Churros

1. Boil the kettle and pour 300ml of the boiling water into a jug, then stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl with a good pinch of salt, make a well, pour in the contents of the jug and beat hard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
2. Tip all the sauce ingredients into a pan and melt them together gently, stirring now and then, until smooth and glossy, then hold on a low heat to keep warm.
3. Fill a large deep saucepan a third full of oil and heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds to a minute. Line a tray with kitchen paper and stir the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
4. Fit a 1.5 to 2cm star nozzle to a piping bag and fill it with the rested dough. Pipe 2 or 3 strips straight into the oil, snipping each off with scissors, and fry until deep golden and crisp, taking real care with the hot oil.
5. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto the lined tray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar as you go. Keep frying in batches, then toss with any leftover cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Beat the boiling water into the flour until you have a thick, smooth batter that holds its shape, then let it rest before piping.
• Watch your oil temperature closely; too cool and the churros drink up oil, too hot and they colour before the centre sets.
• A star nozzle gives the ridges that make churros so crisp, so it's worth digging one out.
• Roll them in cinnamon sugar straight from the fryer while the surface is still tacky, so it clings.