Homemade Baked Churros with Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: (makes 12 pieces 4-inch baked churros)

113g unsalted butter

2 tbsp demerara sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Coating:

¼ cup caster sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Hot Chocolate:

90g bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

285ml full cream milk

¼ tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tsp water

1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. In a saucepan, add in unsalted butter, demerara sugar, salt and water. Heat until the butter has melted and the water is about to simmer.
3. Turn heat to low, add in all-purpose flour. Stir rapidly. The mixture will form a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pan.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the dough into a mixing bowl and let the dough cool for a couple of minutes. Stir so that the dough cools more evenly.
5. Beat the eggs and pure vanilla extract together in a bowl.
6. Gradually add in the egg mixture, stirring after each addition until the mixture are incorporated into the dough.
7. Transfer your dough to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
8. Pipe dough into 4-inch long churros on the lined baking sheet with silicone baking mat with 2-inch spacing from each other.
9. Bake at 200C for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and leave them in there for 10 minutes to dry a little. This step helps them keep their shape and not going flat once they cool.
10. Combine caster sugar, salt and ground cinnamon in a plastic bag.
11. Take the churros straight from the oven and toss them in the mixture until well covered. It is best to do this when the churros are warm and fresh from the oven.
12. To make hot chocolate:

• In a saucepan, heat the full cream milk to a simmer.
• Turn heat to medium, add in chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until the chocolate is melted.
• Add in corn starch solution. Stirring constantly until chocolate mixture begins to bubble. Reduce the heat and cook until the mixture become thick.
• Remove chocolate from heat and stir in pure vanilla extract.

13. Serve with baked churros.