Churros With Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Ingredients for churros:
1/4 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup plus 2 T all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 T olive oil
1 cup freshly boiled water
2 cups corn or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

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Ingredients for chocolate dipping sauce:
4 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (or 1/2 cup chips)
1 ounce milk chocolate (or 2 T chocolate chips)
1 T golden syrup (Lyle's) or corn syrup
2/3 cup double cream

Preparing the churros:
Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the churros in a wide, shallow dish; this is for coating the cooked churros.

Put the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder, then beat in the olive oil and 1 cup freshly boiled water. Keep mixing until you have a warm sticky dough, and let rest for about 10 minutes or for as long as it takes for the corn oil to heat up.

Heat the oil in a smallish saucepan; it should come about a third of the way up the sides of the pan. When you think it's hot enough, toss in a cube of bread and see if it sizzles and browns. If it browns in about 30 seconds, it's hot enough; or if you're using an electric deep-fat fryer regulate the temperature, it should be at 325 degrees F. Keep a watchful eye on your hot oil pan at all times.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.

Fill a piping bag with a large star shaped nozzle (8mm) with the churro dough. Squeeze short lengths, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches, of dough into the hot oil, snipping them off with a pair of scissors as you go. Cook about 3 or 4 at a time. Once they turn a rich golden brown, remove them to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Keep the churros warm while you fry the remaining dough by blotting them with paper towels and transferring them to a parchment lined baking sheet in a warm oven. The churros do need 5 to 10 minutes to rest before eating to allow them to set inside, even if you don't put them into an oven.

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Preparing the chocolate dipping sauce:
Melt all of the chocolate sauce ingredients in a heavy based saucepan over low heat. Once combined and the chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside in a warm place.

Toss the hot churros into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and shake them about to get a good covering, just before serving. Arrange the churros on a serving platter and serve.

Pour the chocolate sauce into individual pots for serving.

Serves 4 to 6