Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls

Forgot to take a picture until we were down to the last one

My Seminary class definitely earned this treat this morning! We had a learning activity last week that they really got into after I promised I would bring cinnamon rolls on Monday if the class earned at least 50 points. Two dozen disappeared almost immediately and the sides were scraped clean. They raved and raved about them - the true test of a good cinnamon roll is how much a teenager likes them, I guess! Really easy to make; I opted for preparing them yesterday and baking them this morning. Wish I'd found the recipe while everyone was here during the holidays.

Copycat Cinnabons

Dough

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk (not scalding)

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Cream cheese icing

6 tablespoons butter, softened

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1.    Dissolve yeast in warm milk in small bowl, set aside.

2.    In large mixing bowl blend sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour with dough hook until smooth.

3.    Gradually add yeast mixture, mixing until well incorporated.

4.    Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until dough has doubled in size.

5.    Make filling by blending brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.

6.    Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to approximately 12x16-inchs. It should be about ¼-inch thick.

7.    Spread filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. I used my fingers to get it as smooth and even as possible. You could also just spread the butter over the dough and then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

8.    Working from the long end, roll the dough into a cylinder, pinching the seam tightly together. It should be about 18 inches long. Cut the roll into 1 1/2 –inch slices using a piece of thread or floss instead of a knife.

9.    Place the cut rolls into a buttered 9x13-iinch pan. (At this point you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to raising and baking the next morning. They may raise to double in the fridge; if not, preheat oven to 200 and then turn off. Place in warmed oven until doubled in size. Remove from oven, preheat to 350 and bake as directed.)

10.Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for another 30 minutes or until double in size.

11.Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.

12.While baking, make icing by mixing all ingredients well with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. When rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Easy Peach Dumplings

Made these for an after school snack; Elena wasn't in the mood, Aaron liked everything but the peach, and I was teaching so I don't know about the other boys (don't know why I bother sometimes!).  Jill and I enjoyed them though!  I would've liked a bit more peach in the middle, but for a quick treat, they'll do.

crescent rolls

peaches

Wrap peaches inside crescent rolls.  Place in a buttered dish and pour the following sauce over it. (I used the following amounts for 16 rolls and it was fine.)

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Melt butter, then add the other ingredients.  Stir until it boils and thickens up then pour the deliciousness of it over the rolls.  Take a can of 7-Up, Sprite, or Fanta and pour it around the rolls but not on top.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until they are golden brown.  You can sprinkle more cinnamon-sugar on top if you like; ice cream or whipped cream is always a good idea.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Straight from Pinterest - we really liked them! I cooked them on our big skillet, which was much better than in a pan because I could make 4 at a time. They need to be almost cooked through before you flip them because the sugar and butter in the cinnamon filling will start to ooze out and burn. Our house smelled like I had baked a burnt sugar cake for the rest of the day, but the pancakes were worth it! Also make sure you smooth them out fairly thin so they will cook faster. This recipe made about 8 8-inch pancakes. Dad ate 2 and I ate 1 before church and 1 after. Kris didn't touch what we left for him (he usually doesn't unless he sits down with us). I cooked up the rest of the batter without swirling on the filling, and ate one this morning with maple syrup on it - it was really yummy too. The blog post with lots of pictures is at the end of the recipe if you want to take a look.

I didn't take any pictures, but ours looked pretty much like this

CINNAMON FILLING:

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE ICING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (see Tips below)
1/2/ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1. Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a small bowl- mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Whisk the filling ingredients together and then pour it into a sandwich-sized zip baggie. Zip up the baggie and lay it on the counter while you prepare the pancake batter.

2. Prepare the Icing: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream cheese 30 to 60 seconds, just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened. Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla and combine until smooth. Set the icing aside.

3. Prepare the pancake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and brown sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all is moistened.

4. Check on your cinnamon filling: Open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of toothpaste (which will eventually happen if you leave it on the counter long enough, but refrigerate for a few minutes if you need to). Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny! Snip off a small piece of the corner of the baggie.

5. Cook the pancakes: Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium, and spray it with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or ladle) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or ladle to spread out the batter into a nice, even circle. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pick up your cinnamon filling baggie and squeeze the filling into the corner. Starting at the center of the pancake squeeze the cinnamon filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a cinnamon roll). Cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it is golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing.

TIPS:

*If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, use this combo of spices instead: 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

*Check out my Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Pancakes post for some more tips on how to get the cinnamon filling *just right* (it's critical to the success of these pancakes!)

Source: RecipeGirl.com

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

So fall foods are everywhere these days - why not jump on the bandwagon ... even if it is still 95 degrees? At least mornings and evenings are cool and crisp, so we can pretend, right?!?

