Chocolate Churros with Chocolate & Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 5/8 cupdark brown sugar, for caramel sauce
• 4 tbspbutter, for caramel sauce
• 1 cupheavy cream, for caramel sauce
• 3 1/2 ozdark chocolate, stirred into caramel sauce off heat
• sea salt, pinch for sauce, pinch for coating, large pinch for churros batter
• 1/2 cupsuperfine sugar, for cinnamon-sugar coating
• 2 tspcinnamon, for cinnamon-sugar coating
• 1 2/3 cupsall-purpose flour, for churros batter
• 5/8 cupcocoa powder, for churros batter
• 1 tspbaking powder, for churros batter
• 1 tspvanilla extract, for churros batter
• 3 1/2 tbspbutter, melted; for churros batter
• 1 1/8 cupsboiling water, for the churros batter; anywhere from 250–300ml works
• sunflower oil, for deep frying
• 10 1/2 ozice cream, to serve; optional

Method

1. 1

   Make the sauce: melt the dark brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over a simmer until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the cream and simmer until smooth, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in a pinch of sea salt and the dark chocolate, and stir until completely melted. Keep warm.

2. 2

   Mix the superfine sugar with the cinnamon and a small pinch of sea salt in a shallow bowl. Set aside for coating.

3. 3

   Make the churros batter: mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and a large pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the vanilla and melted butter, then carefully pour in 250–300ml boiling water, whisking to form a smooth, very thick batter. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then scrape into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle.

4. 4

   Heat the sunflower oil in a deep-fat fryer or heavy pan to 350°F — a cube of bread should brown in 30 seconds.

5. 5

   Pipe 12–15cm lengths of batter into the oil in batches of 4–5, snipping off each length with scissors. Fry for about 4 minutes until golden and crisp, turning with tongs. Remove and drain on a wire rack.

6. 6

   Roll the hot churros in the cinnamon-sugar coating and serve immediately with the warm chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Nutrition per serving