Spanish Recipes: Churros with hot chocolade ( Spanish Doughnuts)

Churros with hot chocolade ( Spanish Doughnuts)

Churros are traditional Spanish desserts developed centuries ago by Spanish shepherds. Up high in the mountains, fresh baked goods were impossible to come by, so the ingenious, nomadic folk of the hills came up with a delicious cake-like, cylindrical, daily staple which they could easily cook in a pan over an open fire. This was the birth of Churros.
Originally churros were about the size of a breadstick, and they were eaten plain or rolled in cinnamon sugar. In Spain, churros are still a very popular breakfast, snack or dessert. But something this tasty wasn’t destined to remain in its country of origin.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

pinch of salt

50g unsalted butter

250ml water

200-300ml sunflower oil

75g caster sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon powder

150g plain chocolate

290ml double cream

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

cinnamon stick

3 or 4 cardomom pods

Step 1:

Begin by making the dough. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, then melt the butter in a saucepan, add the water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add to the flour, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon until well mixed together. The mix should be smooth and putty-like but just too sticky to handle. If it is dry add a splash of hot water.

Step 2:

 Spoon into an piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle or a Churrera (Churro Maker) and rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.


Step 3:

In another bowl mix the sugar and ground cinnamon.
Pour the double cream into a saucepan and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and vanilla essence. Warm gently for 5 minutes or so to infuse the flavours but do not boil.



Step 4:

Roughly chop the chocolate into tiny pieces and add to the cream, increase the heat slightly and stir continuously until the chocolate has melted. Remove the cinnamon and cardamom pods.

Step 5:

Warm the sunflower oil to 180 °C for deep frying.
 Once the oil is the correct temperature, pipe the dough directly into the oil, cutting each churro with scissors to the desired length.

Step 6:

Cook for about 4 minutes until golden and cooked all the way through. Then transfer to some kitchen towel to drain and then toss in the sugar and cinnamon mix.
Pour the hot  chocolade sauce into a cup or glass and serve with the churros.



Tip: It is crucial to have the correct temperature for the dough to cook well. If you do not have a thermometer then try cooking a small ball of the dough first to test. It should take about 4 minutes to become golden brown and cooked through. Adjust the temperature accordingly to achieve this.

Now as this is also used as a breafast meal in Spain they would say "Disfrutar de su comida" which means; 
                                                                                                                   " Enjoy your meal"

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