McDonald’s is launching a new breakfast item tomorrow (February 27) with an oxymoronic name — Donut Sticks. Instead of a ring, the deep-fried fritters are shaped like, er, sticks. It was previously launched at the fast food chain’s US outlets last year, and will be served here for the first time for a limited period.

A bag of six sticks costs $2.20, and you can get a brekkie set with a cup of McCafé Premium Roast Coffee for $3. According to the Golden Arches, the dough sticks are “sprinkled all over with cinnamon sugar”, and are “crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside”. It sounds a lot like churros to us; the popular Spanish snack also consists of fried dough sticks dusted with a coating of cinnamon-spiked sugar. The Donut Sticks also look incredibly like the classic Singaporean breakfast staple, you tiao (fried dough fritters).

Compared to McDonald’s more photogenic nosh like the Purple Sweet Potato Waffle Cone and Chocolate Pie (which are currently available at its outlets as comeback items), the plain Donut Sticks definitely got the short end of the stick when the McGods were giving out Insta-worthy looks.

It doesn’t sound terribly exciting, but we crunched down on the Donut Sticks (sent by McDonald’s to us for a sneak peek) with an open mind. To our surprise, the still-warm fritters boast a fab crunchiness to the bite, with an airy texture that’s indeed reminiscent of ultra crispy you tiao. But it’s a lot less greasy and jelak than the typical you tiao we get from hawker stalls, and the liberal sprinkling of cinnamon sugar makes this more of a dessert snack.

You can tap off the excess cinnamon sugar if you don’t want your Donut Sticks too sweet, though we enjoy its fragrant sweetness. It’s also a pretty decent, wallet-friendly riff on Spanish churros (the real churros are denser and pricier). Now, if only McDonald’s Singapore can bring in the chocolate sauce that the US outlets serve its Donut Sticks with… Or you can do a hack with the molten Chocolate Pie’s filling lah.

Donut Sticks available during breakfast hours at all McDonald’s outlets except Singapore Science Centre and Lido, and via McDelivery and GrabFood, while stocks last. www.mcdonalds.com.sg.

PHOTOS: YIP JIEYING