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–+ servings
air fried cinnamon sticks drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.
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5 from 2 votes

Protein Churros

Fluffy dough rolled in cinnamon sugar then air fried to perfection, you wouldn't know that these cinnamon sticks pack in 12g of protein per serving! The key: blended cottage cheese (or greek yogurt). With no yeast or rise time required, these Protein Churros are delicious!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time23 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • stand mixer
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Bench Scraper
  • Rubber Spatula
  • measuring cups / spoons
  • Tongs

Ingredients

Protein Dough

  • 2 cups blended cottage cheese 4% small-curd
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • caramel sauce I love Ghirardelli's
  • chocolate sauce I love Ghirardelli's

Whipped Honey Butter

  • 1 stick unsalted butter ½ cup
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Blend cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth. 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.
    cottage cheese based bread formed into a ball in a bowl.
  • 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.
  • 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).
    doughy breadsticks on a baking sheet ready to be coated in cinnamon sugar.
  • 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.
    unbaked breadsticks rolled in cinnamon sugar on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Remove the cooked cinnamon sticks from the fryer and place on a wire rack. Either use a serrated knife to gently cut one side of the stick open (like a hot dog bun) and fill with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauce. Or simply drizzle the chocolate and caramel sauce on top of the cinnamon sticks.
  • Serve warm with the whipped honey butter and ENJOY!

Video

Notes

Dough makes roughly 18 cinnamon sticks. Serving size is 3 cinnamon sticks. 
It's easiest to dunk the breadsticks into the melted butter then transfer to the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Use a fork to toss cinnamon sugar over the rest of the breadstick and avoid the mixture on your hands.
Store in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge and reheat in the air fryer to get them crispy again.

Nutrition

Serving: 3sticks (without honey butter) | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g