XS-sized cinnamon rolls (the famous cinnamon rolls)
This week I decided to take a break from muffins and switch things up a bit. As expected, my American side came out when I thought of these cinnamon rolls—or rather mini rolls—because although it’s not very noticeable in the photos, they’re quite a bit smaller than the ones we all know, somewhat crispier and above all with a fantastic flavor.
The ingredients are very basic and easy to find, and the way to make them reminds me a lot of puff pastry palmiers. There are no folds in half, but the dough is the same and the only difference lies in the cinnamon and the walnuts. And in the flavor of course, which is amazing—just thinking about it makes my mouth water…
Ingredients for approx. 15 units
1 rectangular puff pastry sheet for sweet recipes
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
100 g brown sugar (I usually use around 70 g, I don’t like it too sweet)
50 g chopped walnuts
For the topping:
75 g powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon butter
Preparation
Unroll the puff pastry onto the baking paper it comes with.
Mix the chopped walnuts with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Spread the mixture evenly over the puff pastry and roll the dough inward so the filling is inside, forming a spiral log.
Using a very sharp knife, cut the log into pieces about 1.5–2 cm thick. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
They will likely lose their shape when cutting; if so, reshape them once placed on the tray.
Make sure the outer end of the spiral is well sealed to the next layer so it doesn’t unravel during baking.
Preheat the oven for about 5 minutes at 200ºC. Bake them for about 15–20 minutes at 190ºC, until they start to turn golden and the sugar bubbles.
For the topping, mix the powdered sugar, milk, and butter and beat until smooth and slightly thick.
Spread the topping over the rolls while they are still warm and let them sit at room temperature until cooled. Then place them in the fridge so the topping hardens.
Notes
To keep them soft and moist, it’s important to watch the baking time. If you leave them too long or at too high a temperature, they’ll turn crispy (still tasty, but technically no longer cinnamon rolls).