Sweet Air Fryer Churro Bites (Crispy Cinnamon Sugar, 25 Min)

These are the dessert I made for myself the first time I bought an air fryer. I didn’t trust they’d be good — I figured churros need oil and a deep fryer to be real. They are good. Crispy outside, soft and pillowy inside, rolled in cinnamon sugar, dipped in dark chocolate. About 25 minutes from start to plate.

What you need

For the dough — one cup of water, six tablespoons of unsalted butter, a tablespoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, one cup of all-purpose flour, three eggs at room temperature, a teaspoon of vanilla.

For the cinnamon-sugar coating — half a cup of granulated sugar, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, four tablespoons of melted butter for brushing.

For the chocolate sauce — one cup of dark chocolate chips, half a cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt.

You’ll also need a piping bag with a large star tip (a 1M or Wilton 6B). The star tip is what gives churros their ridges.

How I make it

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In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Take it off the heat and dump in all the flour at once. Stir hard with a wooden spoon for about a minute until it forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the dough to a mixer bowl and let it cool for about five minutes — you don’t want to scramble the eggs. Then with the paddle attachment, add the eggs one at a time, beating fully after each. Mix in the vanilla. The dough should be smooth and glossy and hold a soft V-shape on the paddle when you lift it.

Fit the piping bag with the star tip and load it up. Pipe two-inch ridged churro bites onto a parchment-lined tray. Stick them in the fridge for ten minutes to firm up.

Brush the air fryer basket lightly with oil. Arrange the churros in a single layer (don’t crowd them — they need space to crisp). Air fry at 380 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Work in batches.

While they’re hot, brush them with melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar so it sticks all over.

For the sauce, heat the cream until it’s just about to boil. Pour it over the chocolate chips, butter, and salt. Let it sit for two minutes, then whisk until smooth.

Serve the churros warm with the chocolate sauce on the side for dipping.

A few notes

If you don’t have a star tip, you can use a round one but you won’t get the ridges, which means the texture won’t be as crispy. They’ll still taste great.

Best eaten the day they’re made. If you have leftovers, re-crisp them in the air fryer for two minutes at 350.

You can also pipe and freeze them raw — air fry from frozen and just add three minutes.

Oven version: 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes. Not as crispy as air fryer but still good.