Circus Animal Cookie Sweet Rolls

Yes, I know another circus animal cookie recipe. Why you ask? Cause when it comes to circus animal cookies, more is more. And also, why the heck not! Come on, you can't tell me you can look at some circus animal cookies and not smile. They're such a happy cookie!

This recipe is so easy! It would be perfect to whip up for a birthday breakfast or really any celebratory brunch! Or heck, just cause. Sometimes you just need a little something-something pink with sprinkles.

So to make these guys, you just need a tube of crescent rolls (or two if you have a crowd, or are feeling particularly peckish ), a bag of circus animal cookies, and few staples you probably already have in your kitchen already. 

First things first, take some of your circus animal cookies and pulse in your food processor (or blender) until you have circus animal cookie crumbs. Optional, greedily eat several pinches full. 

Then flour a work surface and unroll your dough. Side note, anyone else hate opening these tubes? It's like the baking version of Pop Goes the Weasel and I'm traumatized every time. Every. Single. Time. 

Then pinch your dough together. Flip it over and do it on the other side too. Note, this is when you see whether or not you used enough flour haha.

Cut your dough in half and roll out a little with a floured rolling pin to smooth everything out. Or if you're smarter than me, you could break it in half in the beginning. You know, back when you had the perforations. 

Then brush on a little melted butter, or a lot of melted butter, just because like circus animal cookies, more is more when it comes to butter. 

Take your circus animal cookie crumbs and cover your dough. Optional, while greedily shoving several pinches full in your mouth.

Tightly roll up your dough. 

Trim your sloppy ends, and cut into eight rounds. Eight delicious, magical rounds. 

Place your delicious, magical rounds into a greased mini muffin pan. Throw into your oven that's been preheated to the temperature your crescent roll dough says on the package. And bake for 8-10 minutes, or however long it says.

While that's baking, make your icing by taking your powdered sugar and whisking with vanilla and enough milk to get the right consistency. You want it thick but not too thick to just be a glob. 

Then mix in circus animal cookie crumbs! 

By now your rolls should be golden brown and ready to take out of the oven. 

Right away, before it cools, drizzle about a teaspoon of your icing onto each roll.

Once cooled enough to touch, remove from pan and devour! These are best right out of the oven but you can also place in an airtight container to snack on for a few days. 

INGREDIENTS makes 32 mini rolls
2 8 ounce packages crescent roll dough
57 grams (4 tbs) butter, melted
7 ounces (half a bag) Circus Animal Cookies
180 grams (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar
4 grams (1 tsp) vanilla
2-4 tbs milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Lightly grease mini muffin pan. 
2. Unroll crescent roll dough. Take half the dough, a square of four triangles, and place on a floured surface. Pinch the perforations together on both sides. Using a floured rolling pin, smooth out dough. 
3. Brush on 1 tablespoon, about a fourth, of the melted butter. Sprinkle on a thin, even layer of circus animal cookie crumbs. Tightly roll into a log, trim ends, and cut into eight rounds. 
4. Place mini rolls into your prepared mini muffin pan. Repeat with the rest of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions. You may have to do more than one batch depending on the size of your mini muffin pan.
5. Meanwhile, whisk together powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk, adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until consistency is reached. You want it thick, but not globby. Then whisk in ⅛ cup circus animal cookie crumbs. Add more milk if necessary to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over warm circus animal cookie rolls. 
6. Eat right away, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

NUTRITION (32 rolls)
calories: 114, total fat: 6 g, saturated fat: 3 g, trans fat: 0 g, cholesterol: 4 mg, sodium: 131 mg, potassium: 11 mg, total carbohydrate: 15 g, dietary fiber: 0 g, sugars: 9 g, protein: 1 g