Homemade Churros with Cardamom and Chocolate

I just had to share my favorite dessert of all time, in the hopes of keeping the Valentine's Day fire on: the Mexican churro with cinnamon-cardamom sugar and dark chocolate dip. Plus a fragrant spin with cardamom and star anise in the mix--familiar with a heady hint of exotic! Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, all smothered with a sinfully dark chocolate sauce.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 528 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella®)
• 1 star anise pod (Optional)
• 1 ½ cups grapeseed oil for frying, or as needed
• 1 (2 ounce) bar dark chocolate (70%)
• ½ teaspoon ground coffee beans (Optional)
• 8 cardamom pods, seeded and hulls discarded (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Add flour and turn off heat. Stir continuously and vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough balls up and follows your spoon around the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside to cool when dough feels firm and supple.

Step 2

Heat 3/4- to 1 inch of grapeseed oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.

Step 3

While oil heats, combine heavy cream, dark chocolate, chocolate-hazelnut spread, butter, sugar, and ground coffee in a pan set over lowest heat. Stir often to ensure even melting, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4

Grease the inside of a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Insert dough and squeeze it all the way to the bottom of the bag.

Step 5

Insert the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil heating in the pot; if it bubbles steadily, the oil is ready. Carefully squeeze dough out of the bag directly into the hot oil, cutting it off at 6-inch lengths. You can also pipe lengths of dough onto parchment paper and transfer them to the oil by hand. Do not crowd the pot.

Step 6

Fry churros, turning every minute, for 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer fried churros to a dish lined with paper towels.

Step 7

Place cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a spice grinder and blend to a fine powder. Transfer to a wide dish and add sugar. Mix well to combine.

Step 8

Toss warm churros into the cinnamon-cardamom sugar. Serve alongside a dipping cup of the chocolate sauce.