Both my daughter and I are huge fans of Pine Nuts. It’s wonderful that my daughter, Katie, is not actually allergic to them because they provide a nutty flavor that was so desperately missing from our lives. We try to incorporate them into many different meals or snacks. I especially love them in salads, paired with a strawberry vinaigrette and YUM, my taste buds are dancing. 
We have never tried baking with them before. A little nervous about it at first, I wasn’t quite sure how to go about making some sort of baked good with them. Then, I remember a recipe I saw earlier from Country Living called Cinnamon-Pecan Spirals. It looked so delicious, so naturally I was pretty bummed out that it had Pecans in it and Katie wouldn’t be able to try them. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to try out baking with Pine Nuts. The Pine Nuts could work as a beautiful replacement for the Pecans, providing that nutty flavor and making the best Vegan Cinnamon Pine Nut Spirals ever!
I did some quick adjustments to the recipe to make it allergy-friendly and I whipped out my allergy-friendly puff pastry. I use Pepperidge Farm’s Puff Pastry Sheets. Honestly, this puff pastry has gotten me through some tough times. Whenever I’m in the need for a quick breakfast or dessert, a good puff pastry baked good is perfect. I’ve used it before in my Easy Vegan Peach Pastries and they are heavenly! Puff pastry is so easy to use and SO GOOD. It was perfect for this dish.
Honestly, these Vegan Cinnamon Pine Nut Spirals are the easiest things to make. You will absolutely LOVE them!
***A Word of Caution: This recipe contains Pine Nuts, so if you are allergic to Pine Nuts, do not attempt to make or eat these! Although Pine Nuts are generally categorized as a seed, there have been many instances of cross-reactivity between Pine Nuts and other nuts. I would be very cautious about using Pine Nuts if you have a Nut or Peanut allergy. Please be careful and only eat what you are comfortable with!***
Cinnamon Pine Nut Spirals
These easy, delicious spirals can serve as a breakfast, snack, dessert or anything else you want them to be. I LOVE them, and you will too! ***Please do not eat if you have a Pine Nut allergy!***
- Prep Time: 20m
- Cook Time: 10m
- Total Time: 50m
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp. Sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance)
- 1 Sheet of frozen puff pastry dough (Thawed)
- 1/2 c Chopped Pine Nuts
- Zest from 1 orange
- Optional: Raw Cane Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roll your puff pastry sheet into an 11x16 inch rectangle.
- Mix together the cinnamon and the sugar in a small bowl. Heat the butter in the microwave until fully melted.
- Unfold your puff pastry sheet and brush the top with half of the melted butter. Then, evenly sprinkle on half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Press this gently into the dough. I used a spatula to firmly press the cinnamon sugar into the dough. Now, flip the dough over and repeat. Don't worry if some of the cinnamon sugar mixture falls off.
- Mix the Pine Nuts with the orange zest. Evenly sprinkle this mixture onto the dough and press it down gently to get the Pine Nuts to stick.
- Begin with the long side and roll the dough into a tight log. Here, you can trim the edges if you would like. Wrap the entire roll in plastic and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Take the roll out of the fridge and take the plastic wrap off. Cut 1/3 inch slices from the log and place them 2 inches apart from each other on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Optional: Sprinkle the top with raw cane sugar or some other thick sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned on the outside.
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