Spanish churros with hot chocolate — the famous sweet of Madrid’s streets

Churros are Spain’s iconic sweet, born on the streets of Madrid and today spread across Latin America. The simple unleavened dough is fried until golden and crispy outside, soft inside, and always served with a cup of thick hot chocolate for dipping. The recipe below serves 4–6 people.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

• 250 ml water
• 100 g butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 150 g wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• sunflower oil for frying
• sugar mixed with cinnamon, for dusting

For the hot chocolate:

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 200 ml milk (or cream for a richer version)
• 1 tbsp sugar (to taste)

PREPARATION

1. In a saucepan, boil the water with the butter, sugar and salt until the butter is completely melted.
2. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 2 minutes over low heat).
3. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition, then the vanilla — the dough should be smooth and elastic.
4. Pipe the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
5. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 180°C. Fry 10–12 cm dough strips, 4–5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and immediately dust with cinnamon sugar.
7. For the chocolate: heat the milk to a gentle simmer, add the broken chocolate and stir until melted and creamy.
8. Serve the churros warm with the hot chocolate for dipping.

Tip: If you don’t have a pastry bag, use a plastic bottle with a star tip or form balls with two spoons — the taste stays the same.

Prep time: ~20 minutes | Cook time: ~15 minutes | Servings: 4–6