WALNUT & CINNAMON TWISTS. Low Sugar, Healthier, budget friendly

Marvellous mouthfuls of low-sugar gorgeousness...

first posted 2016; updated Nov 2022

These delightful little cinnamon nut twists are perfect little mouthfuls for morning coffee or afternoon tea.  

They're not as complicated as they look.  Or as unhealthy.  And because they're small, the recipe goes a long way.

Made of a sugar-free rich scone dough rolled round walnuts, cinnamon and a little sugar, the replaces some flour with oatmeal for extra fibre. (Oatmeal slows down the absorption of blood sugars following ingestion of white carbs.) 

67 had pinmeal oatmeal in the cupboard which is as tiny as its name and blends well with flour.  Regular oatmeal which has been blitzed with a blender does the job just as well. 

The recipe is generous with butter but the portions are so small, the twists aren't nearly as lethal as they could be.

67goingon50 made a big batch of these for a hoard of mayoral campaigners in the rain and they ate them with relish.

Cost:  £1.50 ish
Makes: 15 small twists; recipe doubles easily

Ingred:
   6 oz/210 gm self raising flour LESS 3 tbsp flour
   3 tbsp pinmeal (or blitzed) oatmeal
   1.5 tsp baking powder (if flour not self-raising, add 1 tsp)
   1/4 tsp salt 
   2.5 oz/70gm cold butter, in small cubes

   1 egg
   3 1/2 tablespoons very cold milk

   Filling:
      57gm/2 oz walnuts, chopped small but not fine
      2 tbsp soft brown sugar
      2/3 tbsp cinnamon powder
      softened, spreadable butter

Method:

1. Sift dry ingred into a bowl
2. Rub in butter until the size of peas, by hand with fingertips or with paddle beater in a food processor or mixer
3. Pour into a bowl; make a depression in the middle
4. Beat egg well, add milk and mix
5. Pour into the centre of the flour; bring together with a spatula, dragging flour from the outside in; the dough will begin to clump together
6. 
   Dump onto a lightly floured board; press lightly until it holds together. Form into a rectangle twice as long as it is wide and pat gently until flattish.   Mentally divide the rectangle into three; fold the left side onto the middle; and the right side onto the middle & left sides.  (This introduces layers into the dough, like puff pastry, which makes very light twists.) Repeat twice, pressing down lightly between each folding but handling dough as little as possible. 
7. Preheat oven to 475 f/240c/220fan/gas 9
8. Dust a rolling pin; re-shape dough into a long rectangle and roll dough  to 1/2 inch/1 cm thickness.  
9. Filling: Lightly spread with softened butter.  Mix brown sugar and cinnamon.  Leaving 1/4 inch along the edges, sprinkle generously with nuts, then with cinnamon and sugar mix; carefully roll up dough, pressing gently on the nut-cinnamon mix. 
10. With a sharp knife, cut into 1/2 inch/1 cm slices 
11. Lightly pinch each slice in the middle and twist
12. Arrange on an unlined baking tray, leaving a bit of space in between
13. Brush tops with a beaten egg mixed with a little water or milk (opt)
14. Bake in the centre of the oven 12-15 minutes or until light brown 
15. Lightly dust with icing sugar. (opt)

Comments:

'I had volunteers out canvassing in the rain and they inhaled these!'  Political Agent

Tips:

• These make great breakfast sized twists if you double the recipe and proceed as normal
• if you liked these, you may also like Choco-Nut Breakfast Twists

                    Please leave a comment        

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.