1-Preparing Your Workspace: First things first, get your coating and tray ready. On a large plate, mix together your granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set this aside for later this mixture will transform your plain churros into the iconic cinnamon-sugar delights we all love. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper to pipe your hearts onto. Having these ready at the start means you won’t be scrambling while your dough cools.

2-Making the Dough: Now for the fun part! In a medium saucepan, combine your water, 3 tablespoons of sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and butter. Heat this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a rolling boil. As soon as it bubbles, remove it from the heat immediately. Here’s where you need to work quickly: add the sifted flour all at once and start stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until a ball of dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This should only take a minute or two. The dough will be quite thick, but that’s exactly what you want. Allow the dough to cool slightly, but not too much you want it still warm and pliable when you pipe it. This sweet spot of temperature makes it easier to pipe while holding its shape.

3-Piping the Hearts: The secret to perfect heart shaped churros lies in the piping technique. Don’t worry if your first few attempts aren’t perfect practice makes progress! Fit a large piping bag with a large closed star tip (this creates the classic ridged churro exterior). Fill the bag with your warm dough, being careful not to overfill it. To pipe hearts, start by drawing a V shape on your baking paper, then continue with an inverted V to complete the heart. Alternatively, you can draw two straight lines parallel to each other, then curve the top ends together to form the heart shape. If you’re struggling with freehand piping, draw heart templates on your baking paper and pipe over the reverse side for perfect shapes every time. Don’t stress about mistakes! If a heart shape doesn’t turn out right, simply scoop it back into the piping bag and try again. There’s no waste here, and practice is all part of the fun.

4-Frying to Perfection: Now, heat your frying oil in a large, deep pot to 375°F (190°C). This temperature is crucial for that perfect crispy exterior without greasiness. If you have a candy thermometer, use it to monitor the temperature. If not, you can test the oil by dropping in a small cube of bread it should brown within a minute when the oil is ready. Once your oil is at the right temperature, carefully place your heart shaped churros into the hot oil. I recommend frying just two at a time to maintain the oil temperature and prevent overcrowding, which could lead to soggy churros. Use chopsticks or a slotted spoon to gently flip the churros after 2-3 minutes, frying for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until they’re beautifully golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they can go from perfect to burnt quite quickly!

5-The Final Touches: Remove the perfectly fried heart shaped churros with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen towels. While they’re still warm (this is important!), roll each churro generously in that cinnamon sugar mixture you prepared earlier. The warmth helps the sugar stick perfectly, creating that iconic sweet and spicy coating. If you’re making the optional chocolate sauce (and I strongly suggest you do!), heat the cream until just boiling. Pour this hot cream over the chopped chocolate in a bowl and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a pinch of chili powder for an exciting contrast of flavors.

6-Serving Your Heart Shaped Churros: Serve these delightful heart shaped churros immediately, either plain or with the chocolate sauce for dipping. The contrast between the warm, crispy churros and the rich, velvety chocolate is absolutely divine.