Star-Piped Cinnamon-Sugar Churros

Mix coating sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish; prepare a deep pot and a large closed-star piping tip.

Bring water, butter, dough sugar and salt to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat.

Add flour all at once and stir vigorously for 30–60 seconds; return to low heat and stir-cook another 30 seconds.

Cool the paste in a bowl for about 2 minutes. Beat in 3 eggs one by one; if the dough does not fall in a thick ribbon, add a little of the fourth beaten egg as needed. Mix in vanilla.

Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large closed-star tip; never use a smooth round tip.

Fill a deep pot with about 5cm of oil and heat with a thermometer to 204°C, leaving plenty of headroom.

Hold the piping bag near the oil, pipe three 8–12cm lengths and snip with scissors. Fry 1–2 minutes per side until golden; cook longer if the center is wet dough.

Drain 30 seconds, toss warm churros in cinnamon sugar and serve; bring oil back to temperature before the next batch.