Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

Like I've mentioned before, I like to drool over The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog. More often than not, there's probably a pool of drool right in front of my keyboard. This was no exception with Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls. And so happy was I when I got to actually test this recipe out on the wonderful VanHorns. Always glad to have an excuse to make some sweets! Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, here is her recipe for chocolate chip cinnamon rolls:


Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls - serves 24
I halved the recipe and there was more than enough left over.

Rolls
4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil - I used vegetable oil
9 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages (4 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
1 tsp. (heaping) salt
1 tsp. (scant) baking soda
1 tsp. (heaping) baking powder
1 stick butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Icing
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup whole milk

Mix milk, 1 cup sugar, and canola (vegetable) oil in a pot. Heat until very warm but not boiling. Allow to cool until slightly warmer than lukewarm.

Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the liquid, then add in 8 cups flour. Stir gently until totally combined. Mixture will be very wet and sticky. Cover with a tea towel, keep in a draft-free place, and allow to sit for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add in an additional cup of flour, as well as the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough, covered, until you need it. (Refrigerating the dough helps make it easier to handle.) I made the dough the night before and made the rolls in the morning.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter in the bottom of pie pans or 9x13" baking dishes.

Divide dough in half. Store one half in the fridge for another use. Turn the other half of the dough onto a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, about 24 inches wide by 10-12 inches deep. Add vanilla to melted butter, then drizzle mixture all over the surface of the dough. Use fingers to spread evenly. Mix sugar and salt and sprinkle it evenly over the butter. Follow with the brown sugar, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts if using.

Beginning at the side furthest from you, roll dough toward you until it's in the shape of a tight log. Pinch the edges to seal. Slice into 1/2" to 3/4" thick rolls and lay, cut side down, in buttered baking dishes. Allow to rise for 20 minutes, then place in oven and bake for 14 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown on top.

Make icing: Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer or until smooth and pourable.

Remove rolls from oven and allow to sit five minutes before drizzling icing all over the rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Does your tooth hurt from looking at all the sugar on this plate?

Holy moly were these yummy and full of sugary goodness. And it made a lot -- two baking dishes full! So definitely halve the recipe, unless you're literally feeding an army. Each person ate about two rolls. Between four adults and two toddlers, we barely finished one pan.

The dough was light and fluffy with a nice golden crust on the top and sides. I really liked that in almost every bite was a little bit of melted chocolate. The icing wasn't super thick. If you like a thicker icing, don't add all the milk right away. Just add enough until you get the consistency you like.

These sweet treats are definitely not diet food. With the whole milk, all the butter, and the pounds of sugar, don't make this recipe if you're trying to keep your figure. They actually hold up well for the next day. Just 'nuke them in the microwave for about 15 seconds, and you're back to the sense of out-of-the-oven rolls.

In terms of difficulty, this was probably more of an intermediate level recipe. If you've worked with yeast and dough before, then this will be pretty easy. But it can be somewhat intimidating if you're unfamiliar with homemade dough. But have no fear, just follow the recipe and directions and you'll end up with a wonderful sugar comma for breakfast.

Or if you're really ambitious, heat a roll up in the microwave and add a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Just don't do it right before bed, because you'll for sure end up with a sugar-rush.

Happy cooking!

Granola Bars

I love granola bars. Quaker Oats, Nature Valley. You name it, I probably like it. I've made granola before from Everyday Food. But that was more like bite size crunchies and not so much bars. So, I attempted to make real granola bars, thanks to Ina Garten from Food Network. I actually saw her make these on her show one time and thought they were kind of intensive. But reading over the recipe, it wasn't hard at all.

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 Tb. unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped, dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x12" baking dish, line it with parchment paper and butter. Definitely coat your wax paper with cooking spray or butter!

Toss the oatmeal, almonds and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. I left out the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots and cranberries and stir well. I just added dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. I waited a bit for the mixture to cool before adding the chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

The salvaged granola.

Ok, so mistake #1: I didn't butter the wax paper. I'll admit, that direction, to butter the pan and the lay parchment paper, was a really weird to me. So I ignored it and just laid down wax paper. What ended up happening? The wax paper stuck to the bottom of the granola and I couldn't peel all of it off. I debated about just throwing it all out and starting over. But I decided to salvage whatever granola I could. It's not so pretty, but it sure does taste good.

