Chocolate Churros with Chocolate & Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 120 gmuscovado sugar, for caramel sauce
• 60 gbutter, for caramel sauce
• 250 mlheavy cream, for caramel sauce
• 100 gdark chocolate, stirred into caramel sauce off heat
• sea salt, pinch for sauce, pinch for coating, large pinch for churros batter
• 100 ggolden caster sugar, for cinnamon-sugar coating
• 2 tspcinnamon, for cinnamon-sugar coating
• 200 gall-purpose flour, for churros batter
• 50 gcocoa powder, for churros batter
• 1 tspbaking powder, for churros batter
• 1 tspvanilla extract, for churros batter
• 50 gbutter, melted; for churros batter
• 275 mlboiling water, for churros batter; 250–300ml; midpoint used
• sunflower oil, for deep frying
• ice cream, to serve; optional

Method

1. 1

   Make the sauce: melt the muscovado 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. 6

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

3. 2

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

4. 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.

5. 4

   Heat the sunflower oil in a deep-fat fryer or heavy pan to 170°C — a cube of bread should brown in 30 seconds.

6. 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.