Tag Archives: cinnamon

March 17, 2017 · 12:37 pm

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Homemade bread is a lot easier than you might think and is well worth the effort. This is a simple recipe for a Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Eggs, milk, and sugar in the dough make this a wonderfully rich bread that is perfect for toasting.

For a real treat, slice it and use for making French Toast.

If you like raisins, add them to the cinnamon filling for a delicious Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

For a fancier presentation, you can also make 3 longer, narrower dough rolls and braid the rolls and then drizzle the baked braided loaf with a powdered sugar/milk glaze.

This recipe makes three regular loaves or two braided loaves.

RECIPE:

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

1 Tbs yeast
¼ cup warm (but not hot) water
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk, scalded**
7 – 7½ cups flour
2 eggs
3 Tbs butter, softened
3 Tbs cinnamon
6 Tbs sugar
3 tsp water

Mix yeast with ¼ cup water. Set aside. Place ½ cup sugar, ½ cup butter and salt in a large mixing bowl; pour scalded milk over the mixture. Stir until butter is melted. Use a dough hook to mix in 3 cups of flour. Add eggs and continue mixing. Add the softened yeast and mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour until you have a soft, kneadable dough. Knead dough into a smooth ball.

Place dough in an oiled bowl; turn dough over to coat both sides. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Mix 3 Tbs cinnamon and 6 Tbs sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 3 rectangles. Spread 1 Tbs butter on each rectangle and sprinkle each with 3 Tbs cinnamon/sugar mixture. Sprinkle 1 tsp of water over the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Roll into loaves; seal ends and place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise one hour.

Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. If the tops start to get too brown, cover loosely with foil. Remove from pans, brush tops with butter, and cool on rack.

Makes 3 medium loaves

**TO SCALD MILK: Heat milk in pan over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge of pan and milk just begins to boil. Or microwave until milk just begins to boil.

OPTIONAL: Sprinkle dough with ¼ cup raisins before rolling.

BRAIDED CINNAMON BREAD: After dough rises first time, divide into 2 pieces. From each piece make 3 long, narrow rectangles. Spread with butter, cinnamon, sugar; sprinkle with water. Roll each rectangle and seal ends and edge. Braid the three loaves (keep seam sides down), pinching both ends to seal. Bake on a greased baking sheet at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if it is browning too quickly. Glaze with a powdered sugar/milk icing. Makes 2 braided loaves.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch

Tagged as braided cinnamon bread, bread, breakfast, cinnamon, cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon swirl, french toast, raisin bread, recipe, yeast

December 6, 2016 · 6:59 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Butter Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies

DAY 6: Butter Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies

These cookies look similar to Pecan Sandies, but are soft and chewy and have warm fall spices baked into the cookies. They do not actually contain pumpkin, just “pumpkin spice”. This recipe comes from Averie Cooks.

If I am totally honest, I prefer the plain Pecan Sandies and their crumbly shortbread texture, but some of my family prefers this version.

RECIPE:

Butter Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 Tbs cream or milk
2 cups flour
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups chopped raw pecans
About ½ cup pecans halves

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat until well mixed. Mix in the cream.

Stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to mixing bowl and beat on low speed until just combined. Mix in chopped pecans.

Use a medium cookie scoop or tablespoons to drop rounded dough balls onto baking sheets. If desired, press a pecan half into the top of each dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough balls for at least 1 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake cookies for about 8 minutes, until edges just begin to set; don’t overbake. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

(Recipe from Averie Cooks)

NoEmptyChairs.me

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

The best way to start a 6:00am day? Homemade cinnamon rolls, of course.

To keep your rolls light and airy, do not add too much flour to your dough, and knead only until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Because the dough is sticky, it needs to sit for a while in the refrigerator before rolling out the dough. To keep the rolls soft, I also roll my dough out on a buttered silicon mat (instead of a floured mat). Greased hands will help in handling the slightly sticky dough.

An easy way to cut your dough logs into rolls without crushing the dough and having the knife stick to the dough is to use dental floss (not mint!) or a strong sewing thread. See THIS POST for more details.

This recipe makes a lot: 36 large rolls. You can scale the recipe back if you don’t want as many OR Rolls can be frozen either after or before cooking.

To freeze before cooking: Prepare dough. Fill and roll dough into log. Slice into rounds and place each round on a foil lined baking sheet, not touching. Freeze until solid and then place in Ziploc bags and return to freezer. Place frozen rolls in prepared pan and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2-3 hours). Bake and frost as directed.

RECIPE:

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Servings: 36
Print

2 ½ cups buttermilk*
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp salt
9 – 9 ½ cups flour, divided
1 ½ Tbs instant yeast

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2-3 Tbs cinnamon

Place buttermilk, butter, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl (stand mixer) and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Mix in eggs and salt. Add 4 cups of flour and the yeast and mix until smooth. Add additional 5 cups of flour and knead until smooth. Add additional flour, if necessary, to make a soft dough that barely pulls away from the edge of the bowl. Dough will be slightly sticky. Cover dough with plastic wrap touching the dough and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes, or until the dough is chilled and not sticky when touched.

