the classic recipe
Spanish churros with thick chocolate
Churros con chocolate are the Spanish small hours turned into breakfast — long golden tubes of fried dough, shatteringly crisp outside and tender within, dusted with sugar and plunged into a thick hot chocolate so dense it barely pours. Ordered at San Ginés at 5 in the morning after a Madrid night out, or at a chocolatería on a rainy winter Sunday with the kids. The thick chocolate is what separates the authentic Spanish version from every imitation — thin hot chocolate doesn't qualify. It has to coat the churro and hold on.
yields 4 servings·886 kcal per serving·cuisine Spanish
The traditional recipe
Instructions
Bring 200 ml of water with ¼ teaspoon of salt to a full boil in a saucepan over high heat.
Remove from heat and add 200 g of all-purpose (low-protein) flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms and pulls away from the pan walls. Rest for 5–10 minutes.
Transfer the warm dough to a churrera or piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle.
Heat 1 litre of canola oil (or mild olive oil) in a deep pan to 190–200 °C.
Pipe the dough directly into the hot oil in 10–15 cm lengths, cutting with scissors. Fry in small batches to maintain oil temperature.
Turn the churros with tongs or a slotted spoon and fry 2–3 minutes per side until evenly golden. Drain on paper towels.
Dust generously with sugar (and cinnamon if desired) immediately while still hot.
For the chocolate: dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 50 ml cold milk and set aside.
Heat the remaining 450 ml whole milk with 200 g chopped tablet chocolate and 30 g sugar, stirring constantly until fully melted.
Pour the cold cornstarch mixture into the hot chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, for 3–4 minutes until thickened to a dense, pourable cream.
Serve the churros immediately alongside the thick hot chocolate in cups or mugs for dipping.