Cinnamon sea salt churros

Whenever you have the opportunity to deep-fry your dessert you absolutely should.

And I can think of no better way to start a healthy habit like that than with churros. There's nothing not to like here, they're crunchy, pillowy, sweet, salty and in case you weren't paying attention: deep fried.

Ordering churros is a little bit of a gamble. Unless the place is a churros-only type deal, you'll often be left disappointed because the folks ahead of you in line ordered fish and chips from, let's be honest, the very same frying oil. Making them at home will shield you from this problem, and frankly it is ridiculously easy.

If you're a reasonable adult(ish) then deep frying things in a pot on a gas stove should be something that scares you. Because, well, oil and fire. But if you are careful and pay attention all will be fine. If you're Dutch and have a deep fryer (yes, this is something many Dutch people have, no judgement please) feel free to use that one of course! Do yourself a solid though and use new oil. We all know that the flavor of the last thing you put in there is not something you want for your churros.

Ingredients #

Ingredients for a serving of churros that will satisfy anywhere from 1-4 people for dessert. I'm not here to mandate how large your desserts are allowed to be, enjoy your freedom.

For the churro mixture:

• 250ml water
• 110 grams of butter (I prefer salted)
• 140 grams of all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt and granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• oil, for frying

For topping:

• 50 grams of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• A Big pinch of flaky sea salt
• If you're in the mood, these guys will also make great vehicles for transporting things like Nutella or Dulce de Leche to your mouth - just putting that out there.

Method #

1. Add the butter, water and pinch of sugar in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the flour and salt all at once and stir it together with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture forms in to a ball.

2. Take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs. Make sure the mixture is actually cooled down, we're not looking for scrambled egg churros. Add in the eggs one at the time and stir it all together until it's fully combined. Put your now ready churro dough/batter in to a piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag (like me) than a plastic ziplock bag will work just as well, just cut a +-1cm piece off one of the edges and you'll be good to go.

3. On a plate combine the sugar, cinnamon and flaky salt and place it close to your frying station so you can dunk your churros onto the plate right out of the oil.

4. Time to fry! Heat up the oil in your dutch oven (don't use a lid!!) or other heavy set pot to 175 degrees celcius. In Fahrenheit I can only assume it's a different number. Never fill your pot with too much oil, aim for somewhere halfway up to max 3/4. Working in batches slowly squeeze your churros out of the bag right in to the oil, cutting them off at your desired length with a scissor. Be careful here not to make any splishy splashies. Fry your babies until they're nice and golden brown on all sides, this will take around 5 minutes.

5. When that classic golden hue of deep fried-ness has been achieved take your churros out and roll them through the cinnamon sea salt sugar mixture. It's easiest to do this straight away when they come out of the oil so the sugar mixture sticks to them well.

6. As for your still rippin hot oil, pah-lease leave it in the pot WITHOUT A LID (FFS) to cool down completely. Don't go messin about with hot oil, ever, but especially not if you have warm churros to eat.

This is honestly so easy, and so delicious. Will your house have a gentle whiff of oil in the morning? Perhaps! Nothing a good kitchen fan and a few open windows can't solve.