Churros (gluten free!)

Last year we I discovered how amazingly quick and easy it is to make churros - Spanish doughnuts - from scratch at home. I made them a lot during the summer, including for breakfast in the garden on Sunday mornings after the twins had had friends for a sleep-over - they were a huge hit! Yesterday the kids helped me make them as an after-dinner treat for Valentine's Day (and we used up some leftover chocolate ganache from our recent lemon and courgette cupcakes), and we all ate them in front of the fire while we watched a movie.  

Traditionally you would use a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle, but I have found this can end up in a great sticky mess. It's far simpler to roll chunks of the dough into sausage shapes instead, and works brilliantly. The thicker they are, the more soft and doughy in the centre - but we've all agreed that we prefer them quite thin when they are extra crispy. The best part is the cinnamon sugar they are rolled in while still hot. 

Ingredients

For the churros dough

50g butter, melted

½ tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour (gluten-free if desired)

1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if desired)

Pinch of salt

Approx. 1 litre sunflower oil

A few chunks of bread (for testing the oil temperature)

For the sauce

200g milk chocolate, broken into chunks

200ml double cream

For the cinnamon sugar

100g caster sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. 
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. 
3. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Rest for 10-15 mins. 
4. To make the sauce, place the chocolate and cream in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth. Keep warm on a low heat.
5. Place a wire rack on top of a tray and cover with kitchen paper.
6. In a wide, flat bowl, mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
7. Once the dough has rested, take small dollops and roll into long sausage shapes. Set aside on a chopping board.
8. Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds. 
9. Carefully place the lengths of dough, a few at a time, into the frying pan, and cook until golden brown and crisp.
10. Once cooked, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined rack. 
11. When they are cool enough to handle, roll them in the cinnamon sugar and place on a serving plate. 
12. Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with cinnamon sugar as you go. 
13. When you’ve cooked all the churros, serve with the chocolate sauce, for dipping.