I’ve Made This 4-Ingredient Snack Hundreds of Times (My Kids Love It)

There is a particular snack that I probably made hundreds of times throughout my childhood: A simple cinnamon-sugar tortilla roll-up. It’s something I could make on my own in the microwave from a pretty early age, and we almost always had the ingredients needed for it in our house. I distinctly remember downing a full plate of these little sugar roll-ups right before going to soccer practice, which I can’t imagine doing today.

Now that I’m older and wiser, I’ve been making a slightly upgraded version of this childhood snack in a skillet. The end result is a crispy, buttery, sweet tortilla that tastes like a churro but without the work of frying. My kids absolutely love these and I’m happy to make them as a special after-school snack occasionally—although perhaps not as frequently as I used to make them growing up.

They’re far from fancy, but they hit the spot and also happen to make a pretty good late-night snack at any age.

The Best Tortillas for These Roll-Ups

I’m generally a corn tortilla fan for any and all tacos, but for these little churro-like roll-ups, flour tortillas are the way to go. I like to get the super soft ones in a smaller taco size so you can fit a few roll-ups in the skillet at a time.

Skillet vs. Microwave

I’ve definitely made more of these roll-ups in the microwave than in a skillet over the course of my life, but I much prefer the skillet version. The microwave version is faster (microwave them for 30 seconds and you’re done), but I don’t like how the finished roll-up is a single uniform soft texture. Taking the time to crisp the roll-ups in a skillet makes the texture so much more interesting and is a nice mix of crunchy exterior and softer interior.

How To Make My 4-Ingredient Crispy Cinnamon-Sugar Roll-Ups

To make six roll-ups, you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 small (taco-size) flour tortillas
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Lay out the tortillas on a flat surface. Divide 2 tablespoons of the softened butter between the tortillas (about 1 teaspoon per tortilla) and spread each portion into a very thin layer. Sprinkle each tortilla evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll each tortilla into a tight roll-up.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is bubbling and hot, add the tortilla roll-ups and cook until the tortillas are browned and crispy on the underside, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is browned, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from the pan, allow to cool briefly, then serve warm.

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