Imagine a cinnamon roll, but crispy. These pastries start out being made like a cinnamon roll, but then they are rolled flat, before baking, to create a crispy texture.

Reminds me of elephant ears. You know, those yummy fried treats from your local fair or carnival. If you are craving fair foods, why not make a batch of these? Unlike elephant ears you get at the fair, these are baked, not fried. They still give you the yummy cinnamon flavor and crispy texture of traditional elephant ears.

I serve them as they are, but you could top them with powdered sugar, a powdered sugar glaze, or a drizzle of melted chocolate.

I love them.  I think you will, too.

Cinnamon Pecan Crisps

3½ – 4 c. flour
¼ c. sugar
1 pkt. Active dry yeast
1 t. salt
1¼ c. milk
¼ c. butter
1 egg
Filling:
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. sugar
¼ c. butter, melted
1 t. cinnamon
Topping:
¼ c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
½ c. chopped pecans
1½ t. cinnamon

In mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, yeast and salt. Heat together the milk and butter until warm. Add to the flour mixture and beat for 3 minutes. Add another cup of flour and the egg and beat another 3 minutes. Gradually add enough of the flour to make a soft dough. Knead until dough is smooth- 3-5 minutes. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn dough to coat in oil. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. Punch dough down and allow to rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare filling by combining sugars with cinnamon and stir in the melted butter. Divide dough in half. Roll one half into a square about 12 inches big. Let’s be honest here- rolling dough into a perfect square is pretty hard. Don’t freak out if it isn’t perfect, just shoot for sort of square. Spread half of the filling over the dough and roll it up. Slice the dough into 12 pieces. Prepare 2 baking sheets for these 12 pieces of dough. You’ll need 2 more for the rest of the dough. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet. Place 6 of the dough circles on each sheet- spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Flatten them to be about 3 inches across. I tuck the end under so they stay in a nice circle. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Repeat this with the second half of the dough. You will end up with 4 baking sheets and 24 rolls in all. After the rolls have doubled preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the topping by combining the sugar, nuts and cinnamon in a bowl. Slide the parchment paper or silicone baking sheet off the cookie sheet and on to your work surface. Place a piece of wax paper over the rolls and roll then out pretty flat. Remove the wax paper and brush each of them with the butter and add a sprinkling of the sugar and pecan mixture to each one. I find a slightly rounded tablespoonful is about right. Put the wax paper back on the rolls and use a rolling pin to roll them again, pressing the nut mixture into them. Remove the wax paper. Repeat with the remaining rolls. I start baking the first 12 rolls while prepping the last 2 trays. It just saves me some time. Bake for 10-12 minutes. I put 2 in at a time and switch them halfway through the baking time. They should be a pretty golden brown color- top and bottom. Cool on a wire rack. Don’t be tempted to taste one when they are hot- the sugar will burn your mouth. Besides, they get crisper as they cool. Makes 24.