Protein Churros made in the Air Fryer

Better for you than Auntie Anne’s

It’s as if Auntie Anne’s had a pop-up shop in your home; They’re that good! Doughy, pull-apart breadsticks coated in melted butter and dunked in cinnamon sugar and air fried to perfection. The chocolate and caramel drizzle is totally optional; but I highly recommend.

I saw my friends over at Fit Foodie Finds develop a Protein Monkey Bread in the Air Fryer and this Protein Churro recipe is an adaption of their recipe.

This recipe is so similar to my Churro French Toast Recipe, yet this one is higher in protein and easier to serve as a snack. On the cinnamon train, you can’t go wrong with these Apple Cinnamon Blondies or Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats which are fan favorite recipes as well!

The ingredients you’ll need

• Blended Cottage Cheese – Just toss it in a blender or small food processor and blend until smooth—it’s that easy! This not only adds a boost of protein but also keeps the churro donuts moist.
• All Purpose Flour – The structure of our cinnamon sticks. Consider swapping out 1/4 cup for a whey protein powder or plant-based protein powder of your choosing.
• Melted Unsalted Butter – The secret to rich, buttery goodness. It also helps that cinnamon sugar coating stick perfectly to every bite.
• Brown Sugar – compliments the ground cinnamon beautiful. I haven’t tried white sugar as a replacement and it may affect the dough’s moisture.
• Chocolate and Caramel – Warm chocolate sauce and caramel drizled on top will surely cure your sweet tooth. If you’re using chocolate chips instead of using store bought chocolate sauce, I recommend melting in a small bowl or small saucepan then transferring to a piping bag for drizzling!

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

If you don’t have cottage cheese, you can use greek yogurt!

I’d recommend any greek yogurt other than non-fat greek yogurt. Higher fat greek yogurt has more moisture and results in a better dough texture! Higher fat dairy also holds up better in baked goods.

How to Make This Recipe

1. Blend cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth.

2. Add the blended cottage cheese, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to stir & combine. Damp your hands and press together until a ball of dough has formed.

3. Transfer the dough into a floured surface and knead until smooth. You may need to sprinkle more flour on the top if it’s sticky.

4. Divide the dough to 6 equal pieces and roll into logs about ¾” thick diameter. Cut each rolled dough logs into 3 equal size pieces (similar size to a churro).

5. In a bowl, whisk brown sugar and cinnamon to combine. Melt the butter in another bowl. Dunk each churro into the melted butter, then transfer to the cinnamon sugar and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Set to the side.

6. Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Place the Churros on the parchment paper and cook for ~10 minutes until the churros are crispy and golden brown. 

7. In a stand mixer, make the whipped honey butter. Add the butter first and whip until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add in the honey, salt, and cinnamon and whip again until smooth.

8. Drizzle chocolate and caramel over top of the cooked churros and dunk in the honey butter to enjoy!

PRO TIPS

• Make extra honey butter! The best way to ensure it gets a whipped texture is by having enough contents in your stand mixer. Having extra is not a bad thing as it’ll keep in the fridge for up to two weeks or the freezer for 2-3 months. It’s great on toast, pancakes, waffles, and even melted and drizzled on ice cream.
• Save the rest of your sugar mixture that you have leftover from coating to stir into your oatmeal (try my Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats), in a latte or use it in baked goods such as muffins or this Cinnamon Donut Bread.

Serving suggestions

Try dunking these high Protein Cinnamon Sticks in Whipped Oreo Dip or Cream Cheese Apple Caramel Dip for a delectable treat. Dunking one or two in a mug of Polar Express Hot Chocolate also would be delicious.