Baking Cinnamon and Walnut Whirls – A Recipe

For anyone wanting a sweet treat that’s not a mince pie, these are a great alternative. The great thing about these is you can dial up the amount of sweetness, or dial it down with amount of sugar you use and you can eat them all year round. A firm favourite in the Wild in the Wolds kitchen at Christmas time.

Ingredients

For the Whirls

• A handful of raw walnuts or pecans

• 2 sheets of puff pastry or you can make your own

• 50g unsalted butter melted

• 3 tbsp light brown sugar

• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the Icing

• 3-4 heap tbsp icing sugar

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

• 2 tsp milk plus a little extra if needed

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200c degrees

• Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper and set aside

• In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and remove any clumps

• On a lightly floured work surface or sheet of greseproof paper, unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry so that the folds open left to right, unroll the second sheet and press the short edges together to make one long sheet of pastry

• Lightly brush the sheet all the way to the edge with the melted butter

• Leaving a 2cm border on all sides of the puff pastry, sprinkle the pastry with the sugar /cinnamon mixture so that it covers

• Starting with the end closest to you, tightly roll the pastry up and away from you like a sleeping bag around the filling. The roll will expand a bit at that ends

• Place the end seam-side facing down. Trim off the messy edges and with a serrated knife, slice the roll in 8-10 equal pieces. Cut them thinner if you want them to be flat and large or slightly thicker if you like them smaller but slightly taller

• Arrange each piece, spiral side facing up, on the baking sheet

• Bake for about 15-22 mins until they are golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Place them on a wire rack if you have one. We don’t so allowing them to cool on the baking tray is fine

• Spread the walnuts on un-greased baking sheet

• Place in the oven for about 3-5 mins and bake until they are toasted, fragrant, and light tan

• Chop the walnuts into small chunks

For the Icing

• In a medium bowl, mix together the icing sugar, vanilla, and 2 tsp milk. The icing should be a little thick, but still pour easily.

• If you’d like it thicker, add more icing  sugar; for a thinner glaze, add a little more milk

• Drizzle the glaze over the top of the whirls then sprinkle with the walnuts. Let the icing set for a few minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature

Enjoy x 

Because there is only two of us we cut 4-6 whirls and store the rest in the fridge for a couple of days