.cinnamon rolls.

I know I said the chances of me posting recipes are very slim, but here is another one! Surprise, surprise... it's another cinnamon recipe. This time it's actual cinnamon rolls. So, due to the shitty weather and not having any sweets, I decided to raid through my baking collection and come up with a recipe that would take me a while to make and for me to enjoy sporadically. I figure I bake them tonight and then I have some to eat tonight and a fresh warm breakfast tomorrow morning! And yes, this is all made from scratch. Here ya go.

Ingredients:

YEAST MIXTURE

2 tablespoons of yeast

1/2 cup hot water

1 tablespoon of sugar

DOUGH

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of salt

4 1/2 cups flour

DOUGH TOPPING

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

ground cinnamon

FROSTING

1 cup butter (1 stick)

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
milk

Directions:

1. Dissolve the 2 tablespoons of yeast in 1/2 cup hot water (I just used hot water fresh from the tap - it seemed to work well) and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let this sit while you make your dough!

2. Melt 1/2 cup of butter (chop up the butter, it melts better) and combine this with 3/4 cups of warm milk (I microwaved the milk and butter for about two minutes in the microwave). Mix the dissolved yeast and butter/milk mixture together in bowl.

3. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 egg. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix this until smooth. You're going to then add 1/2 cup of flour at a time, stirring until smooth or you can't see the flower anymore and until you have added all 4 1/2 cups.

4. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of flour on the counter top. Knead dough until it doesn't stick to your hands (dough will still feel sticky, it just won't be stuck to your hands).

5. Place the bread in a greased bowl and cover this with a wet towel and let rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size. I put this in the oven because the temperature and air are consistant.

6. Remove from the bowl and place on a floured counter. Roll out in a 12x24in rectangle, and make sure it's not too thin.

7. Spread 1/2 cup butter over the dough. (I microwaved the butter until it was mostly melted and then put it back in the freezer for 5 minutes so when it came out, it was the perfect consistancy to spread). Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar evenly over the dough. Lastly, sprinkle as much ground cinnamon over that as you feel fit.

8. Roll the dough tightly, in a "hot dog" way (so your log is longer), and cut into thumb-width slices. Place them side by side in a large cake pan. Keep in the oven (like we did with the dough) until they rise to your desired height.

9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Only bake on one rack, center oven. Cook for 15 minutes and then watch for desired brownness.

10. For the frosting, cream butter. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Put this in some kind of container wher you can squeeze it out and then drizzle this over your cinnamon rolls! VOILA!! I also added a little bit of cinnamon to the frosting :)

Before

After



This was a very easy recipe to follow and to make. Trust me, this comes from an illiterate cooker. If Arnold wasn't around, I would surely starve.

.pancakes.

In my spare time, I like to look at recipes through websites. I am pretty shallow in the fact that I pick the recipe with the best looking pictures, not how difficult the recipe will be. I'm one of those people who wish they could cook but really can't. However, I can kinda bake. I'm guessing it's because I can make the food cute? Does that make sense? When it comes to making meals, I'd probably starve before cooking for myself or even going to get takeout. I guess its because when I am hungry, I want food right then.

The other day, or a long time ago actually, I ran into the perfect recipe. The picture was really awesome looking and it was super easy to make. AND it's something that I could pretty much eat every day/every meal. Pancakes. I figured it'd be pretty easy to make, so I got the recipe (I'll actually post it here for you at the end), and then I made it.

Before.

After
It looks really disgusting, but I promise, it tastes AWESOME.

Did I mention they are CINNAMON ROLL PANCAKES?! I know, right? I pretty much love anything with cinnamon in it, so I knew this would be a success.

Ingredients:

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

(I will probably not post many recipes BTW)