Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, add the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and 1 tsp. of Paprika. Whisk and set aside.

In a third bowl, add the remaining flour and set aside.

Create a breading station: line up the bowl of milk batter, the bowl of flour, and the bowl of bread crumbs.

Remove the cheeze sticks from the refrigerator and set a large plate or baking sheet aside. Grab four forks, two will be used for the batter (wet forks) and two will be used for the flour/breadcrumbs (dry forks).

• Use your wet forks to pick up (do not pierce) one cheeze stick and submerge it completely in the batter. Shake off any excess and then drop it into the flour.
• Using the second set of forks (dry forks), coat it completely in the flour. Pick up the stick using the wet forks and dunk it back into the batter, shaking off any excess batter.
• Drop the stick into the breadcrumb mixture and then using the dry forks, generously coat it. Make sure entire stick is covered in batter. Use fingers to patch any open areas.
• Transfer the breaded stick onto the plate or baking sheet that you set aside and continue until you have coated all of the sticks. It is important to use the “wet forks” only for the batter and then the “dry forks” only for the flour and bread crumbs as this will prevent clumping and will also yield less of a mess.

Once all of the sticks are coated, place baking sheet/plate into the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour for settling. *

Preheat air fryer to 370 degrees. Take the sticks out of the freezer and place them into the air fryer. Spray or brush with olive oil. “Fry” for 10 minutes or until golden brown, rotating halfway through. **

Once finished, transfer the cheeze sticks to a plate and allow them to cool until easy to handle.

Serve with marinara sauce or Daiya Homestyle Ranch and enjoy!

*Omit this step if pan-frying. Instead, pan fry the sticks for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown. **Option to bake the sticks in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

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