#97) Sticky Cinnamon Buns

Ooey, gooey cinnamon buns that are finger-lickin' good :)

Cinnamon buns seem to be one of those things everyone likes.  I don't think I've met anyone who can say they dislike cinnamon buns.  I mean, it's a sweet and spicy filling surrounded by fluffy dough...  What is there not to like?

The only real debate I've ever had about cinnamon buns was about what goes best on top.  You can get them smothered in a sweet vanilla glaze, covered in a thick cream cheese frosting, pure and plain with no topping... the list goes on.  The only option I can say I could do without is the one with NO topping.  Come on!!!  A big ol' cinnamon bun is just crying out for you to put something, anything on top :)

Well in this version I've gone with a brown sugar caramel topping that produces a sticky and sweet cinnamon bun.  Some taste-testers thought the caramel topping was a tad too sweet, while others thought it was down-right addictive.  So there you have it, the ago-old debate about what goes best on top of your cinnamon bun continues ;)

Some notes on the recipe:

- It was ridiculously humid the day I made these and I think that had a huge effect on the elasticity, or lack thereof, of my dough...  Let's just say I got my arm workout in that day.  On the same note, if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, use it!

- I have made this recipe with both regular and quick rise yeast.  I prefer the regular yeast.  It may take more patience, but it produces are much more delicate finished product.

- Make sure not to cook the butter and brown sugar for the topping.  You just want to melt it, as rising the temperature too much will change the consistency of the caramel once it cools.

Dough

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

1 package quick-rise yeast

2 eggs, beaten

Steps

- In small saucepan over low to medium heat, warm sugar, milk, butter, and salt until butter is melted.  Heat to 120-130°F (drinkably warm, if you don't have a thermometer).

- Mix together flour and yeast in large bowl.  Add warm liquids and mix with wooden spoon.

- Add beaten eggs and mix until dough is soft, slightly sticky, and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

- Turn out on to lightly floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

- Place in greased bowl, cover with towel, and let rest 10 minutes.  Dough will not rise at this point.

Filling (& Assembly)

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Steps

- Roll out dough to 18'x14' rectangle.

- Brush with melted butter, leaving 1/2" border.  Reserve remaining melted butter.

- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.  Sprinkle over the buttered surface.

- Roll into a tight log along the long edge.  Pinch seam together.  Brush reserved melted butter on top and sides of log.

- Prepare topping (see below).

- Cut into 15 equal slices and place cut side down into pan.

- Let rise for 1 hour.  Should double in size.

- Bake at 375°F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

- Let stand in pan for 3 minutes then invert on serving platter or ridged cookie sheet.  Scrape any remaining caramel from baking dish onto the cinnamon buns.

Topping

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

Steps

- Melt butter and brown sugar together in small saucepan over low heat.  

- Pour into 9"x13" baking dish.

#94) My Favourite Banana Bread

Look no further because this is my favourite banana bread recipe :)
Moist, delicious banana bread that is a definite crowd pleaser!

I like bananas.  They're healthy, easy to pack in a lunch box, remind me of warmer climates when it feels a new ice age is beginning, and they are one of the most versatile baking ingredients you can get your hands on.  Seriously, everything from banana breads, to cookies, to cakes, to burritos and everything in between! 

I started out with a recipe from a great cookbook called "Bride & Groom: First and Forever Cookbook" and made a few little tweaks here and there.  After giving this recipe a few tries, adding in some small changes, and sending it out to different taste testers, I have to say that this recipe is a winner!  Give it a try and let me know how you like ;)

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp salt  
2 tsp cinnamon (less if you prefer a “hint” instead of a “kick”)

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs 

½ cup milk

½ tbsp vinegar
1 ½ tsp baking soda

2 cups mashed banana (about 5 small bananas)

*Don't be afraid to add some extras too, like a handful of chocolate chips or some toasted coconut :)

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix together milk and vinegar and let stand while preparing batter.  Grease two loaf pans.

-Sift together flour, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl.  Set aside.

-In large bowl, mix together oil, brown sugar, and white sugar.

-Add eggs and vanilla, mixing gently until incorporated.

