Cinnamon Rolls

The Squirrel butts and the Man like cinnamon rolls...and I ain't gonna lie....they rock my socks too...so after spending a ton over the years on that little Pillsbury dough boy....we decided to start making our own...

we basically use the recipe found here
Harvest Cinnamon Rolls


Shall we get started?...ok, well a little while before you make this take 2 eggs and 1 stick of butter out and let them warm up to room temp....are you ready now?...okay...

First warm a cup of milk in the microwave for about 1 minute....you want it to be lukewarm

Pour it into your bowl

add 1/4 cup of lukewarm water (about 110 degrees)

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

1/2 (1 stick) of melted butter...yes, blurry photo...next time I'll take my spoon out...(this is NOT the butter you are letting warm to room temp...that's for something else :) ...)

those 2 eggs you let warm up....well, put em in a bowl and beat em....beat em like the bad little eggs they are...and then..

add those eggs to your bowl

next...half a teaspoon of salt....(does it irk anyone else that my spoons are upside down....it does me...LOL)

then half a cup of sugar....

5 cups of flour (now the recipe on the other site says bread flour....but regular flour works just fine too...I've used both with the same results....)

1 tablespoon (or if you like 3 teaspoons) of active yeast....

mix together till it is well combined and has formed a "ball".....

turn out onto a floured or oiled surface and knead for 10 minutes....you can really work out some stress during that 10 minutes...

it should look something like this...

place in an oiled bowl, turn over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap...let rest for 10 minutes

while the dough is resting....you can make up your cinnamon filling

by now your butter should be warm....mush it up some in a bowl because you want it to spread easily....set it aside

in another bowl....

1 cup packed brown sugar

add cinnamon...now we use this kind of cinnamon 

it's a little bit spicier than regular stick on your toast cinnamon....

add 4 or 5 tablespoons of regular (or 3 of the saigon) to your brown sugar...

Mix it up well and set it aside....

now, once the 10 minutes are up...go back to your dough...

roll it out into a large rectangle....

the recipe site says 15 by 24....I just try to roll it out as much as I can without it getting too thin....

take that butter you had in the bowl and brush/spread it on the dough

use all of it...I don't recommend melting the butter...as this makes a very big MESS....believe me...been there, done that...not pretty...not pretty at all...

spread the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough...try to get it pretty even...

roll up on the long side...don't roll too tightly....

you should end up with something like this....

spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray......(pretend there is a picture...it's not like I need to show you how to do that...LOL)

now...let me introduce you to my little friend....

why hello there floss....ooh, cinnamon flavored even....yes, floss is my little hero...let me show you...

take some floss and slide it under one end 

criss cross the floss over the roll and pull...

it cuts through the roll nicely and without any mess...well, I tend to make a mess anyway....but without extra mess...how about that...

cover the rolls and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes (or until doubled in size)...this pic is before they rose....lol

I actually had enough for a smaller 8x8 pan too...which I hope Renee is enjoying...

Preheat oven to 350 dgrees...

bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes...

mmmm....

while the rolls are baking take out some cream cheese and butter and let soften...

after the rolls are done....while they are cooling...make your frosting...

for the frosting you will need cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar

3 oz of cream cheese (the original recipe calls for 2 oz), 1/4 cup of butter...

1 cup of powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

mix together....take beaters and lick thoroughly (but don't tell your mom cause you are supposed to be on a diet...shhhh)

put frosting on your cinnamon rolls and enjoy....sneak one while no one is looking...feign innocence...

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)*
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

 
Combine all ingredients together in the order given. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured or oiled surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place in oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough out into a large rectangle.

Cinnamon filling

1 stick of butter softened and spreadable...spread onto your dough rectangle

1 cup of packed brown sugar
4 or 5 tablespoons of cinnamon (or 3 tablespoons of saigon cinnamon)

Mix sugar and cinnamon together and spread over the butter


Roll dough up from the long end. Cut or use dental floss to slice roll into smaller rolls. Place in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let sit for 45 to 60 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes.