It is a chewy bar and crunchy on the outside. It is also pretty sweet with the coconut and honey. But I love the cranberry and white chocolate combination. Not sure how healthy this granola bar really is, but it is yummy. Despite the wax paper sticking to the bottom, this is incredibly easy to make. I left it to sit over night and Wes kept asking when he could have some. Oh, did I mention that it makes the house smell amazing?

Of course you can add any fruit or treats you like and leave out what you don't. A fun treat to make. And after Wes did get to have some of the mangled bars, he couldn't stop snacking on them.

Happy cooking!

Banana Crumb Muffins

I'm always looking for breakfast to go during the week. Enter muffins. I made a coconut banana muffin a few months ago that was super yummy. I have another obsession with coconut similar to my obsession with pesto. But that's another story. I decided to try another banana muffin that seemed easy to make. Not sure where I got it from. Most likely this recipe came from food.yahoo.com.


Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tb. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tb. butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease muffin pan or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Let the butter cool a little before adding to the banana mixture so you don't scramble the eggs. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 Tb. flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 Tb. of butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

So what if muffins are just mini cakes? It's an excuse to eat cake for breakfast!

This muffin tastes pretty similar to banana bread. I left some of the mashed bananas a little chunky to get more of a banana taste in bites. What's the best part about this muffin? Why the crumbs on top of course! Who doesn't love streusel type toppings on top of baked goods?

Though, the crumb mixture did make a lot. I would almost 1/2 that part of the recipe next time. A teaspoon of the crumb mixture over the muffins would've been enough. But since there was so much of it left, I ended up putting about two teaspoons on each muffin. That was a bit much and made the muffins pretty sweet. And with 3/4 of sugar already in the batter, the muffins don't need to be any sweeter.

But overall a delicious muffin - especially when they're right out of the oven. Wes even wanted to eat one for dessert. Muffins equal cake, remember? Give this recipe a try. It's easy and very delicious! If you like banana bread, you'll like this muffin.

Happy cooking!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

I'm always looking for quick breakfast foods I can eat at work. This is perfect. I love blueberries and love breakfast bars. This recipe is courtesy of the blog Farmgirl Fare. It's an easy and quick breakfast. Although I can't say it's super healthy since the whole thing includes two sticks of butter. But it's so good!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

Bottom Layer
2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

10 Tablespoons (1 stick + 2 Tb) butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Top Layer
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Middle Layer
3-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tb. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

For the Bottom Layer:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan with your fingers. (I also use the bottom of a stainless steel measuring cup to help make the crust flat and even.)

For the Middle Layer:
Place the blueberries in the bowl you mixed the Bottom Layer in and toss them with the almond extract. Pour them evenly over the Bottom Layer in the pan. Combine the sugar and flour and sprinkle it evenly over the blueberries. (Even when wet or frozen, the sugar/flour mixture wouldn't stick to my big fat blueberries when I tried tossing it with them. If yours will, just toss the sugar/flour mixture with the blueberries and then pour the whole mixture over the Bottom Layer in the pan.)

For the Top Layer:
Place the flour, brown sugar, and butter or vegetable oil sticks in a small bowl and use a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers to combine until the mixture resembles large crumbs (some pea-sized clumps are okay). Set aside.

Sprinkle the Top Layer evenly over the blueberry mixture. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden, and the edges are starting to brown. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Store in a cool place or refrigerate. Bars may also be frozen.

Just look at the blueberries and the golden Streusel crunch on top. Yum!

Like I said, I love blueberries. The oatmeal crunch on the bottom has rustic granola feel to it and I love the Streusel type topping on top. The almond extract in the middle layer is subtle. I didn't have any vanilla when I first made this dish, so I used almond extract in the bottom layer too. There was a much stronger almond flavor, but it added a nice dimension to it. The vanilla extract in the bottom is much more subtle. But in a pinch, you can use almond extract in all of it or vanilla extract in all of it.

The brown sugar taste that runs through the whole thing as a wonderful yumminess too. It can be a little sweet, so maybe cut down on the white sugar that you coat the blueberries in. Not all of it will stick, so you can use the leftover mixture to sprinkle over the bars or just toss. Of course with the sugar and butter, it's not exactly the healthiest breakfast ever, but I love it!

It's a one bowl dish and pretty easy. The toughest part is making the top layer. If you have a pastry cutter, use it. I used a fork. It's a lot of work and my arm definitely got tired. I need to go buy a pastry cutter... But it's so worth it.

Hope you'll give it a try. Happy cooking!