-Stir baking soda into soured milk.

-Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to the mixer, followed by ½ of the milk.  Mix gently until incorporated.  Repeat.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

-Add remaining dry ingredients and mashed banana.  Do not over mix.

-Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour.

-Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove and place on wire racks to cool.

Printable Recipe :)

#81) Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Do you love food?

I love food. I love food so much that I really, truly hate to see any be wasted.

That's why bread pudding is such an awesome sweet treat - a real "recycler recipe" :) It lets you use up stale bread that would otherwise end up in the trash and you can dress it up with whatever fix-ins you have in the cupboard (chocolate chips, dried fruit, bananas)!

For this bread pudding I used some homemade raisin bread (compliments of my mother-in-law) and some whiskey left behind from a recent girls' night.

I made the dessert for a small potluck with some of the girls and it was a hit. Although I found it a tad too sweet, the pudding was rich and the sauce was gooey and delicious - sounds like a great dessert to me :)

What are your favourite "recycler recipes"?

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Bread Pudding

Ingredients

3 cups stale cinnamon raisin bread, torn into bite-size pieces
3/4 cups milk (I used skim)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (could easily use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar (could easily use 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Set aside bread.

-Whisk together milk, eggs, sugars, molasses, vanilla, and cinnamon.

-Add bread and stir to coat. Let sit for 20 minutes.

-Preheat oven to 350oF.

-Butter 6 muffin cups.

-Divide mixture between 6 muffin cups.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes until custard has set. (A kinfe should come out almost clean)

-Let cool slightly in cups before serving.


Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 oz whiskey
1/4 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream

Steps

-Melt butter and sugar over medium heat.

-Add whiskey and let cook off for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

-Slowly add milk/cream, stirring constantly. Cook over low-medium heat for another 5 minutes. (I made mine ahead of time and as it sit in the pot it got thicker)

#80) Apple Carrot Cake

Fall has come and gone here in Labrador, believe it or not! We are actually in the early stages of Winter already. You know what that means? Rich, spicy desserts that fill you up and make you feel warm and fuzzy inside :)

That's exactly what this extremely moist carrot cake does. The addition of grated apple and apple sauce really gives the cake its moisture, and the spices warm it up so you can stay safe from those bitter winter winds. It's all topped off with a thick maple cream cheese frosting that will make anyone go back for seconds!

In my after-school baking group we work very hard to make sure our sweet treats offer maximum flavour and enjoyment with limited amounts of fat and calories. Although this cake has a bit more sugar than we normally would use, it definitely has some of the qualities we look for in a healthier version of an old favorite:

- only 2 tbsp butter in the cake

- no oil

- replacing some of the sugar with maple syrup provides some manganese and zinc

- fat-free cream cheese for the frosting

So give the recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Apple Carrot Cake
Ingredients

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 maple syrup (get the real stuff, table syrup doesn't have the same flavour)
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used soy milk soured with about 1 tbsp vinegar)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 cup flour (if you want to boost the fibre, use some whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated apple, no peel
1/2 cup grated carrot, no peel

Steps

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray and 8" pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine sugars, butter and maple syrup until well-blended.

Add buttermilk, egg, and applesauce. Mix well.

In a large bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until just combined.

Fold in apple and carrot.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove from pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.


Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients

1 block fat-free cream cheese
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
500 g icing sugar

Steps

-Combine cream cheese and butter.

-Add rest of ingredients and mix until smooth.

*This recipe makes more icing than you need for the cake. I am saving mine in the freezer for a cupcake recipe I have in the works for this weekend :)

PS - please excuse the pic... souRIRE photography was not around :(

#78) Strawberry Squares

Hello again everyone! The summer months sure are flying by, aren't they? Its hard to believe that in just 4 days I will be a married woman!!! Gonna be a good weekend :)

But enough about that and let's get talking about that dessert. (I have to apologize for the quality of the pic... I had to do it myself and, well, my skills stop at the kitchen :p)

I came home to my parents' a few days ago and one of the first things we did was go to a U-Pick for some fresh strawberries. We left the field with almost 20 cups of strawberries!!! The very first thing my dad asked for was a pan of strawberry squares and I couldn't say no :) But if you follow along on this blog at all you know I avoid using any packages in my baking and prefer to do everything from scratch - and those strawberry squares have gelatin in them to keep them nice and firm once they cool. So I done a bit of googling to find a gelatin substitute and what I actually found out was what gelatin is made out - bones, hooves, and connective tissue! (I am done with anything jelly and jiggly) It was time to find another way to make these squares.