While rolls cool, make your frosting

Butter cream frosting

3 oz of  cream cheese
1/4 cup of butter softened
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix together and spread on cooled cinnamon rolls

the accidental chocolate cheesecake icebox pie

I was going to make chocolate chiffon pie....really I was...

I gathered all my ingredients

and you are gonna have to bear with me on this till I get photoshop on my laptop...these photos are kinda off...

pour your milk in a saucepan and sprinkle 1 package of gelatin....let sit for 3 minutes to soften...

while that is sitting....separate your eggs....if you were going to make the chiffon pie...then you'd use the whites later....I didn't end up doing that...so my cats got a nice treat...LOL

also...I know my thumb looks gross...sorry...I burned it quite badly a few weeks ago....and it's still healing...it was clean...I swear...

after your gelatin has softened...add your sugar....

and your salt....

and then your egg yolks....(just pretend it's a normal thumb...ok...it's all that stupid boiling hot strawberry's fault...I tell ya)

stir that up really well, and cook over moderate heat stirring until it starts to thicken...do not boil (and here ladies and gents is where I had an oopsie...mine started boiling when I got distracted by the puppy)....

remove from heat and stir in your cocoa powder...

let cool until it mounds when dropped from a spoon....and here is where you would continue making your chiffon pie by whipping your egg whites into stiff peaks, folding into the chocolate mixture and then pouring into your pie crust, and chilling 2 hours or until set....buttttttt.....my chocolate mixture never set up right....so, what to do....what to do?...

why hello there cream cheese....have you come to my rescue??

I also added a little bit more sugar (about 1/3 cup) to the cream cheese

mix that up together....then add your chocolate mixture

mix it all together and then pour into your graham cracker crust...

cover and put in the freezer for a couple of hours (or longer)....take out about 15-20 minutes before you serve it...

This was very chocolatey and not very sweet...definitely cheese cake-y.....if you are going to make it like this you could probably top it with some whipped topping or something...

Both the boys loved it...which is good...cause that is who I was making the pie for in the first place....

Chocolate Chiffon Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 packet of gelatin
4 eggs separated
6 tablespoons of cocoa
1 graham cracker pie crust

Pour milk into saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin and let sit for 3 minutes to soften. Separate eggs, set aside whites. Add sugar, salt, and yolks to the saucepan, stir very well.  Cook over moderate heat while stirring to thicken, do not let mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and add cocoa, stirring to combine. Let cool until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon.  In a bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture and pour into graham cracker crust, refrigerate 2 hours or until firm

You can make a coffee chiffon pie by substituting 3 tablespoons instant coffee for the cocoa...mmm...coffee pie....

but if you are like me and had an oopsie....you can make....

Nikki's accidental chocolate cheesecake icebox pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 packet of gelatin
4 eggs separated
6 tablespoons of cocoa
1 Graham cracker pie crust

Plus
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar

Pour milk into saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin and let sit for 3 minutes to soften. Separate eggs, set aside whites. Add sugar, salt, and yolks to the saucepan, stir very well.  Cook over moderate heat while stirring to thicken, do not let mixture come to a boil. (and here is where my mistake comes in...let it just start to boil...lol) Remove from heat and add cocoa, stirring to combine.
After realizing your mixture is not going to mound when dropped from a spoon, no matter how long you let it cool...(shame on the dog distracting you and you letting the mixture boil).... quickly scramble to see if you might have a way to salvage this...find cream cheese....have a small light bulb moment...
    Save egg whites for something else (omelet maybe)...or feed them to the cats...they now love you forever...put cream cheese and sugar in a bowl (you might want to let your cream cheese soften for a while)....turn on your hand mixer (cause, baby....if you don't have a knife set...then you definitely don't have a stand mixer)....mix the cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Pour in your chocolate mixture and mix it with the cream cheese sugar mixture....Pour into your graham cracker crust. Cover and put in your freezer for 2 hours our until you are going to serve...Let sit on counter for 15-20 minutes before serving...it makes cutting easier...

Be pleasantly surprised when your children love it (it's not very sweet, but ohh so chocolatey)....

and honestly...how could I not be distracted by this cute fluffer nutter's face