Cinnamon and Almond Snails / Zimt und Mandelschnecken

6 pieces of frozen dinner roll dough, thawed for 3 hours
¼ c. almonds
7 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Place pieces of dough on a floured breadboard, cover with a towel (not terry cloth), and place in a warm spot (about 180°F) until dough has doubled in size (about 2½ hours).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Chop almonds into small pieces and brown in 1 tbsp. butter.
4. Mix together the sugar, browned almonds, and cinnamon. Set aside.
5. Generously grease a 6-well muffin pan.
6. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 4x6-inch rectangle.
7. Using 4 tbsp. of the melted butter, brush just one side of each rectangle of dough with a little butter. Then sprinkle each piece with some of the sugar-almond-cinnamon mixture.*
8. With your fingertips, roll the dough rectangles lengthwise to form logs 6 inches long. Pinch ends together, then form logs into crescent shapes and place in wells of muffin pan.
9. Brush remaining melted butter on each roll.**
10. Cover with a towel (not terry cloth) and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes.
11. Remove towel and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
13. Remove each snail from pan and place on cooling rack, glazed side up. Serve while warm.

Waiting time (for dough to thaw): 3 hours
Additional waiting time (for dough to rise): 2¾ hours
Preparation time: 1½ hours
Baking time: 30 minutes
Makes 16 rolls

*To reduce the fat content of this dessert, use slightly less butter at this stage.
(Please note that the buns will not brown as well.)
**To reduce the fat content of this dish, you can brush the rolls lightly
with milk or with lightly beaten egg whites instead of with butter.