CINNAMON ROLL COOKIES

                                                      

           Every once in a while I get the hankerin' to bake something new, and today was one of those times. (If you don't know what a "hankerin'" is, it means a yearning.  It's a West Virginia term, just go with it.)  I found this recipe from "Taste of Home" and I when I saw it I thought, "I wonder if I could make those?  Surely they're hard.  Well, if they're hard, I'll figure out a way to make it easier." 

     The answer is, they were a little bit challenging and you need a little time to get your rhythm, but I think I worked out the kinks for you so it's not hard at all!  You can do this!  Plus, your husband will adore you for these!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-3/4 cups sugar 
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. 
2. Beat in egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. honey and vanilla. 
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
4. Mix 1/4 cup of sugar and Tbsp. of sugar together in a 9 inch pie plate. Shake the mixture so it is even on the bottom. The pie plate is purely because you need a shallow bowl for this, and so you can measure the length of your dough correctly (you'll see what I mean in step #6.)
5. Spray cooking spray on hands and rub together.  This will make the whole next process go much more smoothly.
6. Take a heaping tablespoon of the dough mixture and roll it between your hands, shaping into a 6 inch log.  The best way to do this is to get it to about 4 inches, then lay it in the pie pan full of cinnamon and sugar, and stretch it to the length of the pie pan (about 6 inches).  This way you can make it an even length without breaking it.
7. Gently roll the log in the mixture, you can even shake the plate back and forth.
8. Coil the log into a spiral shape (Like you see on the cookies above), and place on a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with all cookies, shaking pie plate before each log roll to distribute sugar evenly.  Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until set (mine were done by 8 - they don't look quite done, they look a bit underdone and puffy, but trust me, they are).
10. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.  In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Drizzle cookies with mixture (I just use a fork.)

     I actually drizzled the cookies while on the pans because I didn't want the drizzle dripping all through my racks.  My husband LOVED these!!!

     Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

CINNAMON ROLL COOKIES