Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

In Norway, we have this delicious pastry called a kanelsnegle (pronounced KAH-nell-sneg-luh). Actually, I think it may be Danish, but we have it at our local bakery in Norway anyway. It is, by far, one of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had. Seriously. Most delicious. Pastry. EVER. And now that I’m back in the States visiting family, I can’t get my kanelsnegler fill. But hey, when life doesn’t give you kanelsnegler, you make your own damn kanelsnegler! We don’t have quite the same type of dough in this country for kanelsnegler, so we’ll be substituting puff pastry for the weinerbrød deig. I promise it’s every bit as crispy and delicious!

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about a dozen

For the puff pastry cinnamon rolls:
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
2 tbsp. (about 30 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4-5 tbsp. water

Start by preheating your oven to 400*F (205*C) and lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove your two sheets of puff pastry dough from their wrappers and gently roll one on top of the other with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. You don’t need to use a lot of pressure because all we’re trying to do is to get those two layers to stick together. In a small bowl, stir together your cinnamon and sugar. Brush the top of your puff pastry with the melted butter and sprinkle with your cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Beginning with one of the narrower ends of the dough, roll your puff pastry into a log. Although you can easily slice up your cinnamon rolls using a knife, one of the best ways to do it is with a piece of thread. This will keep the delicate pastry dough from being squished and misshaped. To do this, work a piece of thread under your log of dough, bring the thread up and around the sides and across the top, continuing to pull so that the thread slices the dough. Slice the dough into 1/2″ thick pieces and place them on your lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until the pastries are golden and crisp.

Once the pastries have cooled, you can give them a dusting of powdered sugar or ice them. To make the icing, stir together your powdered sugar and water until you have a thick paste. Spoon this onto your pastries or pipe it using a piping bag. Although these are best eaten the day they’re made, they can also be stored on a covered plate for several days.