CINNAMON TWISTS

Brrrrrr..... I do believe it's freezin' season! And when it's cold outside, I really get to baking! So I made some cinnamon twists today. They are a project that isn't real quick to make but man are they ever worth the wait once you're done! This is a recipe I have used for a really long time. I always triple the recipe so I am able to make 1 cookie sheet full of cinnamon twists and 1 9x13 pan of cinnamon rolls to take to my in-laws...

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening, margarine or butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3-1/2 to 4 cups all- purpose flour

Begin by dissolving active dry yeast into warm water. On your stovetop, scald milk. Let it cool, then add it to your water and yeast mixture. Then add sugar, shortening, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1-1/2 hours. You know that the dough is ready if you push your finger in the center and the indentation remains.

Punch down dough. Roll into a rectangle. Split this rectangle into imaginary thirds as you will be able to see in the pictures. First cover the middle third with soft butter, then sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar on it. Then pull over one of the outside thirds over the middle and repeat the last step. Then when it is covered go ahead and pull over the other third on top. Now cut 1 to 1-1/2 inch strips then twist and place on a greased pan.

Let rise until doubled. Then bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Frost or glaze with your favorite frosting! I like cream cheese frosting beat until it's fluffy and creamy.

Serve when warm... store in an airtight container once they're cooled to keep soft and moist.

Happy Cooking

*Teauna*