Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Twirls

 Today’s recipe is for Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Twirls using  Blanched Almond Flour. These little breakfast twirls are so versatile. You can bake them together in a pan like cinnamon rolls where they spread into each other as they bake and then cover them with cream cheese frosting or a delicious cinnamon vanilla glaze. They can also be baked in a muffin pan where they keep contained as they bake into perfect round cranberry pecan twirls and the edges get nice and golden brown. They look exactly like the pecan twirls you buy in the store (but taste so much better). They are delicious when eaten warm and spread with a bit of cream cheese frosting or glaze. This recipe makes 1 dozen Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Twirls. 

They would make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving breakfast menu, but don’t wait until then to give them a try. I like to use my own homemade sugar free cranberry sauce in these but you can easily substitute your own favorite cranberry sauce. Don’t be shocked when you find mozzarella cheese in the dough recipe. It is mild and adds no flavor whatsoever. What it does add though is the stretch and consistency of a wheat flour based dough and it gives the final baked product the same texture as well. You’ll never know it’s in there.

Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Twirls

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella (whole milk or part skim)
• 3 ounces brick style cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cup Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, divided
• 2/3 cup cranberry sauce (I used my sugar free Cranberry Sauce recipe)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Optional Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze (recipe below)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Very lightly spray a sheet of parchment paper with oil and place on counter or on a large baking sheet Lightly grease the bottom of two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans or a 12-cup muffin tin.

Place mozzarella and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Heat cheese in microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir and heat an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until a hot melted mass of cheese is formed.

While cheese is melting in microwave, combine almond flour, 1/4 cup sweetener, cinnamon, and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture, beaten eggs, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil to bowl of hot melted cheese. Quickly fold and stir mixture together with a rubber spatula until a ball of dough is formed (make sure the cheese mixture is hot before adding the flour and egg). If necessary, microwave for an additional 15 seconds to keep cheese pliable and melted as dough is mixed together so it will be easier to spread out.

Place ball of dough in center of the lightly oiled parchment paper. Pour remaining tablespoon of coconut oil on top of the dough and press and spread the dough out evenly into a rectangular shape, about 11" x 15" and 1/4-inch thick, using a rubber spatula (if necessary, lightly oil rubber spatula to keep it from sticking to the dough). 

Spread cranberry sauce out over dough. Scatter with chopped pecans. Begin lifting the edge of parchment paper along the longer 15" side of dough, using your rubber spatula to gently nudge the end of dough to fold over and begin rolling. Continue to roll the dough by steadily lifting the parchment paper as you go, rolling it into a long, narrow log. Once it's completely rolled into a log, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut dough log into 12 one-inch thick round pinwheels. Place approximately 7 pinwheels in a lightly greased 9-inch round baking pan, spacing about 1/2-inch apart. Place the remaining 5 pinwheels in a lightly greased 8-inch pan (or divide pinwheels between two 8-inch pans). Alternatively, the pinwheels can be placed in a lightly greased muffin pan to bake individually. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and done. If desired, top with cream cheese frosting or Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze.

*For Optional Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze:

• 2 ounces softened brick style cream cheese (very soft and almost melted)
• 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons confectioners style Swerve Sweetener (or other powdered sweetener)

Combine cream cheese, cream and vanilla; whisk in cinnamon. Add powdered sweetener 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously until desired consistency. To add sweetness without altering the glaze consistency, add a drop or two liquid stevia if a sweeter glaze is desired. Store any leftover glaze in the refrigerator. Add less heavy cream for a thicker frosting consistency; increase heavy cream for a thinner glaze consistency.