Baking with Kids - Easy Mini Cinnamon Snails

Otis (7 years) and I often look for recipes to make together. We discovered these cute cinnamon rolls but wanted to make them from scratch and we wanted to make them in a more child-friendly mini size. So we adapted a recipe. They were so fun to make and they taste delicious. They were so good I want to share with you!

Most cinnamon rolls recipes use yeast, these are easier for children to make (and are foolproof) using self-raising flour.  

Ingredients for the Dough:

2 Cups Self-Raising Flour

2 Tablespoons Sugar 

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

100g Melted Butter

2 Egg Yolks

150ml Milk

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinamon

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Ingredients for the icing:

Icing Sugar

Warm Water

Ingredients for Decoration:

Toothpicks

Mini Marshmallows

Food Colouring Pen

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a cake tin (we use a 24x24cms brownie tin). We use butter to coat tin and line it with parchment paper. 
2. Mix dry ingredients for dough including flour, sugar and, cinnamon.
3. Mix wet ingredients for dough including melted butter, egg yolks and, milk.
4. Combine mixtures of dry and wet ingredients and mix until the dough forms.
5. Briefly knead dough on floured bench.
6. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Trim edges so they are straight (make a nice rectangle not an oval shape). 
7. Brush the melted butter over the dough. 
8. Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling, then sprinkle it evenly over the dough. 
9. Cut the dough in half to make two smaller rectangles. 
10. Roll each rectangle up lengthways, like you are making two long logs.
11. Cut each log into approximately ten evenly sized rolls, mine aren't exact but work out ok!
12. Place rolls into cake pan evenly spaced, side up.
13. Brush rolls with extra milk, not necessary but adds a slight shine. 
14. Place pan in oven set at 180°C and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. 
15. Use food colouring pen and mini marshmallows to make snail eyes. Cut toothpicks to approximately 4 cm. Place marshmallow eyes on the end of the toothpick.
16. Insert toothpick eyes on the end of the cooled snail. 
17. The cinnamon snails can be eaten like this but you can also add icing. We use a simple glacé icing.  Place a couple of large spoons of sifted icing sugar in a small bowl. Add warm water slowly while stirring. Combine to make a soft paste texture. 
18. Put icing in a small icing bag or make a small bag from parchment paper. Once the cinnamon snail has cooled add icing to snail shell in a small spiral shape. If you don't want to use a bag you could drizzle the icing from a spoon over the cinnamon snail. 
19. Step back and admire your snails! 

These are bite-sized and are very more-ish. Perfect (but sweet) for play-dates, children's parties or just for snack time!

If you are making these with a young child or a toddler, you could premake the snails and have the child help you add the eyes - this was Otis' favourite part, besides the eating part!