Cinnamon Spirals

I almost called these treats Cinnamon Snails, but I thought that might make you skip over this blog. After all, not many of us eat snails, especially seasoned with cinnamon! But by the end of the post, I think you'll agree that "snails" is a good name for this easy treat.

One of the things I do before the Christmas season is to stock up on pricey items I think I'll be using for my Christmas baking. Stores often have sales on things like chocolate chips and canned pumpkin in the fall, so I buy when the prices are low.

Sometimes, though, I misjudge and buy too much. Last fall it was Puff Pastry.

I'm not sure you can have too much Puff Pastry, but this box had been half used for a couple months now, and I knew I needed to do something with it.

I browsed through the recipes on www.puffpastry.com, but I was short on time and energy, so even though many of the recipes were simple and easy, I decided to go even more basic.

I promise - this recipe is so easy, even someone who has been down and out with the crud has enough energy to make it. *true story

Cinnamon Spirals

ingredients:

1/2 box Puff Pastry (you can also substitute refrigerated crescent rolls)

1 Tablespoon softened butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

Cinnamon to taste

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Thaw the Puff Pastry according to the package directions.

Open the Puff Pastry folds, but don't roll, pull, or do anything else to it.

Spread the softened butter evenly on the pastry.

Sprinkle with the sugar and as much cinnamon as you like.

I like a lot of cinnamon. I added more after I took this picture.

Roll the pastry from one side, loosely, and slice into 3/4" to 1" slices.

Lay the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Believe me, because the sugar can burn and stick to the pan, you really want to use parchment paper for this.)

Leave plenty of room between the slices so they can spread unhindered.

Bake at 400° for about 15 minutes. Let them cool slightly, then enjoy.

Now admit it, don't these look
like snails?

If we had vanilla ice cream in the house, I would have used one of these as a base for a sundae: Cinnamon Spiral topped with vanilla ice cream and hot caramel sauce. Doesn't that sound fabulous???

Meanwhile, spring is coming to the Black Hills in the usual fashion, which is always wonderful. We hit the mid-70's over the weekend, and the Magpies have come back. We never saw this bird when we lived farther east, but their bright black and white markings are unmistakable.

And the Red-Wing Blackbirds have also arrived. They fill the prairie sloughs and creeks, fighting for the best nesting spot, and then warning everyone to stay away with their distinctive trill.

Meanwhile, we have snow in the forecast for this week.

Yes, spring is definitely coming!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com