The original recipe is a gluten free recipe, but I just adapted it to what we had at home. I did try pecans in half the batch and chocolate chips in the other half. The muffin itself is not nearly as sweet as all the other pumpkin stuff out there {which is kind of nice}. But if you are looking for just the right flavor, maybe add more coconut oil? or syrup? or just the chocolate chips will suffice - they were the preferred muffin in our home.

Serves 5 dozen mini muffins or 2 1/2 standard muffins

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filing!)

1 c. OJ

1 c. oats (I used quick-cooking, but rolled oats will work also)

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

(I made the mini muffins and used the mini chips, which were perfect)

Instructions

1. Whisk together pumpkin puree, OJ, oats, syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

2. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop by heaped tablespoons into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 16-20 mins. or until set.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rake. 

* If using a standard muffin pan, fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bakte at 375 for 20-25 mins. or until set. 

Enjoy! Happy Fall!

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

When Brad and I were first married, I met Amber Brady in our married student ward in Logan.  She started her own "food" blog a few years ago [which is amazing, if you haven't already stumbled across it...] and that is where I found this recipe.  She also mentioned some good tips for baking muffins, you should go check it out here.  I made these muffins this morning and already gobbled three up [granted, I shared two of them with Will so don't judge].

Makes about 18 muffins

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup chocolate chips, divided

Instructions:

1. In a mixer, mix the bananas and sugar until the bananas are mostly smooth.  Add the vanilla, sour cream, eggs, and oil.  Mix until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to banana mixture until blended.  Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.

3. Spoon muffin batter into prepared paper liners in muffin tins, 2/3 full.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on the tops.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

Delish!

Spinach Muffins

A friend of mine posted this recipe [found here] on Facebook, so I decided to make it that day.  And they were deeeee-licious!  Will scarfed them down.  Brad scarfed them down.  And I ate a few too.  I'm making the second batch now and can't wait!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil [I used coconut oil]

3/4 cup milk

1 [6 ounce] bag spinach

1/2 cup mashed banana [the website says about 2 bananas, but it's been closer to just 1 for me]

2 teaspoons vanilla

With this second batch, I added some pecan chips to half of them for the adults :)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners [the first batch I made, it made18 cupcakes...this second batch I only got 14].

2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a blender, combine oil, milk, and spinach and blend on high for about 30 seconds [or until pureed].  Add banana and vanilla and blend on low until mixed in.

4. Pour pureed mixture into dry mixture and fold with a plastic spatula until all blended.

5. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Pancake Bars

Really, really easy. Really, really good - so good my Seminary kids ate them all up before I thought to take any pictures. Sure beats standing at the stove flipping pancakes!

I made 2 batches and they were devoured by 6 happy teenagers.

Beat together:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Blend together, and then add to liquids:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Spread in a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cut into large squares and serve with butter and syrup.

banana almond muffins

Not the best photo, but some pretty yummy muffins. I had to {slowly} collect the ingredients - since I didn't have them all at home. But we gobbled these up pretty fast over the weekend {I was able to freeze a small bag-full for breakfast options for Avery}. You gotta try these!!!

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup almond butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

2 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey 

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 cup almond meal 

{I found this at Trader Joe's - look in the Gluten Free section of your grocery store}

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, stir bananas, almond butter, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. 

Stir in almond meal, baking soda, and salt.

Mix until well combined.

Scoop into a greased or lined mini-muffin pan, fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. 

Cool and enjoy!

(I did make a few regular size muffins and they took 5-7 minutes longer to cook)

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Cooking for the Old People.

Been hanging out with the grandparents (and Mel joined us yesterday!).  Pinterest tutorials for all, and we've been cooking yummy recipes found on the site.  You need to check it out!  Here is what we've been making it...
The first morning for breakfast we made these:

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Pumpkin Pancakes 

yields 6 pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs vinegar
Directions: 
In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.  Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Cinnamon Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup water
Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir occasionally until boiling. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.
They were DELICIOUS.  We even had left-overs for breakfast this morning.  Then latter during the day (yesterday), Grandma noticed a picture on Pinterest for carmalized scallops and shared that Grandpa LOVES scallops.  So, when Mel got into town, she went with me to find my sister-wives Halloween costume, and pick up some scallops to cook.  Here's the recipe we cooked.  Mel has pictures of the event.  I will post those later.  


