All posts by Sonte

Cinnamon Rolls

These are relatively easy to make. A special treat for Sunday morn, with leftovers to see you through the week…but wait, if word gets out you are making these, you just might have a few visitors drop by for coffee!

Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls

Sweet Roll Dough:
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Rapid Rise Yeast
1 cup Milk, scalded and cooled
1 1/2 cups warm Water
1/3 cup Butter
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups Flour (+/-)
1  1/4 teaspoon Salt

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz Philly Cream Cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups Icing Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Milk, to right consistency

In large mixing bowl, combine first amount of flour, sugar and rapid rise yeast; set aside.
Scald milk in small saucepan; remove from heat and add butter, stirring until the butter is melted.
Stir in warm water.
In small bowl beat eggs; *temper with slightly cooled, scalded milk mixture.
Gradually add tempered eggs to the remaining scalded milk mixture.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour, yeast and sugar.
Stir vigorously for 2 minutes.
Add a cup of flour and the salt; stir.
Add flour, a cup at a time until a soft dough is formed; you may have to “stir” last stages of flour in with your hands.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Spray two 9×13 pans with Vegetable Oil spray; set aside.
While dough is resting, prepare the

Filling:
In small mixing bowl rub together butter, cinnamon and brown sugar; set aside.

Prepare the Rolls:
On lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times then divide into two equal portions.
Cover portion you are not working with.
With other portion, roll out into a 15″x8″ rectangle.
Sprinkle half of the filling mixture to within 1/4″ of the edges of the rectangle.
Roll up tightly, beginning at 15″ side.
Pinch to seal edge.

 

Getting set to cut the roll into individual rolls
Getting set to cut the roll into individual rolls

 

Cut into 12 slices with a sharp knife.
Place cut side down in prepared pan.
Repeat with second portion of dough.
Cover and let rise for at least an hour and a half.

 

Set to rise!
Set to rise!

 

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden.
Remove from oven and cool, in pan, on wire racks.

 

Baked to perfection!
Baked to perfection!

 

While still warm, but not hot, cover with Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting:
In medium mixing bowl cream together the softened cream cheese and  butter.
Stir in a cup of icing sugar and vanilla until well incorporated.
Add remaining icing sugar a little at a time and stirring well after each addition.
If the icing is too thick, thin with a little milk.

 

Let's dress these babies up...or not; your call.
Let’s dress these babies up…or not; your call.

 

*Add about a tablespoon of hot mixture to eggs and stir vigorously; add another tablespoon of scaled milk mixture to eggs, stir vigorously… what you are doing is bringing the eggs up to the temperature of the liquid in the pot. Once egg mixture is warmed you can slowly stir it into the remaining scalded milk mixture in the pot. If you were to just chuck the eggs into the scalded milk mixture you could very possibly end up with something resembling gross scrambled eggs O.o

 

** The Cream Cheese Frosting recipe I have posted is one I have used for yonks! I don’t know where it came from and I don’t actually measure the ingredients. I think the measures I have listed are pretty accurate for a lovely, creamy, delectable cream cheese frosting.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Lemon Crackles

I love the taste of Lemon. These cookies are far simpler to make than Lemon Meringue Pie and you still get that zesty Lemon flavour. I found this recipe in my trusty old Company’s Coming Cookie Cookbook, page 136. Good thing I know the basics of cookie-making because the page with the directions is long gone.

lemon crackles
Lemon Crackles

1/2 cup Butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon grated Lemon Rind
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Sugar, for rolling cookies in

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar.
Add egg, lemon rind, lemon juice and continue beating for 2 minutes.
Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using a small Pampered Chef #2 scoop, scoop out cookie dough, roll between your hands to form a ball; roll in sugar.
Place 2″ apart on cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 6 – 8 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to set on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 Dozen Cookies

 

 

“Oreo” Cookies

oreo like cookies
Chocolately Goodness!

Chocolate Cookie Dough
1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 large Egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Buttercream Filling
1/2 cup Butter, at room temperature
2 cups Icing Sugar
Splash of Vanilla
Milk, to right consistency, about 1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in egg, vanilla and cocoa.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into rolls, 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in waxed paper or cling wrap.
Chill overnight, or longer; may also be frozen.
*If you are in a super hurry to make these, wrap and place in freezer for 30 – 40 minutes.
To bake, preheat oven to 375F.
Slice thinly and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 – 8 minutes.
Let set on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
While cookies are cooling, prepare
Buttercream Filling:
Cream butter in mixing bowl.
Add icing sugar in 3 additions, stirring well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla and 1 Tablespoon of milk; increase mixer speed and beat well.
Add a lil more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition until you get the consistency you are looking for.

To construct each cookie, pipe a dollop of Buttercream filling onto half of the cookies, top side facing down.
Top with a second cookie, top side up and apply a lil pressure to squish cookie down onto the filling but not allowing the filling to ooze over the sides of the cookie.

Makes about 4 Dozen Cookies

 

 

Raspberry Pinwheels

I can’t remember how many years ago I started making these Raspberry Pinwheels? It has been a while. The page has long since fallen out of the Robin Hood Christmas Baking booklet I got a gazillion years ago along with one of my Christmas Canadian Living magazines.
I don’t know why I make these…I recall many a baking days where I would be cursing under my breath because I couldn’t get the dough to roll out. I can happily say I got it sorted out and can whip these up with no problems what so ever now…really, listen to the directions and roll the dough out between to sheets of parchment paper…I give the bottom piece a super light dusting of flour before I begin. Another thing to remember, this is NOT the time to flex your muscles…use even, light rolling…if you use too much pressure, yea, you will be cursing like a sailor! Trust me on this one.
My family does not like nuts in cookies so I have only made these with the Walnuts once but man, were they good! Oh, but they DO like nuts in Date Nut Pinwheels…go figure? If your family will allow it, definitely add the chopped walnuts.

Raspberry Pinwheels
Raspberry Pinwheels

2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
1/2 cup Fine Coconut
1/4 cup Walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line 4 baking trays with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla thoroughly.
Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture.
Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a 12″x9″ rectangle.
In a small bowl, combine raspberry jam, coconut and walnuts, if using; spread evenly over dough to within 1/2″ of edges.
Roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion, starting from long side.
Gently press edge to seal.
Wrap in parchment paper and chill overnight. (Or for at least 4 hours)
Cut into 1/4″ thick slices and places on prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 375F for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden.

Makes about 40 cookies

Ginger Crinkles

Now, you know that I like to give credit where credit is due but I really do NOT know where I got this recipe from. Every Christmas I hauled the faded old recipe card out of the recipe box and made these Ginger Crinkles. In fact, last year I had to rewrite the recipe onto a new card because I simply could not read the old one anymore!
Wherever I got the recipe from, I am sure glad I did! It is one of my favourites.

ginger crinkles
Ginger Crinkles

3/4 cup Butter, room temperature
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Egg
1/4 cup Fancy Molasses
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons ground Ginger
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar for Rolling Cookie Dough in

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 4 baking trays with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until well blended.
Add egg, molasses and vanilla; beat until smooth.
Stir half the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, until well incorporated.
Stir in remaining flour mixture and stir until no flour is visible.
Gather into a ball, place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Or you can speed things up a bit by placing in the freezer compartment for 30 minutes.
Roll about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough into a ball; roll in sugar and place about 2″ apart on prepared baking tray.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 12 minutes, rotating trays at 6 minutes; cookies will flatten slightly, have cracked tops and bottoms are lightly browned.
Let cool on baking trays on wire racks for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 Dozen Cookies