Churros & Chocolate Sauce

Lately, I've spotted more and more churro vendors on the streets of New York. And...by "Churro Vendor" I mean random lady selling my favorite fried treat from a push cart. No vendor permits, no signs or menus...just churros! Seeing them brings me back to my childhood in Texas and the first time I was actually introduced to these cinnamon-sugar "spanish doughnuts." Oddly enough, it was at the Houston water park, Splashtown. I have fond memories of escaping those hot Texas days in the wave pool. Ok, I have to be honest. Truth is, I never really cared that much about the water park, I was just so excited to go back for more churros. Crispy on the outside, warm and spongy on the inside–the only thing better is dipping it in a warm chocolate sauce. Make these today, thank me later.

You can find a large star tip anywhere these days. If your local craft store doesn't have them in the baking isle, try Home Goods! No lie, that's actually where I found mine!

Churros
INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon, plus 1/2 tsp. for dusting
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, cubed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup superfine sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk the flour and 1 tsp. cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the water, butter, brown sugar, lemon zest and salt until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and stir.
2. Add the flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Add the eggs, one at at time, mixing until fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
3. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan until 350 degrees. Using scissors to cut, pipe 5 inch portions of dough into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan as it will lower the oil temperature (and no one likes a soggy churro.) Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the churro and drain on several layers of paper towels. Repeat until all the dough is fried.
4. Combine the superfine sugar and remaining cinnamon and coat the fried churros. Serve immediately with warm chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 heaping cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. instant espresso
pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine chocolate chips, instant espresso and cayenne in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it's just about to boil.
2. Pour hot cream over chocolate chip mix and let sit for a minute. Use a rubber spatula to stir the cream and chocolate mixture continuously until you have a smooth and rich chocolate sauce.