 Caramelized Scallops

Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
12 large sea scallops
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons clarified butter
½ cup white sugar, spread on a flat plate
½ cup dry white wine
Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp. finely chopped flat parsley
8 chives
1 tbsp. lemon zest
Directions:
Rinse and dry the scallops well.  Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes.  Add the clarified butter and swirl to coat the pan.  When the butter begins to foam, prepare the scallops quickly.  Working efficiently, coat one side of each scallop in sugar, grasping the sides and using a gentle twisting motion to help the sugar adhere.  Place the scallops sugar side down in the skillet and sauté for 2½ minutes.  If the sugar starts to brown too quickly, reduce the heat.  Flip the scallops over and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan and reduce by half, about 1½ minutes.  Transfer the scallops to a platter or serving dishes.  Pour the pan juices over the top and garnish with chopped parsley, chives and lemon zest.  Serve immediately.

These were REALLY good.  Grandpa has his serving.  And because Mel and I didn't eat ours fast enough, he helped eat our plates too.  

Tonight, I am showing Grandma how to cook ribs in the crockpot - she said that Grandpa also LOVES his ribs.  So, instead of getting just enough for 3, I made sure to buy a large rack of ribs and we are waiting for them to finish.  But they smell  SO good.  Here is what we've done:

4 pounds pork baby back ribs
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups ketchup
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce

• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
4. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
5. Because of time, we cooked for 3 hrs on high.  

Delicious!!!


I don't know how to format this stuff...so if any of you want to fix this, that'd be great.


Love, 
Sonja, Grandma and Grandpa

Buttermilk Syrup

You'll never go back to maple syrup again (unless you're Brad!) once you've had this!

1 cube butter

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. buttermilk (you can use mom's trick by mixing a little lemon juice or vinegar with regular milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to get the same effect as buttermilk)

1 tsp. white Karo syrup

Mix together, simmer 5 minutes, then add 1 tsp. vanilla. Serve with pancakes, waffles, french toast, or anything else you like!

Berry Buttermilk Muffins

I made these the morning we painted the room- they were a hit and eaten up super fast. They are so much better than something from the box!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

zest of one orange (I didn't use this bc I didn't have an orange...)

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk
(use mom's trick- mix some vinegar with regular milk and let it sit for 10 mins to get buttermilk...or she also uses a powder buttermilk mix you can keep in your cupboard)

2/3 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups fresh or frozen berries (I used a frozen triple berry mix from Sam's Club)

*sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg*- mixed together to sprinkle over the tops

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 12-muffin pan. In a bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg, vanilla and oil, set aside. In another large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Gently fold in the berries (mine were still frozen) until coated with flour mixture. Now, fold in the wet ingredients and mix carefully until the flour is absorbed being careful not to over mix (this will make tough muffins). The batter will not be really wet, like when you make muffins from a box- it will be a bit thicker, pastier.
Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg mixture. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (it may be a little longer if your berries are frozen) . Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before taking them out of the pan.

recipe from: http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.com/

Granola

Don't worry, mom's homemade granola is still my favorite. But I had to try this recipe, and I love it. It has been great to have a little bag of it for a snack in class. I've also enjoyed it as a topping on my yogurt. Ben had a small bowl with milk, and thought it tasted great.

Ingredients

• 2 cups regular oats
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. (I kept my granola in the oven for an additional 10-15 mins, so it was drier and crispier). Spoon granola into a bowl; stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely.

Note: Store completely cooled granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

recipe found at: http://www.cookinglight.com/

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

These are great to make a batch of, package individually in a ziplock, and freeze- then grab one on your way out. They are great for a mid-morning snack, or a quick power boost before the gym. Ben loves them, so after making them a second time around, I thought I would share the recipe.
* they taste like a little condensed PB&J- great warm, great cold

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (about 3 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through vanilla); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

found at: http://www.cookinglight.com/

The crockpot is once again our new best friend since we are back to school mode. One of my favorite blogs from a woman who cooked all her meals in crockpots for 365 days...so lots of ideas. To break in the crockpot for the upcoming fall season, we started with a breakfast. I did all the prep the night before to cook overnight. The plan was to wake up to an already made breakfast.

Ingredients:
red potatoes (however many you will eat plus whoever else will be eating breakfast)
1 medium yellow onion
package of breakfast sausage (I used some local turkey sausages)
2 tbsp. olive oil
seasonings- salt, pepper, Tanja's Louisiana seasonings...

Wash and cut the potatoes into wedges (you can peel them if you want, but I didn't because Ben likes the skin). Slice the onion up. Toss in the crockpot with the olive oil and seasonings and mix until everything is coated. Top with the sausages.
Turn the crockpot to low heat for 6-8 hours, and when you wake up you will have a tasty breakfast.

However, our power tripped, so when we woke up, it was still cold. Sad. I turned it on high for 1 1/2 hours, and it cooked up real fast (our crockpot cooks fast). Served it up with some ketchup, and we were happy.
We've enjoyed the leftovers in egg/potato breakfast burritos this week.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/