Cinnamon Snails ~ Oma's Zimtschnecken

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My Cinnamon Snails, aka Zimtschnecken, use frozen puff pastry. Deliciously simple, these are great additions to your collection of quick Christmas recipes. In fact, these have become regular additions to my holiday baking. Why? Because they are easy. Because they are delicious. And, most importantly, because everyone likes them.

The "American way" to make these cinnamon puffs is to use brown sugar. The "German way" to make these Zimtschnecken is to use white sugar. Try it, I think you'll like it!

Cinnamon Snails ~ Oma's Zimtschnecken

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen puff pastry (about ¾ lb), thawed
• ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
• 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Remove dough from fridge about 10 minutes before using to let it warm slightly.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon.
• Roll dough out onto parchment paper to a rectangle, about 16" X 10".
• Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon of mixture.
• Start rolling from the long side. Cut into "snails" by cutting into ½" slices.
• Place "snails" onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Mix egg. Brush egg over "snails". Sprinkle with remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture.
• Bake about 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let cool on cookie rack.

Snail Tips ...

• These really do taste best fresh, so make them early in the day you need them.
• If you wish, you can always include some chopped nuts in the filling.

Frozen Puff Pastry ...

Buying and keeping frozen puff pastry in the freezer means you'll always be ready to make these. Follow the thawing instructions on the package. Keep thawed dough in fridge until ready to use.

Don't forget to buy more so that you'll always have some to make these and other quick puff pastry recipes.

Although I haven't yet tried it, using partly vanilla sugar should be really good.

More German Desserts

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