Turn a can of refrigerated biscuit dough into adorable snail-shaped cinnamon sugar biscuits that kids can help roll, slice, and decorate. The spiral of the cinnamon roll makes a perfect snail shell, and almond slivers become tiny tentacles. If you like to bake, then give this recipe a whirl!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: About 12 snails
Difficulty Level: Medium
Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated biscuit or bread dough
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Flour (for dusting the surface)
- Slivered almonds or string licorice (for tentacles)
Allergy notes: Contains dairy (butter) and wheat/gluten (dough). Tree nut allergen if using almonds. Check refrigerated dough packaging for additional allergens.
Substitutions:
- Dairy-free? Use plant-based butter for brushing. Check dough ingredients, as some brands are dairy-free.
- Nut-free? Use small pieces of string licorice or pretzel sticks instead of almonds for the tentacles.
- Prefer homemade dough? Any basic bread or biscuit dough recipe works. Roll it out the same way.
Steps
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it lightly.
- Roll out the dough. Dust a clean surface with flour. Knead the dough from the can into a ball, then use a rolling pin to flatten it into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. If the dough sticks, sprinkle a little more flour on top.
- Mix the cinnamon sugar. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until evenly blended.
- Add the filling. Brush the melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
- Roll it up. Starting from one short end, roll the dough tightly into a log. Keep it as even as possible.
- Slice into snails. Cut the log into slices about 1/2-inch thick and lay each slice flat on the baking sheet. You should get about 12 pieces.
- Shape the heads. Gently pull the outer edge of each spiral outward to form a snail head sticking out from the shell. Stretch it just enough to see the head shape without unrolling the whole spiral.
- Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the snails are golden brown.
- Add the tentacles. Let the snails cool for a few minutes. Then press two almond slivers or pieces of licorice into each head to make tentacles.
Grownup help needed: An adult should handle the oven (steps 1 and 8) and slicing the dough log with a knife (step 6). Kids can do everything else: rolling, brushing butter, sprinkling cinnamon sugar, shaping heads, and adding tentacles.
