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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Cinnabon copycat cinnamon rolls

This recipe makes 12 pretty big cinnamon rolls and they taste so much like the real deal! Ingredients: 1 cup of warm milk (I heated it in the microwave for about a minute, you don't want it too hot or it will kill the yeast, just warm) 2 eggs 1/3 cup of butter melted (melt it slowly, don't make it too hot) 4 1/2-5 cups of all purpose flour (your dough should clean the bowl while you knead it, start with 4 1/2 cups and if it's too sticky add a half cup more flour.) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup of white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean split and scraped out. 1 package fast acting yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons 1 cup of brown sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon 1/3 soft butter Cream Cheese frosting : 4 oz cream cheese 1/2 cup butter ( 1 stick) 1 cup powdered sugar (you can add more to taste or consistency as you want but I don't like the frosting too sweet since the filling is very sweet) 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste Method: Dissolve the yeast in the milk in a large bowl or bowl of your mixer. Mix in the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla bean seeds or paste and salt. Add the flour and mix in well, kneading the dough with floured hands or dough hook with your mixer into a large ball. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl. Put it back into the bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for about an hour till it's doubled in size. While the dough rises, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Once the dough has doubled in size lay out on a floured surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the butter over the whole rectangle except for about a half inch at one of the long ends of your rectangle so you can seal the roll. After you've spread the butter, sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Now roll the dough up tightly starting at the far edge toward that clean edge(so you have one long sausage shape at the end).Press the clean edge down to seal when you are done. Make sure the ends stay in line or trim them when you're done. Now measure out your rolls into 12 pieces and cut with a sharp knife.(Usually about an inch and a half or so for each.) Place rolls in a greased 9x13 inch pan and cover the pan with damp cloth or seran wrap or foil. Leave for about 1/2 hour to let the rolls rise. In the meantime, make the icing. Beat the butter with an electric beater till very soft. Add the cream cheese and beat until light - a few minutes at least. Add the sugar and beat for a couple more minutes and lastly beat in the vanilla. Put the rolls in the oven for about 20 minutes. The rolls should be golden brown. Spread the frosting on warm rolls and serve. Enjoy!! Xoxo I found this recipe on some type of forum or something and altered it slightly.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sesame Street!

I don't have a recipe for this post but I thought these came out so cute I had to share! I made these for a friend of mine for her baby boys first birthday party. It was so hard to pick just a few of the fun characters from sesame street but I ended up choosing Elmo (of course), big bird, super Grover, cookie monster and Oscar the grouch. These pictures are just from my iPhone but when I upload the ones from my camera I'll post them too :)

Saturday, May 19, 2012

These cookies are so delicious! Very fluffy and soft but still with that crisp edge that a cookie should have. I love the dark chocolate chips in them but you can substitute for semi-sweet if that's what you have on hand. This recipe makes about 4 dozen. I altered this a bit from a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe I found on baking bites. Banana Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 tbsp milk 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract (in addition I also added about a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3-4 ripe bananas, mashed (3 large or 4 smaller sized bananas) 3 cups oats (rolled quick oats or old fashioned, not instant) 2 cups dark chocolate chips (about 12-oz.) Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray cookie sheet with non stick spray or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated. Add mashed bananas and mix in until incorporated. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips. Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center. Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.