Cinnamon Rolls

I make cinnamon rolls about twice a year. They're a little labor intensive, but mainly it just takes several hours for all the rising and baking. Totally worth it, though. I also enjoy these with cream cheese frosting (see below for recipe).


Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from an Internet copycat recipe for Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Dough
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 c. warm water (105-115°)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. warmed milk or almond milk
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 1/2 c. flour
Filling
3 Tbsp. melted butter, divided
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. chopped walnuts, optional
1/3 c. raisins, optional
Glaze
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. hot water
Cream Cheese Frosting (use instead of Glaze)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 cups powdered sugar

In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp. sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix milk, 1/3 c. sugar, melted butter, salt and egg; stir well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes.

Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until doubles in bulk, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface into a 15x20” rectangle.

Spread dough with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Mix together 1/3 c. brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins, if desired. Roll up jellyroll fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 1-inch thick slices with a serrated knife.

Coat bottom of jelly roll pan with remaining butter. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pan. Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly.

For Glaze: In medium bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

For Cream Cheese Frosting: Add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice to a small food processor. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

I had to try them just because they were chocolate.  Oh, and because they were flourless and so I was intrigued by what their texture might be.  They were very rich and chocolately, and the pecans were amazing.  They were also a little gooey and tricky to remove from the parchment paper, but now that I'm typing up this post, I see I put in too little cocoa powder.  I'm sure more dry ingredient would have helped them out.  I had them crumbled over homemade vanilla gelato - very tasty.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

from Heidi Swanson, 101cookbooks.com

3 cups walnut halves, toasted & cooled
4 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon real, good-quality vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 320F / 160C degrees and position racks in the top and bottom third. Line three (preferably rimmed) baking sheets with parchment paper. Or you can bake in batches with fewer pans.

Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and set aside. Sift together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets in mounds of about 2 tablespoons each, allowing for PLENTY of room between cookies. These cookies are like reverse Shrinky Dinks - they really expand. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet, and try to avoid placing the batter too close to the edge of the pan.

Bake until they puff up. The tops should get glossy, and then crack a bit - about 12 -15 minutes. Have faith, they look sad at first, then really blossom. You may want to rotate the pans top/bottom/back/front.

Slide the cookies still on parchment onto a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. They will keep in an airtight for a couple days.

Makes 18 large cookies.

Strawberry Cupcakes

I was tempted to buy strawberries, even though I knew it was too early in the season and that they probably wouldn't be very flavorful.  And, yep, they weren't that good.  But hidden in these cupcakes and enhanced by sugar, I couldn't tell the strawberries lacked flavor.  I made these into mini cupcakes because I wanted to share them, so I wanted more than the regular size yield of 12.  I made my own strawberry puree by washing and hulling strawberries and processing in a food processor until chunks disappeared.  I added the leftover puree to plain yogurt - yum!

The original frosting recipe made way too much and was very runny. (see photo below).   Since making these cupcakes the first time, I have experimented with the frosting recipe.  My version is more firm. 

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream-Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Deborah Mele (Adapted from Martha Stewart) - italianfoodforever.com

2/3 cup strawberry puree

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted, softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 Tbsp. unsalted, softened butter

1/2 8-oz. package cream cheese (4 ounces)

2 Tbsp. strawberry puree

2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper muffin liners in a 12 piece cupcake pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into one bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add the milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Add half the sifted flour mixture and mix on low speed. Add the remaining flour and continue to mix until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in a center cupcake comes out clean. Cool.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the strawberry puree, and begin to add the confectioner's sugar until you reach desired consistency. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes

I've been dreaming of mini chocolate cupcakes for a few weeks now.  So I decided to try Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my Home to Yours.  Her recipe makes regular sized cupcakes, but I used a mini cupcake pan and cooked them for less time.  I overcooked mine slightly, so they are probably more moist when not overcooked and when regular size, but they were still scrumptious!

Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the cupcakes:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the glaze:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Fit the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan with paper muffin cups (my preference), or butter them, dust them with flour and tap out the excess.  Alternatively, you can use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither paper cups nor greasing. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and set it aside.

To Make the Cupcakes:  Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter.  Add the egg, then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear.  Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean.  Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding them.  Cool to room temperature on the rack before glazing.

To Make the Glaze:  Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Transfer the bowl to the counter and let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a small whisk or rubber spatula, stir the confectioners' sugar into the chocolate, followed by the pieces of cold butter.  The glaze may be very thin at this point, or it might be perfectly spreadable.  If it is too thin to spread or use as a dip (I often dip the tops of the cakes into the ganache, then give the cakes a little twirl as I pull them out, so they have a squiggle of glaze in the center), stir it over ice water for a few seconds--really, less than a minute.  With a small metal icing spatula, give each cupcake a crown of shiny ganache, and let the glaze set at room temperature (or in the fridge if you're in a hurry).  If the glaze loses its gloss and you miss it, give the tops of the cakes a puff of hot air from a hairdryer right before serving.

Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies

Back to peanut butter and chocolate!  

Yes, these peanut butter cookies really are flourless.  And fabulous.  They remain a little gooey even after baked and cooled.  My husband wondered if I had finished baking them or if I did something wrong.  But no, they are meant to be gooey (think peanut butter fudge) with a little crisp on the outside. Even though I'm a big fan of natural peanut butter, these are better with peanut butter that is solid at room temperature.  Grocery stores have recently started carrying solid peanut butter without trans-fats.

Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies

from Everyday Food PBS website

1 c. creamy peanut butter

¾ c. sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¾ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ c. roasted, salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.

With moistened hands, roll dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, into balls. Place 2 inches apart on two baking sheets.

Bake until cookies are golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Ginger Crinkles

These cookies are highly addictive - even for an ol' chocolate lover like myself.  They're even a little healthy with half whole wheat flour.  Once I tried with all whole wheat flour, but I don't recommend it.  The batch pictured below are mini-sized, about two inches in diameter.  Very cute!

Ginger Crinkles
from BYU Food Services

6 Tbsp. butter 
1 c. brown sugar  
1 egg  
¼ c. molasses   
1 c. flour   
1 c. whole wheat flour 
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger 
½ tsp. cloves
½ c. sugar 


In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, egg, and molasses.  Sift or stir together dry ingredients (except ½ c. sugar).  Add to molasses mixture and mix until blended.  Cover and chill dough.  Form into balls and roll in sugar.  Bake for 8-10 min. at 375˚ until cracks form on surface. 

World Peace Cookies (or death by chocolate)

I ran across these cookies on two separate food blogs, so I gave in and tried them.  They do live up to their name!  These cookies don't have any eggs and the butter to flour ratio makes them a bit more like chocolate shortbread, so they literally melt in your mouth.  I never read a new recipe all the way through before I start making it, and so I added bigger-sized chocolate chips before realizing mini chips were required.  Of course bigger chocolate chunks are fine in my book!  Chocolate lovers must try these amazing morsels.

World Peace Cookies

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan, Baking From My Home to Yours

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel.


Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.