One of my favorite fall flavors is apples, and these apple-packed pinwheels showcase the best of what the season has to offer in an easy yet impressive breakfast treat. The recipe is easily adaptable given the ingredients you have on hand: You can replace the chopped apples with one cup of applesauce or pumpkin purée, though I prefer the unpeeled apple chunks spilling out of the biscuits.
Patting out and rolling the cylinder of filled dough can be a little tricky. Make sure the board is well-floured to prevent sticking, and roll out the dough slowly. Use a sharp, floured knife to cut each swirl. I lay them out on a cookie sheet, but you can also form them in a circle in a cake pan, though they’ll take just a little longer to bake if you snuggle them together. While the biscuits are delicious served dry, you may choose to make a quick glaze of apple juice and powdered sugar and drizzle overtop after baking for an extra-special treat.
Yield: 6 to 9 biscuits
Ingredients
Dough
- 1½ cups flour (part whole-wheat is good)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup plus 1/2 T. butter, softened
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup nuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup milk
Filling
- 2 medium apples, chopped finely
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. minced lemon rind
- 1 T. lemon juice
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut in 1/2 cup softened butter until mix resembles large crumbs. Add oatmeal, nuts and milk to make rough dough.
On floured board, roll or pat out dough into a 8-by-11-inch rectangle. Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter, and brush over dough surface.
Stir together all filling ingredients, and carefully spread over dough, leaving very small border. Starting on short side, loosely roll dough into cylinder. Brush the last of the melted butter on cylinder.
Carefully cut into six to nine slices. Lay slices on silicone baking sheet or in a circle in a lightly greased 8- or 9-inch cake pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Ice if desired.
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