You're 4 Ingredients Away From This Delicious Churro-Inspired Dessert

Churros might just be the best kind of early fall food. The fried dough sticks are reminiscent of a day at the county fair with flavors that have more of an autumn vibe. You get to use dipping sauces like melted chocolate, caramel, and dulce de leche, and they're easy to make at home (here's a great churro recipe to get you started). You don't necessarily have to break out the deep frying oil to make a churro-inspired dessert, though. Next time you're craving some crispy cinnamon and sugar bread, grab a sheet of frozen puff pastry and make baked churros in your oven.

Make puff pastry baked churros at home in about 15 minutes with four ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen: frozen puff pastry, sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted butter. They're the perfect companion for apple cider, pumpkin spice, and all the best fall finds at Costco and other retailers like Aldi and Target. They add a festive touch to potlucks and are an easy food option for all those upcoming holiday parties.

Puff pastry baked churros are fluffier and more bread-like than traditional churros, but they still have a bit of a crust on the outside. They're almost more like sweet breadsticks than actual churros, and they're absolutely irresistible with a heavy coating of cinnamon and sugar and a basic caramel sauce for dipping. They still have that golden-brown glow, but they're not fried in oil, making them a little healthier than the traditional version. Plus, they're easier to make and require fewer tools than traditional churros. You just pop puff pastry dough into the oven, cut into 1-inch strips. After they're done baking, brush them with melted butter and coat with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with your favorite, decadent dipping sauce.

Pizza dough, pie crust, and biscuit dough will also work to make baked churros, if you don't have puff pastry on hand. Add some vanilla to the melted butter you brush onto the dough to create an even more complex and flavorful batch of baked churros and give the strips a brush of butter before they go into the oven to intensify the flavor. If you're feeling fancy, twist each of the strips of dough before they go into the oven for a touch of elegance.