begin to heat the oil in a heavy dutch oven, it should be about 2 inches deep, attach a thermometer and monitor the temperature of the oil as you make the dough, you're aiming for about 350˚

bring the water, butter, 2 TBSP sugar, salt, to a boil in a heavy saucepan

lower the heat and stir in the cup of flour

keep stirring with the wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the dough is in a ball

remove from the heat and cool for AT LEAST 5 minutes

then beat the egg in a small bowl

pour in 1/3 of the egg and stir to combine

repeat two more times

beat the finished dough with the wooden spoon to make sure it's soft and well combined

load into a piping bag fitted with a star tip

Once your oil is 350˚ it's time to start cooking

line a baking sheet with parchment paper

pipe your churros onto the parchment paper, cut apart the paper so you can slide 1-2 churros into the hot oil at a time, the parchment paper will float away and you can pull it out with tongs and discard it

ALTERNATIVELY, you can pipe directly into the hot oil and not pipe onto the parchment paper, this works for straight churros, not for the heart-shaped churros

cook for 4-6 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning over halfway through, remove to a baking rack over a baking sheet OR a plate with paper towels for draining

adjust the temperature of the oil if needed

mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the hot churros as they come out of the oil

continue frying the churros until the dough is gone