CHURROS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

this is my family’s go-to chocolate sauce recipe and i haven’t found anything that beats it. the source is the original Joy of Cooking but it is not included in their current version of the cookbook. we typically serve it over ice cream or dip graham crackers into it but today we decided to pair it with churros. something ivan and i have been wanting to make for awhile. the chocolate sauce is insanely easy to put together and can be made right before serving. it has this great granulated texture and it’s not too sweet which is key. it keeps well in the refrigerator and can be re-heated as needed. i hope you make it and love it as much as we do. if you’re short on time and hosting a party i’d say skip the churros, buy some ice cream at the store and just make the chocolate sauce. also, we show chocolate chips in the picture but that’s because it’s all we had on hand. buy bars of unsweetened chocolate – joanie

churros (adapted from allrecipes.com) 
makes 16 mini sized churros 
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 1/2 tablespoons white sugar (plus more for coating)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• canola oil

hot chocolate sauce:
12 servings 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate (bars or squares not chocolate chips even though that’s what we show)
• 1 cup half and half
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

to make the chocolate sauce: mix all of the ingredients except for the vanilla in a sauce pan and heat. stir until dissolved and it comes to a boil. boil without stirring for 7 minutes. remove from heat and add vanilla.

to make the churros: in a medium pot, heat 2 cup of water on medium heat. mix in the sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt ad bring to a boil. remove from heat and add in the 2 cups of flour. stir all the ingredients using a rubber spatula until mixture forms into a ball. in a cast iron skillet heat canola oil to 375 degrees F. its a good idea to fill up the cast iron skillet about 1-2 inches of oil so that the churros will cook more evenly.

• fill a piping bag with a medium star tip on the end. once the oil is hot squeeze out long strips and cut with scissors to the desired length. fry until golden brown on all sides, about 1 minute (if the oil is too hot they will brown quickly and not cook on the inside). once cooked, remove churros onto paper towels to soak excess oil and to cool a bit. in a small bowl mix 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. roll churros in the sugar and coat evenly. serve with the hot chocolate sauce.

styling by: joanie cusack and ivan solis
photos by: ivan solis
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