Snickerdoodle Spirals

1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup softened butter, plus melted butter for brushing dough
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


1. Mix 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
2. Beat softened butter and cream cheese. Beat in remaining cup of sugar and baking powder, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour to batter in small increments, beating as much as you can with mixer. Blend in remaining flour with a wooden spoon, or, if wearing food-preparation gloves, blend in by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll half of dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper into 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of paper. Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture.
4. Starting from one of the short sides, roll up jellyroll fashion, removing paper as you work. Use paper to bend and roll dough as you work. Repeat with remaining dough, melted butter and cinnamon mixture. At this point, you can wrap dough in parchment or wax paper and store in a freezer-quality sealable plastic bag. Freeze overnight before baking. Dough should be very firm.
5. Heat oven to 375 F. Using sharp knife, cut dough into slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to rack to cool.