In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring it to a light boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat to low and dump in the flour all at once. Stir, stir, stir! The dough will come together quickly and form a ball. Keep stirring and pressing it against the sides of the pan for another 1-2 minutes. This helps cook the flour a bit, which gives your churros that signature texture.

Remove from heat and let the dough cool for about 5 minutes. (It should be warm, not hot, so it doesn’t cook the egg when you add it.)

Once it’s cooled a bit, mix in the egg and vanilla extract. It’ll look a little messy at first, like it doesn’t want to combine, but keep stirring or use a hand mixer if you prefer. It’ll smooth out into a thick, sticky dough.

Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a deep pot or pan. Heat it to 350°F (175°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the oil by dropping in a tiny bit of dough, it should sizzle and rise to the top pretty quickly, but not burn.

Safety tip: Always be careful when frying, hot oil can splatter, and nobody wants a kitchen accident when you’re just trying to make snacks!

Scoop the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe strips (around 4-6 inches long) of dough directly into the hot oil. Use scissors or a knife to cut the dough at the tip of the bag.

Don’t overcrowd the pot, fry a few at a time so they don’t stick together and cook evenly. Fry each churro for about 2–3 minutes per side, or until they’re golden brown and crispy. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently turn them as they cook.

When they’re ready, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

While the churros are still warm (not piping hot, but warm enough to hold the sugar), roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated on all sides. This part smells amazing!

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until just steaming, don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth and glossy. You can also microwave them together in short bursts if that’s easier.

Pour it into a little bowl for dipping. It’s rich, silky, and makes the churros feel extra fancy.