Cinnamon-Walnut Spirals

I found the recipe for these tasty little morsels in the October issue of Country Living magazine, which was given to me by my Aunt Betty. She knows I love Halloween. For the record, the October issue of Country Living is by far my most favorite magazine issue every year. It's my favorite issue of any magazine, any year! And, for the record, Fall is my favorite time of year for baking. As I was browsing through this year's issue, I found this recipe in a little article called "Three Fresh Ideas for Frozen Puff Pastry." (Sorry, I can't find the recipe or article online.) I happened to have a sheet of frozen puff pastry leftover from making the Parisian Apple Tarts for Tuesdays with Dorie. The only thing the recipe called for that I didn't have was pecans. But I had walnuts, so I forged ahead!

These were so darn good, and so easy to make. I don't want anyone to be misled, though...these aren't anything like cinnamon rolls or sticky buns. They're more like a little breakfast pastry. They're crunchy and super-flaky. I couldn't really taste the orange zest as much as I would have liked, so I would add more of that in the future. These are tasty little treats that would be great with a nice cup of coffee and a good book. They're a perfect way to get ready for fall. Look out guys, I've got lots of pumpkin-laced recipes on my to-make list...I'm just waiting for the official start of fall...and that's Wednesday! Here's the original recipe from Country Living, which called for pecans. The only thing I changed was the substitution of walnuts.

Cinnamon-Pecan Spirals

Country Living Magazine

6 Tbs. sugar

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup chopped pecans

zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter. Unfold the puff pastry. Lightly brush the puff pastry with melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Press into dough. Fligh dough and repeat. Roll to 11- by 16-inch rectangle. Toss the pecans and zest; sprinkle half of this mixture over the dough. Fold dough in half to 11- by 8-inch rectangle. Press remaining nut mixture into dough, covering the surface. Starting from one of the long sides, roll into a tight log. Trim edge. Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes. Cut log into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Place 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes.