Worlds BEST Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is from my mom.  They are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted in my life.  The way the recipe is written is a little different because it's very old, so just read it through before you start.  It makes sense to me cause I learned with my mom the first time.

Mix on low speed until moist:

2 cups milk - microwave 2-3 min to warm
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 cup mashed potatoes (real or instant work fine)
2 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups Better for Bread flour

Next:

Sprinkle yeast around bowl and continue adding flour until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Dough should be sticky.  Knead on low speed for 6 minutes.

2 1/4 tsp Instant yeast
3-4 cups flour (in Oregon I use close to 5 cups)

Let rise in greased bowl until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Let rest 10-15 min.  Divide into 2 parts.  Roll out to 8x12 rectangle to 1/4" - 1/2" thick.  Spread or brush with softened butter and sprinkle with mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts (optional).

3/4 cube butter
Mix:
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp + 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts

Roll up from one long side to the other.  Seal.  Cut into 1" slices using dental floss or thread.  Place on large jelly roll pans lined with parchment paper.  Rise until double in size (30-45 min)

Bake: 350 degrees for 15-20 min. Cool slightly.  Frost.

Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp cream or milk
I like to add a little cream cheese to this.  I'll pay attention to the amount next time but I really just throw some in.  Less than half a brick.

One recipe makes about 3 dozen rolls.  I've doubled it but it barely and I mean barely fits in my Bosch. They freeze great, just freeze them individually first and then put them in ziploc bags so the frosting doesn't come off.

Lemon Blueberry Sugar Doughnut Muffins

YIELD: 12 muffins

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOK TIME: 15-17 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 1/3 cup fresh blueberries

For the Glaze

3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon warm water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, or line with 12 paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugars. Use your fingertips to incorporate the zest into the sugars until it is moist and fragrant.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

6. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and water. Whisk until smooth.

8. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

9. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

These are best a few hours after they have cooled completely.  And trust me, you will want more than one.  Yum!

Photo and recipe from www.mybakingaddiction.com via Pinterest

DELICIOUS GRAPE SALAD

This fruit salad was soooo yummy and different from anything I've had lately.

2 lbs green grapes

2 lbs red grapes

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla till smooth, then toss with grapes.

When ready to serve mix and top with:

1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup brown sugar

You'll want to serve this in a shallow bowl or even a deep plate/platter so that every serving gets some of the topping. Yum, yum, yum.

DIVINE FRENCH TOAST WITH BUTTERMILK SYRUP

It was a breakfast for dinner night at our house. Which means I was tired and needed something fast and easy. It also means I wasn't expecting anything fabulous for my taste buds. Was I ever wrong. I found this syrup recipe (which has a great carmel flavor) in a new cookbook that I will share about later, and that combined with French Toast, bananas, and a little whipped cream and I was in heaven!

Buttermilk Syrup from "Keeping Up Cookbook":

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp corn syrup or real maple syrup

3/4 cup buttermilk *make your own in a pinch by adding 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk, (whole is best but I've done it with 2%) and letting it sit 5 min*

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

In a large saucepan over med-high heat, bring butter, sugar, corn syrup, buttermilk and baking soda to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to turn golden brown (mixture will bubble up, so be sure to use a large pan) about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla. Skim foam from surface and serve.

So, just make your regular old French Toast (I mix eggs, milk, pinch of cinnamon and vanilla and a sprinkle of store bought pancake mix, oh and I think using Texas Toast makes it so much French Toastier), slice some bananas on top, add some whipped cream, drizzle with syrup and viola, party in your mouth!

ETA: with the pancake mix that I add to my French Toast batter I just sprinkle as much as I want into the batter after mixing everything else and barely stir. You want it to be lumpy, I love the texture it adds.

SOUR CREAM POPPY SEED STREUSEL MUFFINS

{these come from Our Best Bites are are one of the BEST bites I've ever had}

2 c. sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. grated orange rind

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 8-oz. container sour cream (light works great)

Streusel

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. flour

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare streusel by combining streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. To prepare muffins, combine sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine buttermilk and remaining muffin ingredients in a small bowl and add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups or 24-36 mini muffin cups, either lined or sprayed. Sprinkle evenly with streusel mixture. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pan immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I found this recipe on the Idea Room Blog and they are hands down the best blueberry muffins I've ever had.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 1/4 cups sour cream (10 ounces)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (wild)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin. I used the Demarle straight muffin tray so there was no need to grease. Love that!

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

3. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick. Do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and insert toothpick into the center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes. Serve as is or with the cinnamon sugar topping below.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
While muffins are cooling, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled 5 minutes, and working one at a time, dip top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins

GLAZE & FILLING FOR ORANGE ROLLS

My friend Lori asked about the recipe for the filling and glaze I use on my orange rolls, so here it is.

Orange Rolls Filling and Glaze

Filling:
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp orange rind (I use more)
1/2-1 tsp orange juice

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/2-1 Tbsp grated orange rind
1 Tbsp melted butter

Brush filling onto rolls before rolling them up (and before they rise) so it's on the inside, then dip tops of rolls in glaze when rolls have cooled. Makes enough for 16-20 rolls.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

My friend Alisha makes the best banana chocolate chip muffins. My whole family LOVES them. Especially my little man Hank who refuses to eat bread of any type. She posted this recipe on her blog but it's private and I know all of you don't know her, so I thought I'd post it here too! Seriously DIVINE! In fact, I may just have to go make some right now.

Best Ever Banana Muffins - from Alisha's kitchen

3 small ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 C. shortening
1 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. chocolate chips

In mixing bowl, beat eggs; add bananas and beat until smooth. Add shortening and sugar and mix well. Add flour, soda and salt and combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into mini-muffin pans (greased pans, if you are not using Demarle). Fills 24 mini-muffins. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Eat. Share with the little people in your life. Eat some more. Then take the rest to friends before you down the entire batch yourself. (Or throw them in the freezer, or do something, because believe me, these bite-sized babies are hard to resist.)

This recipe is a spin-off of my own, based loosely on "Grace's Banana Bread" from Favorites by Rock and Metcalf. It's a great recipe book!

FRENCH BREAKFAST PUFFS

Click {here} for a tasty treat from the Pioneer Woman.

HAM, MUSHROOM & SPINACH STRATA

This is delicious and a great idea for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning since you make it the night before. I got the recipe from my friend Alisha and the only change I made was adding some baby spinach. Thanks for sharing Alisha!

8 eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
5 slices dense French Bread cut into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb ham, cubed (I had deli ham on hand so I just sliced that up and it worked great)
1/2 pkg sliced mushrooms
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1/2-1 cup baby spinach leaves torn into pieces (optional)

note: I used a little less ham and added 1/2-1 cup of baby spinach torn into pieces

Beat eggs; add milk, salt and dry mustard. Stir well. Add next 4 ingredients, stirring well after each addition.

I put it in a 2 1/2 quart DeMarle (silicone bakeware) mold to bake, if you do it in something else you'll probably need to grease it. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before inverting onto plate (you'll only be inverting this if you use a DeMarle mold, you can just serve it out of the pan if you're using something else) Slice and serve.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

I discovered these on Becky Higgins blog last year and they are definitely a fall favorite around here. They disappear within seconds of coming out of the oven!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. ground pumpkin (canned)
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. chocolate chips

Mix together. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

VANILLA PUDDING CINNAMON ROLLS

The picture says it all...

Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature ( I used 1/2 cup)
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 VERY large rolls.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe Blog

PUFFED FRENCH TOAST WITH COCONUT SYRUP

(got this recipe from my sis, if you make it, which you most certainly should, be prepared to think you've died and gone to heaven!)

Puffed French Toast

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 1/4 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
6 slices Texas style toast, cut in half diagonally

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat about 1/4” of vegetable oil over medium heat. In a shallow bowl or pie dish, whisk together all ingredients. Test oil heat by flicking some water into the frying pan. If it pops, reduce the heat. If it sizzles, it’s just right. Working quickly, take each 1/2 slice of bread and soak both sides in the egg mixture. If you leave it too long, it will get soggy, but you want to make sure enough of the egg mixture has soaked into the bread. Gently shake to remove excess batter and place in hot oil. Cook until puffed, golden brown, and a nice crispy crust has formed on each side (probably 3 – 5 minutes per side). Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. While cooking remaining French toast, keep cooked pieces warm in a 200 degree oven.

When ready to serve, roll each piece in:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Another Option:
Slice the bread into strips for great French toast dippers. Serve with fresh raspberry jam and powdered sugar.

Coconut Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup canned milk
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. butter extract

Directions:
Stir sugar, Karo and water together in saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Take off heat and let sit a minute. Add milk, coconut extract and butter extract.

Edited to add: For my family of 5 eaters I doubled the french toast part and made the syrup just like the recipe said, but we had plenty of syrup left over, so next time I think I'll half or 3/4 the syrup.

BROCCOLI, CHEDDAR, EGG & SAUSAGE BISCUITS

(these come from picky-palate.com)

6 Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk biscuits (from can, 8 count) Pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 Cup cooked broccoli florets, cut up into small pieces 1/2 Cup cooked sausage links, cut up

4 eggs 3 Tablespoons milk Pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cholulla hot sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a texas size 6 Cup muffin tin with cooking spray. You’ll have 2 extra biscuits left over. Bake them separately if so desired. Cut each of the 6 biscuits into 8 triangles and place into each muffin tin. Lightly sprinkle each biscuit cup with salt and pepper.

2. Sprinkle broccoli and sausage evenly over each biscuit filled muffin cup.

3. Place eggs, milk, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Pour evenly over each cup. With a fork make sure eggs get to the bottom and around each piece of biscuit. Top each with sprinkles of cheddar cheese and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of biscuits and cheese is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin cup. Remove and arrange onto serving plate. If you like it spicy serve with a nice hot sauce like Cholulla, it’s wonderful!! Pull them apart with your fingers or cut with a fork. Enjoy.

6 servings