Method

In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and white sugar to the boil, then add the flour and stir vigorously to make a roux. Set aside and leave to cool.

Beat the eggs, stir them into the roux and continue to beat the mixture, preferably with an electric mixer. It should form a nice thick paste.

In a frying pan, heat the oil – ensuring that it is at least 4cm deep – to 180 ºC (drop a little batter in to test if it’s ready). Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and carefully pipe long strips of batter directly into the oil. It will immediately start to bubble. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Turn the churros over when they are brown on one side, then continue to cook the other side until golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

In a shallow bowl, mix together the castor sugar and cinnamon, then toss the churros in the mixture while they are still warm. Use tongs if necessary.

To make the sauce, put all the ingredients apart from the Baileys in a double boiler and heat until melted. Once it has a glossy consistency, stir in the Baileys and serve with the warm churros.

Recipe reproduced with kind permission from Sam Linsell’s Sweet, published by Struik Lifestyle.