Heart-Shaped Churros

Churros are puffy, golden fried dough with no yeast, from Spain and loved all over Latin America, rolled in cinnamon sugar. For Hanukkah I made them a little differently and more festive. They're made from choux dough, just like cream puffs, piped into whatever shape you like and fried. It's an easy recipe that works every time, and you'll probably end up making it the rest of the year too, not just for Hanukkah.

Before you start

• Weigh the eggs.
• The frying temperature should be between 330 and 340°F (165–170°C).
• If you're making classic straight churros, there's no need to freeze them. Pipe strips straight into the hot oil (use scissors to snip them off).

Ingredients

• 100 g butter.
• 30 g dark brown sugar (2 tablespoons).
• 360 ml water (1½ cups).
• A pinch of salt.
• 190 g all-purpose flour (1 cup + 5 tablespoons).
• 150 g beaten eggs.
• Oil for deep frying.

For the coating

• 160 g sugar (1¼ cups).
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, brown sugar and salt, and bring to a boil over low heat. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly into a smooth, even dough.
2. Keep cooking for about 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Move the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for a few minutes, until the dough has cooled and the bowl no longer feels warm (the dough must be cool).
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add them in 3 additions. Each time, the dough will break apart and then come back together; wait until it comes together before adding more egg. The dough should be thick and easy to pipe.
5. Move the dough to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (one that fits in your freezer) and pipe the churros into hearts. Freeze for about 40 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
7. Pour oil into a wide pot and heat it over low heat to 330–340°F (165–170°C). Take the churros out of the freezer, peel them off the parchment and lower them into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until fully golden.
8. Set the churros on paper towels for a few seconds, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while they're still warm.
9. Churros are at their best the day you make them, and of course tastiest soon after frying.