Cinnamon Twists are one of those treats that are great for when you feel like a little something sweet, but not too sweet. I know that donuts are a very popular breakfast treat, but I can’t handle anything that sweet for breakfast. I’m much more of an eggs and bacon kind of a girl. One the rare occasion that I treat myself to something sweet in the morning, my 1st choice would be coffee cake and my second choice would be cinnamon twists. The nice thing about these cinnamon twists with puff pastry is that as long as you have puff pastry in the freezer, you can make them pretty quickly for a last minute treat. Kids have a sleepover at the last minute? No problem, get up just a little early and throw cinnamon twists in the oven. Mom called and wants to stop by and visit? No problem! You’re covered.
This recipe calls for making cinnamon twists with puff pastry. Puff pastry lives up to its name. It puffs up when you bake it and it has all of these amazing flaky layers that are light and airy. I must warn you, because of all of the flaky layers, you will make a huge mess if you don’t lean over a large plate or better yet, grab your coffee and your cinnamon twist and enjoy out on the patio! Don’t let a little mess stop you from enjoying every last bite.
Cinnamon twists make me think of a long conversation with a cherished friend at the breakfast table. I love connecting over food and lingering over deep conversation. I am fortunate enough to have several trusted friends that I can be real with and sharing life with them nurtures my soul. I love that we can talk about absolutely anything and there is no judgement and there is no mask. Those are the best kinds of friends and the older I get, the more I appreciate them. Life is too short not to be real and transparent.
Enough babbling, let’s get onto the recipe, shall we?
For this recipe, I just use ready-made puff pastry from the grocery store. It’s delicious and super easy and I can keep it on hand for whenever the mood strikes me. You need to plan a little ahead to allow it to thaw, but it thaws within about 30 minutes or so. I really like the one that Pepperidge Farm makes. They know their stuff when it comes to frozen pastries. I remember eating Pepperidge Farm apple turnovers growing up. I was that weird kid that didn’t really like cake very much. Now I’m that weird adult that doesn’t really like cake very much.
Once the pastry is thawed, just lightly flour your surface and lay out the puff pastry and roll it out just a little bit. Puff pastry does puff up a lot, so if you don’t roll it out, your twists will not hold together very well. You can just eyeball it. It’s really hard to mess up, so unless you’re really good at messing things up, you should be absolutely fine.
The topping is a very simple mixture of cinnamon and sugar. In this recipe I have added some walnut pieces, but you can make the twists with or without nuts. You can even add chunks of chocolate if you want. I won’t be watching you, do whatever suits your fancy!
After the pastry dough is rolled out, simply brush the dough with melted unsalted butter and sprinkle the top with the cinnamon/sugar/walnut mixture and lightly press down to ensure the walnut pieces stick to the dough. Some will still fall off when you make your twists and that is ok, but try and press them down as much as possible to avoid them falling off. Cut the dough into strips using a pizza cutter. I love tools that are dual-purpose, don’t you? Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly straight. Once you roll them into twists no one will know they weren’t perfect.
See? Nothing perfect about this display, but they will be beautiful and delicious when they come out of the oven. Trust me!
Next just twist them around and pinch the edges and lay them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. The tighter the twist, the better they will hold together when they puff up. After you twist them, brush them with more meltd butter and sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar/walnut mixture over the top.
Just place them in the oven and enjoy! They will cool fairly quickly and if you store them in an air tight container, they will stay fresh for several days. These cinnamon twists are a great gift for a new neighbor, your hair stylist, your favorite teacher, or as a housewarming gift in a basket with some gourmet coffee and decorative napkins and a cute coffee mug.
I hope you will give this recipe a try and come on back and leave me a comment and let me know how you like them! Please snap a photo and tag #ketchumkitchen on Social Media.
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Cinnamon Twists Made with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry dough, thawed (I like the one by Pepperidge Farm)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Flour to lightly dust your surface
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and walnuts
- On a lightly dusted surface, lay out the pastry dough and roll it out to desired thickness. The puff pastry will really puff up when it bakes in the oven, so you want it to be fairly thin, but not so thin that it won't hold together with the ingredients on top. See the image in the blog post for a visual.
- Brush the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar/walnut mixture over the top.
- Press the walnut pieces down so that they stick to the dough.
- With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about an inch wide.
- Take each strip and twist and pinch the edges tightly and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the twisted pieces with more melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar/walnut mixture.
- Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts
Cinnamon Twists Made with Puff Pastry
Serves: 24
|
Amount Per Serving: 2 pieces
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 70.06 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 3.28 g | 4.6% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.91 g | 5% | |
| Trans Fat 0.12 g | ||
| Cholesterol 7.63 mg | 2.3% | |
| Sodium 58.74 mg | 2.4% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 9.58 g | 3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0.61 g | 0% | |
| Sugars 4.26 g | ||
| Protein 0.92 g | ||
| Vitamin A 24.38 µg | Vitamin C 0.03 mg | |
| Calcium 14.92 mg | Iron 0.34 mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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