Cinnamon Twirl Roly Poly -- Something Sweet to Carry Forward

Mother's Day. First one as a widow.

Liam and Nora woke me up at 6:45 with toast. Liam made it — burned, buttered, cold. It was one of the best meals of my life. Nora had made a card that said MOM I LOVE YOU in her shaky block letters with a heart that was the size of the page. I opened Liam's card. It had a list inside: WHY MOM IS THE BEST. 1. MAKES PANCAKES. 2. DOES NOT YELL WHEN I SPILL. 3. KNOWS HOW TO PUT ON BANDAIDS. 4. SMELLS GOOD. I laughed at number 4. He said what. I said nothing, it is perfect.

Meghan came over at 10. She brought coffee from Dunks and a little plant in a terracotta pot for my kitchen windowsill. A basil. She said grow it, use it, keep it going. I said I will try. (It is still alive as I write this Friday.)

We sat on my kitchen floor for an hour while the kids played in the living room. I cried a little. Meghan cried a little. Brian texted at some point asking if we had eaten and she said shut up Brian I will eat when I eat.

Sunday dinner at Southie at 4. Ma made baked ham and scalloped potatoes and carrots and a trifle for dessert. A trifle is Ma's Mother's Day special because Grandma Nonie (her mother) used to make it. Layers of pound cake, custard, raspberries, whipped cream, in a glass bowl. It looks magnificent. It tastes even better.

Ma did not make a speech. Ma never does. She just put a big scoop of trifle in front of me and said happy Mother's Day Katie and then moved on to Meghan and then Colleen. That was the whole observance.

Tuesday group. I told them about the trifle, about the cards, about the toast. Bernadette said the first one is a mountain. You climbed it. I wrote it in the notebook.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one.

Food of the week: Grandma Nonie's trifle. Pound cake, vanilla custard from scratch, raspberries in syrup, whipped cream. Ma makes it exactly her mother's way. I hope someday I will.

Ma’s trifle is hers — it belongs to Grandma Nonie and to Sunday dinners in Southie, and I am not ready to try to replicate it yet. But I wanted to bake something this week. Something that smelled warm, that the kids could watch, that I could make myself without it being a production. This Cinnamon Twirl Roly Poly was the right call — simple enough that Liam could help roll the dough, sweet enough that Nora declared it “the best thing ever,” and exactly the kind of small, good thing I am trying to keep going.

Cinnamon Twirl Roly Poly

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (for filling)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
• 2 tablespoons milk (for glaze)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for glaze)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir just until a soft dough comes together — do not overwork it.
3. Roll it out. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a roughly 10x14-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Add the filling. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then sprinkle the mixture over the buttered surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
5. Roll and slice. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 8 equal rounds and place them cut-side up in the prepared baking dish, touching but not crammed.
6. Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and the centers are set. A little color on the edges is fine — that’s the good part.
7. Make the glaze. While the rolls cool for 5 minutes, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.
8. Serve. Best eaten warm, at the kitchen table, with whoever shows up.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 50g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 280mg