Sunday Brunch

So sorry about missing in action the last few days.One of our former exchange students arrived yesterday from Italy. What a joy it is to have him with us for a few days. Needless to say, I had a lot to do to prepare for his visit, like clean my house!!! So something had to give and sadly, it was the blog.
Like any good mom, when you have a returning child, the kitchen is a busy place, preparing foods that you know they will enjoy. I actually made this recipe for the first time on Mother's Day. I found it in the March issue of Country Living magazine.

They had an article devoted to a Mother's Day brunch. Everything looked wonderful, especially this picture of  Almond Cinnamon Buns.

 Even better, the ingredients were easy, like store bought crescent rolls,

 almonds, almond paste, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, yum!

Here's the recipe;
Almond Cinnamon Buns
1 cup slivered almonds, finely chopped
4 ounces almond paste finely mashed
6 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 (8-ounce) packages unbaked crescent rolls
1 stick butter, at room temperature
Cooking spray
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In  a medium bowl, stir almonds, almond paste, brown sugar, and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.
2. Working on a sheet of parchment paper(I used waxed paper), unroll 1 package of crescent roll dough to a rectangle and smooth seams. Evenly spread half the butter over dough and then sprinkle half the almond mixture. Beginning on one long side, tightly roll up dough. Slice into 6 pieces. Repeat with remaining dough, butter and almond mixture.
3. Spray 2, 6-cavity muffin tins with cooking spray. Place buns in each cavity and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pans from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Transfer buns to a wire rack, drizzle with icing, and serve immediately.  

**I made a few changes to the recipe.
1.I did not use anywhere near the amount of butter that the recipe calls for. I just spread enough butter over the dough to cover it.
2. I cut each crescent roll into 12 pieces rather than 6.
3. I did not add the icing and I did not miss it.
4. I did not use the cooking spray. I put a muffin wrappers in each cavity. I'm lazy and would rather not spend a ton of time scrubbing out each cavity!!!

 My buns ;) YUM!!!

I only made up one package of crescent rolls and I froze the remainder of the almond mixture for another time. The buns are obviously great for brunch, but they make a nice afternoon treat and will accompany a summer lunch time salad beautifully as well.
I found the almond paste in the baking aisle of my grocery store. If I remember correctly, it was a little less than $5.00 for the can. The can will make enough for 4 packages of crescent rolls, so less than $2.00 per can of crescent rolls.
If you like the taste of almonds, I think you'll love these buns. I know I do!