Homemade Churros with Cardamom and Chocolate

Step 1
Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Add flour and turn off heat. Stir continuously and vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough balls up and follows your spoon around the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside to cool when dough feels firm and supple.

Step 2
Heat 3/4- to 1 inch of grapeseed oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.

Step 3
While oil heats, combine heavy cream, dark chocolate, chocolate-hazelnut spread, butter, sugar, and ground coffee in a pan set over lowest heat. Stir often to ensure even melting, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4
Grease the inside of a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Insert dough and squeeze it all the way to the bottom of the bag.

Step 5
Insert the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil heating in the pot; if it bubbles steadily, the oil is ready. Carefully squeeze dough out of the bag directly into the hot oil, cutting it off at 6-inch lengths. You can also pipe lengths of dough onto parchment paper and transfer them to the oil by hand. Do not crowd the pot.

Step 6
Fry churros, turning every minute, for 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer fried churros to a dish lined with paper towels.

Step 7
Place cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a spice grinder and blend to a fine powder. Transfer to a wide dish and add sugar. Mix well to combine.

Step 8
Toss warm churros into the cinnamon-cardamom sugar. Serve alongside a dipping cup of the chocolate sauce.