MMMM doughnuts. I would like to proclaim my belief that there would be allot less conflict in this world if everyone would take a step back, relax and have a doughnut break. I swear it would work! I believe Homer Simpson would agree!
Every country on the planet has their own distinctive take on the humble fried bit of pastry. The french have the beignet. The Chinese have their Youtiao. In Turkey they have Tulumba Tatlısı. In Egypt they have cheese stuffed Katayef. In The US they have about a billion different types of doughnuts with a doughnut shop on every corner!
But possibly my favourite doughnut of all has to be the humble churro from Mexico. The Churro originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, the United States, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. The snack gets its name from its shape, which resembles the horns of the Churro breed of sheep reared in the Spanish grasslands of Castile.
In my take on the churro, I've made it a really egg rich and vanilla seed studded indulgent treat. The dough itself is a variation on the French Choux Pastry.
Churros y Chocolate
350ml water
40g brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
100g butter
250g plain flour
3 eggs
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
50g caster sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla seeds together till well blended. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a boil. 
Place the flour into a mixing bowl.
Using a hand held mixer slowly add the warm liquid to the flour while mixing. Mix it in until well blended. 
Add the egg mixture to the batter, Mix until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in. You are aiming for a rather sticky batter.
At this point you can store the dough in the refrigerator covered in cling film for up to two days. Just bring it up to room temperature before frying.
To Fry:
Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 12 inch frying pan or deep fat fryer to 190c (375f).
Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Fill your pastry bag with the dough and attach the largest star tip you have. A star tip is not essential, you could just use a freezer bag with the corner cut off, but you will not get the typically ridged churro.
Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up and dance around in the oil. If it does not it means the oil is not hot enough. If you oil is not hot enough you will have a flaccid churro.
Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough from the pastry bag into the oil. The dough should be about 4 inches long before cutting. I used kitchen scissors to release the dough from the pastry bag
You should be able to cook 3 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon.
Cook an additional two minutes, You need to cook them long enough so the outside is crisp and brown and the insides are cooked. 
Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease.
While still warm, sprinkle each churro with the cinnamon sugar to coat.
Serve with chocolate sauce! I use the Wahaca's Recipe which can be found here
