“I am VERY pro churro”-my friend Sami. Let’s get into it:

The Recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick butter (4 ounces)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• Optional: 1/4t cinnamon or a pinch of Chinese five spice
• A pot to mix the dough
• A wooden spoon
• A pastry bag with a star tip (or a plastic bag with a corner cut off)
• Scissors
• A heavy-bottomed pot filled with 350-375°F oil (vegetable/canola)
• A tool to remove the churros from the hot oil (tongs, a spider, a slotted spoon)
• Paper towels or a drying rack
• A bowl with 1 cup white sugar and 2T cinnamon or 1T Chinese five spice

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Get the water, butter, and salt into a pot over medium heat. When the mixture is all hot and combined, turn off the heat and dump in all the flour (and the optional spice if desired). Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Make sure your oil is at 350-375°F.

Get your pâte à choux dough (yeah, its a French dough that makes a Mexican delight) into your pastry bag. Over the hot oil, squeeze the dough out of the bag. When it’s the length you want, cut the dough with scissors and let it cook in the oil until a light golden brown (3-4 minutes), turning occasionally.

Once your little churros are the perfect level of golden brown, remove them from the oil and let drip onto paper towels or a drying rack. As they’re still warm, toss them in cinnamon sugar. Serve with whatever you’d like (I like warm peanut butter or Nutella).

HEY! Did you know–you can create all kinds of shapes if you pipe the pâte à choux onto parchment paper and then freeze it for 10-15 minutes before frying? That’s how I made those hearts!! Imagine all the possibilities…