Oh. My. Goodness.  I just received the latest issue of Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine the other day and they had these cookies in there that just looked like they were to die for!  They look like little cinnamon swirl cookies and I have been brainstorming on a recipe for cinnamon roll cookies.  “Close enough!”, I thought.  But, when I read the ingredients I found it wasn’t anything like a cinnamon roll.  She calls them Elephant Ear Cookies but I don’t think they’re anything like the elephant ears I remember tasting at the fair nor are they really cookies.  But, I suppose the reason for the name is the fact that these “cookies” are made with puff pastry dough.

Anyway, when I read the ingredients, I noticed it called for pecan halves and  an egg.  Both of which my daughter are foods to which my daughter is allergic.  Still, they were so pretty!  I had to figure out a way!  And, so I did

I subbed flaxseed, measure for measure, in place of the 1 cup pecan halves that Martha’s recipe calls for. Flaxseed has a warm, nutty flavor and boasts the health benefits of being high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals called lignans. So…. maybe I could call these a healthy breakfast pastry? No?? Too much sugar to be called healthy?!? Pfft… Alright… *sad face* Well, at least it has a healthy component to it! That’s good enough for me

Despite their appearance (and the fact that they’re smothered in granulated sugar before baking), these pastries really aren’t all that sweet.  They have just the right amount of sweetness to complement the nutty flavor of the flaxseed and would will be amazing with my morning coffee tomorrow morning!  In fact, while I really intended these to be a sweet treat for the kids’ dessert, I don’t think they’re sweet enough for their liking.  They each ate one to test them out but didn’t ask for another. Of course, that could have also been because of the powder-sugar-coated lemon cookies sitting right next to them!    So, my husband and I now have a more ”grown-up” treat to enjoy with our own breakfasts.  He gave these his seal of approval after just one bite

This recipe is not difficult by any means but there is a lot of “downtime” with the many trips to the fridge and freezer for the puff pastry to firm up in between steps.  So, get a cup of coffee and a good magazine for the wait and when someone tells you how beautiful they are and comments about the time they must have taken, go on and tell them how you were in the kitchen allllll day making these! hehe

Puff Pastry Breakfast Swirls (Eggless & Nut-free)
modified from Martha Stewart’s Elephant Ear Cookies in the August 2012 issue of Living.

• 1 cup flaxseed (I used whole but only because my store was out of ground)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for surface dusting
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• Milk, for brushing pastry
• Flour, for rolling pastry

Thaw your puff pastry until it is workable.  Lay each sheet side by side, slightly overlapping, on a clean, floured surface creating one 9 1/2” by 18” rectangle.  Using a rolling pin, mesh the two sheets together and flatten until you have an 11×20” rectangle.  Refrigerate your dough for about 45 minutes or until firm.

Meanwhile, add your flaxseed, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a food processor.  Grind the mixture until it resembles a very course sand.

After removing the firmed dough from the refrigerator, brush with milk (or egg, if you don’t have food allergies to contend with) to just dampen one side of the pastry.  Evenly cover the dampened pastry with your flaxseed mixture.

Beginning with the short side, tightly roll the pastry in to a log.  Freeze the log for about 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes has passed, slice the log into one inch sections, crosswise.

Cover a small, clean surface area with granulated sugar.  Coat each side of the cut rolls with sugar.

Then, using your rolling pin, flatten each sugared roll.

Return your flattened rounds to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or until they are firm once again.

Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 18 minutes.

The bottom side of the pastry will caramelize adding a welcomed touch of sweetness.  Mmm!

These WILL be eaten with my coffee tomorrow morning! Can’t wait! I hope you enjoy them as well.  If you do, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Click here for the printable recipe —> Puff Pastry Breakfast Swirl