In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add the flour and mix vigorously until well combined. The dough will come together in a minute or two.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the dough cool slightly. Once it’s no longer too hot, add the egg and mix it into the dough quickly. At first, it might seem like the dough won’t come together, but continue to work it, and it will eventually bind.

Pour oil into a large frying pan and heat it.

Transfer half of the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star piping tip (this makes it easier to handle).

To check if the oil is hot enough for frying, drop in a small piece of dough. When it turns golden brown, the oil is ready for frying.

Pipe the dough directly into the hot oil, cutting the churros to your preferred length with a fork (which works best for this). Avoid overcrowding the pan, as the churros need space to fry. Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown, which signals that they are ready. If they aren’t browning evenly, reduce the heat.

Remove the churros from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.

While still warm, roll each churro in a mixture of sugar and ground cinnamon.

Serve warm with thick hot chocolate or chocolate pudding for dipping.