Lightly butter rimmed baking sheets or 9”x13” pans. Mix brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Divide dough into two halves. On a lightly buttered surface, pat each dough half into a rectangle about 12”x18”. Spread ½ stick of butter (¼ cup) on each dough half and sprinkle with half of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Starting from long edge, form a roll. Pinch long edge to seal. Use a knife to lightly score dough into 18 sections about 1” apart. Place a strand of dental floss under the dough and cross over the top of the dough at the scored marking. Pull dental floss to cut through dough log. Place in prepared pan. Cover with a thin towel and allow rolls to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Spread warm rolls with cream cheese glaze.

Makes 36 rolls

*Buttermilk substitute: Scald 2 cups milk (bring to boiling point) and stir in ½ cup plain yogurt

Cream Cheese Glaze
8 oz cream cheese
6 Tbs heavy cream
3-4 Tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

Use a hand mixer to mix all of the glaze ingredients. Add additional milk or cream if needed to make a smooth glaze.

To freeze rolls before cooking: Prepare dough. Fill and roll dough into log. Slice into rounds and place each round on a foil lined baking sheet, not touching. Freeze until solid and then place in Ziploc bags and return to freezer. Place frozen rolls in prepared pan and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2-3 hours). Bake and frost as directed.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

DAY 2: Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

Nestle introduced these Pumpkin Spice chips earlier this fall. Paired with a chewy oatmeal cookies, they are delicious.

Brian objects to these cookies on principle, however. He believes that pumpkin (as a vegetable) hijacks recipes for way too many months of the year. Why don’t Brussels sprouts or asparagus get equal time? For these pumpkin-nay-sayers, you can make these cookies any time of year with regular chocolate chips (or raisins, but why?).

RECIPE:

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 Tbs baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups rolled oats
1 -2 bags (10 oz each) Nestle Pumpkin Spice Chips**
1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix. Mix in oats, pumpkin chips and pecans.

Drop by tablespoonsful onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until barely brown around edges. Cookies will still look slightly undercooked in the middle. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

**I use one bag of pumpkin spice chips, but if you like lots of chips, use up to two bags.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

Easter Resurrection Rolls

It is hard to believe this is Easter weekend when the weather has been doing this all week:

So we are spending our Easter break skiing instead of mulching and gardening, which is certainly making the kids happy!

When not on the slopes, we have been enjoying some of our favorite Easter food traditions, including dying eggs (and eating egg salad) and making these sweet rolls which remind us of the symbols of the resurrection.

These hollow rolls, symbolic of the empty tomb on Easter morning, are a good way to teach young kids about the resurrection. Made from packaged crescent rolls, marshmallows and cinnamon sugar, they are also easy for kids to make themselves.

Symbolism:
White marshmallow = body of Jesus (perfect)
Melted butter = oils used to anoint Jesus’ body
Cinnamon = spices used to anoint Jesus’ body
Crescent roll (well sealed) = sealed tomb
Hollow roll (after baking) = empty tomb after Christ’s resurrection

To make rolls:

Dip a large marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon & sugar mixture.

Place dipped marshmallow in the center of a crescent roll.

Pinch the dough around the marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow. Pinch seams to seal well. Be sure to seal the seams completely, or the marshmallow will melt all over the baking sheet.

Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of rolls with some of the leftover butter and sprinkle with additional cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 375°F for 12-14 minutes.

I admit that it feels just a little bit sacrilegious to have the kids talk about dipping Jesus in butter, but it is certainly an object lesson that they remember all year. And a delicious way to remember the reason we celebrate Easter- the gift that was the atonement and resurrection of the Savior, as evidenced by the empty tomb.

May each of you enjoy the joy and blessing that the Savior has given as you celebrate Easter with family and friends. Click below for a great video on the last week of Christ’s life and His resurrection and appearance to Mary that first Easter morning:

He Is Risen

RECIPE:

Resurrection Rolls

Servings: 8
Print

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
8 large marshmallows
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon

Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner, parchment paper, or non-stick foil.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Unroll and separate crescent rolls. Dip a marshmallow in the melted butter, then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place the covered marshmallow on a raw crescent roll. Pinch the dough around the marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow. Pinch seams to seal well. Be sure to seal the seams completely, or the marshmallow will melt all over the baking sheet.

Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of rolls with some of the leftover butter and sprinkle with additional cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake at 375°F for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing rolls from baking sheet. Serve warm.

NOTE: Some of the melted marshmallow may leak during baking, but the roll should still form a hollow tomb. Pinch seams tightly to reduce oozing.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Breads, Desserts

Tagged as cinnamon, crescent rolls, Easter, Jesus, marshmallows, resurrection, rolls, sweet rolls, tomb

December 5, 2012 · 5:23 am

Twelve Days of Christmas: Snickerdoodle Bars

DAY 5: Snickerdoodle Bars

A delicious cinnamon layered bar with the tang of snickerdoodles in an easy to prepare bar cookie.

RECIPE:

Snickerdoodle Bars

Servings: Makes 2 dozen bar cookies
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2 1/3 cup flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling:
½ Tbs ground cinnamon
2 Tbs brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar using a mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until just combined.

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spoon half of the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Mix the cinnamon filling ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Using a spoon, dollop the remaining batter across the cinnamon filling; do not cover the cinnamon mixture completely.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker)

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, bar cookies, christmas, Christmas cookies, cinnamon, food, recipe, snickerdoodles