Cinnamon Sugar Knitting Needles

When my son was young, we liked to roll up crescent dough with parmesan cheese inside and bake it.

He affectionately called this snake bread because – well – he was a boy and that seemed fun at the time. I’m not trying to make a kid eat and I’m pretty sure snake bread doesn’t sound tasty, so I switched the dough to puff pastry and named them for something I like – knitting needles.

They are long like a knitting needle and that just seems somehow more charming. Today our Knitting Needles have a cinnamon and sugar filling but sometimes we use pasta sauce and cheese or pesto when a savory version is the goal. This is a good reason to keep puff pastry in the freezer. You can use it for hundreds of last-minute recipes from a pot pie topping to a quick pizza. Little squares can be turned into fruit pastries, or my favorite – wrapped around a piece of dark chocolate and baked like a croissant. Are you hungry yet?  

Making these could not be easier. Sprinkle sugar on a piece of waxed paper and roll out the dough on top. Put sugar and cinnamon on top of the dough and roll again to press it in. This time I added ground walnuts, but it isn’t necessary. Next cut the dough into long strips and roll them up. Place rolls on a cookie sheet and bake. Perfection is not crucial or even necessary. I used a pizza cutter to get the slices. I did not measure, and they are different sizes. If that offends someone, I might suggest they not eat them and leave more for me. While tossing around suggestions – let me suggest you make these soon. It’s a pretty yummy treat for anytime of day. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Knitting Needles

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

¾ cups sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Optional – ground nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle about ¼ cup sugar on waxed paper and place pastry on sugar.

With a rolling pin – gently roll to press sugar into pastry.

Sprinkle remaining sugar and cinnamon on top of the pastry and roll again to press in. (Add nuts if desired.)

Cut into long strips about ½ inch wide (I used a pizza cutter) and roll each strip into a spiral (see pic).

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

If any are left – a ridiculous thought – store in a zip lock bag to keep crispy!

Hint: Before baking I sprayed each strip with cooking spray and topped with sugar mixture that was left on the waxed paper.