You ever look at a donut and think, “I sure would like to eat that, but only if it were in the shape of a slightly arthritic chicken finger!”? Me neither, but apparently someone in R&D at McDonald’s did!

Everyone’s favorite restaurant with a slide recently began serving an intriguing, new, limited-time offering called Donut Sticks. We had to swing by Mickey D’s to see if this new, sweet breakfast treat is worth your hard-earned McDollars. And to see if it delivered on the whole “donut in the shape of a tree branch” promise.

What’s a Donut Stick?

Glad you asked! It has some similarities to a churro -- it’s fried dough covered in cinnamon sugar -- except for it’s not crunchy and it’s significantly shorter in length (similar to an extremely thick French fry or an extremely normal-sized chicken finger). Six of ‘em will run you an affordable $1.29, and if you finish the entire bag, you’ll be ingesting 280 calories and 9 grams of sugar. For comparison, one Cinnamon Donut at Dunkin’ has 310 calories and 13 grams of sugar. And while you can order breakfast anytime at McDonald’s, you cannot order these at anytime. Many locations I checked with stop serving them around 11am.

No seriously, what’s a Donut Stick?

Look, it’s a weird name, I get it. My guess is they would’ve loved to call ‘em Donut Fries, but Dunkin’ beat them to the punch.

What’s the meaning of life?

You have wandered into the wrong article if you’re looking for that kind of insight. Just kidding, here it is.

What does a Donut Stick taste like?

That’d be a pretty funny joke if they made the fried dough and cinnamon sugar taste like bark, but I imagine its customers would be a little mad. In this modern era of never-ending bad news, I have something good to tell you: These suckers are not similar to donuts, but they are damn good.

If the Donut Stick is comparable to anything, it’s a churro. That said, this is also not a churro. It’s flakier than one. It tastes light and airy like a croissant, and it’s dusted with the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar. You don’t need to eat six of these to be satisfied, but inhaling three of these while you finish your morning cup of coffee is easier than pie. Oh man, McDonald’s apple pies are so good. You should order one of those too. While the apple pie is a more filling dessert option, we’re willing to bet that if you love the cinnamon-sugar flavor profile of the pie, you’re going to flip for this Donut Stick.

McDonald’s clearly didn’t release this new offering in order to replace a heartier breakfast option like the Triple Breakfast Stack McMuffin. Donut Sticks are a sweet treat to end your meal on. And if you get a coffee with your breakfast, make sure to dunk them, because they taste even more decadent after they’ve been submerged in Mickey D’s coffee.

Should I order these?

Hell yeah, you should! Did you see that six sticks will run you only $1.29?! That’s an incredible value for a churro-esque, croissanty delight that pairs great with coffee. But you might wanna snag ‘em quickly -- Dunkin’s Donut Fries are no longer available, which doesn’t exactly bode well for the Donut Stick’s success.