Everybody Eats: Improvising still makes tasty cookies

I hate when a recipe has the word easy in the title, especially when I find it anything but.

I promised a friend cookies the other day and because we were in the middle of a conversation about cinnamon rolls, I said I'd make cinnamon roll cookies. I did not have a recipe for cinnamon roll cookies when I made this agreement, but Google assured me that such a thing existed.

Trust me to find the one 'easy” recipe that was not.

I've made cinnamon rolls with a steady track record of success. I assumed that was enough to propel me past the sugar cookie part of the recipe, as they remain my baking Everest. Sadly, though, adding one thing you're good at to one thing you're not good at does not equal success. I could not get my dough to spread evenly over a floured surface, let alone roll it up jelly-roll style. It was time to channel my inner Julia Child, specifically her advice to ' ... try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

With that in mind, I finally got the dough to roll flat, brushed it with melted butter, and spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top before digging out a circle cookie cutter. Forget making the cookies look like cinnamon rolls; I was going to focus on the taste.

Once I decided to skip that step in the recipe, everything else was as easy as promised. After the cookies cooled, I drizzled them with white frosting, swinging the wooden spoon covered in icing more enthusiastically than the recipe called for, but I was celebrating. I went from wanting to toss the dough in the garbage and never bake again (this happens more often than I'd like to admit) to adapting a recipe to suit my skills, while still fulfilling a promise to a friend.

The cookies were quite tasty, too.

The original recipe is below. If you want to skip the jelly-roll portion of the recipe and go the cookie cutter route, feel free. I call my version of this recipe Really Easy Cinnamon Roll Cookies.

EASY CINNAMON ROLL COOKIES

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, softened butter, flour and egg until dough forms. On floured surface, roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Brush with melted butter.

In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over dough. Roll up dough jelly-roll fashion, starting at long side. Wrap roll in plastic wrap. Freeze 30 minutes or until firm.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 3/4-inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices 2 inches apart.

Bake 11 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Source: www.bettycrocker.com