved. Pour into the pan, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Pour the sauce into small cups for drinking or dipping churros in.

Arrange the churros on a platter, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and serve with the dipping chocolate. 

Photography, styling and food preparation by China Squirrel. 

This recipe is from The Chefs' Line -  Can the passion of a home cook beat the skills of a professional chef? Missed all the action? Catch-up online and get all the recipes #TheChefsLine.

This recipe has been edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the series.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This is my mum's and grandma's recipe. I remember standing on a chair watching my grandmother cook these and my girls, now, make it the same at home. These are shallow-fried in a pan of oil, so they keep their shape and make it easier to turn. For the dipping sauce, the consistency should be thick enough to cling to the churros, and it has to be silky smooth - my secret is custard powder. Make the sauce when you're ready to serve, as it does form a skin.