Churros With Dipping Chocolate

This is a fairly traditional Spanish recipe for chocolate con churros. The churros are fritters and they are served with an intense chocolate sauce meant for dipping. This recipe is from Penelope Casas, who contributes recipes to many fine cooking publications. *You will need a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8 inch star tip* **Note - whenever deep frying, please be careful for oil splatters. If the heat of the oil gets too high, the oil could splatter and/or a churro could burst.**

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Hot Choclate Dipping Sauce

• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  cup  good quality  semisweet chocolate morsel
• 1⁄4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1  tablespoon  good-quality cocoa powder
• 1⁄4 cup  whole milk

• Churros

• 1  cup water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons  mild olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  cup unbleached flour
•  mild olive oil (for frying)
•  granulated sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Hot Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
2. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over med-high heat.
3. Add the semisweet and bittersweet chocolate, cocoa and milk and lower the heat to med-low.
4. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.
5. Reserve.
6. Churros:
7. Bring the water, oil and salt to a boil in a saucepan over med-high heat.
8. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball forms.
9. Lower the heat and cook, flattening and turning the dough for 2 minutes.
10. Cool and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8 inch star tip (the fluted edge is essential).
11. Pour the oil to a depth of at least 1 inch in a skillet (or use a deep fryer) and heat on high until the oil quickly browns a cube of test bread.
12. Squeeze 5 inch lengths of dough through the pastry tube into the oil - as many as will comfortably fit.
13. Reduce the heat to med-high and fry until the churros puff and have barely begun to turn golden, about 20 seconds. *Do not overcook - the churros should be crunchy outside and soft within.*.
14. Drain on paper towels. (If needed, you can keep them warm briefly in a 200 degee F. oven until ready to serve.).
15. Dredge the churros in the sugar and arrange 4 on each plate.
16. To serve, reheat the chocolate over very low heat and divide into 6 espresso or small cups placed off center on 6 dessert plates.
17. Dip away!