Churros con Chocolaté

INGREDIENTS:

Churro Dough:

1 cup water
6 tbsp unsalted room temp. butter
2 tsp instant espresso powder
Pinch salt
1 cup flour
2 eggs at room temp.
Pastry bag
Large start piping tip
Canola oil
Scissors

Cinnamon- Sugar Coating:
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ cup sugar

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
½ cup heave cream
1 tbsp room temp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a sauce pan, heat 1 cup water and 6 tbsn room temp butter.  Add 2 tbsp sugar, espresso powder, and a pinch of salt.  Bring to boil.  Turn off heat and add flour all at once and mix so the liquid gets absorbed and you are left with a ball of dough. 
2.   Transfer the dough to a stand mixer and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Turn on mixer and add one egg at a time. The purpose of the mixer is to cool the dough so the eggs don’t get cooked.  You can add the eggs without using a stand mixer but you have to make sure to keep mixing the dough quickly. (I opted out of using a mixer and it was fine.)
3.  Heat the canola oil (enough for frying- probably about 1-2 cups) in a large saucepan.
4. In a rectangular container, mix 2 tbsp ground cinnamon with ½ cup sugar for coating.
5. Put the large star piping tip in your pastry bag (or very sturdy plastic zip lock bag). Next, fill the pastry bag with the mixture.
6. Once the canola oil is heated at 350 degrees, with one hand, pipe the mixture directly into the heated oil and with the other hand use the scissors to cut the churros to whatever size you want. You’ll know the churros are cooked once they brown and crisp on the outside (60-90 seconds total).
7. Blot the churros on paper towels for a second and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar coating mixture.  *Test one of the churros to make sure it’s cooked in the middle. If it’s not cooked through and it’s already brown on the outside, put the churros in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. 
8. To make the chocolate sauce: Place 1-inch of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
9. In a heatproof mixing bowl, combine the chocolate, ½ cup heave cream, and 1 tbsp room temp. butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and all the ingredients are well combined.
10. Dip churros in chocolaté and enjoy!

The churros can be made ahead and reheated or toasted in the oven before consumption. The chocolate sauce is best if made immediately before eating.