Cinnamon Rolls (and GO VOTE!)

Okay, I know no real way to tie these two things together, but don't forget to VOTE today, if you haven't already done so. We sent our ballots in a couple of weeks ago, so no standing in the poll lines for us. There are a lot of important things at stake, so citizens, do your civic duty and VOTE! (And if you're not sure who to vote for, just vote a straight Democratic ticket, and all will be well, okay? And vote No on California Propositions 4, 8, and 9 and Yes on Prop. 5).

So while you're waiting on all the returns to come in so that we can celebrate this historic election night, you might want to have some snacks. This is a great recipe (if I do say so myself) that I adapted from a Paula Deen recipe in a moment of desperation for something sweet. It now bears almost no resemblance to Paula's recipe, but I actually think it is better. And it is really easy!

Easy Mini Cinnamon Swirls

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan, finely chopped
Two 8-oz. cans of refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white
32 pecan halves

Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tsp. milk or heavy cream

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Fold the pecans into the mixture.

Separate 1 can of dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Pres or roll each piece of dough to form a 7x4 inch rectangle and spread each with about 2 Tbsp. of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4 inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° while the rolls are chilling. Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 tspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Press one pecan half gently onto top of each swirl.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.