So I put myself to work in the kitchen and whipped up a nice syrup, added my berries, and thickened it all with some cornstarch and water, and with my fingers crossed I put the squares in the fridge and hoped for the best.

Although they don't cut out with the same clean edges as the jelly version, they are so tasty and bone-free that my dad forgave me :) What do you think?


Strawberry Filling

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar (could easily be reduced to 1 cup)
3 cups berries (I used whole fresh, but frozen would work too)
2 tbsp cornstarch

- Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring often.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add berries and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Mix cornstarch with enough water to make a liquid, not a paste. Add to berry mixture all at once and stir quickly.
- Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
- Put a large sieve over a large bowl. Pour berry mixture through sieve. (This will separate the berries from the syrup and remove any lumps of the cornstarch mixture.
- Let cool for 30 minutes.


Graham Cracker Bottom

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Mix together all three ingredients and press into a 9X9 glass baking dish.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or just until it starts to brown.
- Remove from oven and set aside.


Chantilly Whipped Cream

500 ml whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

- In a cold bowl with cold beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form (it will take a while so don't give up!)
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Keep cold until ready to use.


Assembly

- Place cooled strawberries from sieve on top of graham cracker bottom.
- Pour enough syrup over the berries to cover. (The leftover syrup is excellent for crepes!!!!)
- Let set in fridge until stiff.
- Cover with whipped cream. (The leftover cream is excellent for crepes!!!!)

Strawberry

#76) Cinnamon Cupcakes

Have you missed me? Well, that's not important - what is important is that I have missed you! But I am here with cupcakes in hand hoping you will forgive my long absence, yet again...

Here's the deal, fiance and I are getting married in just 65 days!!! (Yes I am nervous, but everything is falling into place nicely) So to get in shape and shed a few pounds I have hired a trainer and joined a Booty Boot Camp. Let me tell you, this trainer knows her stuff and she makes sure I work hard. But you know what that means, less time to be in the kitchen and super bad guilty conscious for eating all the sweet treats I love so much!

Buuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttt - last weekend was the May Long Weekend and I decided it was about time I got back in the kitchen and started playing with some ideas and ingredients.... the guilty conscious went on vacation :)

I started out wanting cinnamon buns, but I have a strange fear of yeast and am quite nervous about using it... I know, this makes no sense and cinnamon buns would be worth it, right? Yeah, I couldn't do it... So I done the next best thing - cupcakes!!! But sticking with the cinnamon bun craving I slapped some cinnamon sugar in the middle and topped them all with a highly addictive lemon cream cheese frosting. You have to try them!!!!!!!!!

Cinnamon Filling

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Steps

- Mix together in small bowl.

Cupcake Batter

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (for those of you with AP flour - measure out all your flour, remove 7 tbsp, replace with 7 tbsp cornstarch - def worth the extra effort!)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup (soy) milk
4 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

Steps

- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large, deep bowl.

- Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth.

- In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg whites, the remaining 1/2 cup milk and the vanilla. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.

Assembly

- Place 1 1/2 tsp cake batter into the muffin liners.

- Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of filling into the muffin cups.

- Cover with more batter, filling cups about 2/3 full. Use a toothpick to swirl the cinnamon centre.

- Bake at 350°F for 18-20.

- Cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 8-oz block (light) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Grated rind of one lemon
1/2 cups icing sugar (this will change depending on moisture content of cream cheese, amount of juice in lemon, etc. - you want a smooth, fluffy consistency, but not pipeable frosting)

Steps

- Beat together all ingredients except icing sugar until combined.

- Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until proper consistency is achieved.

#60) Cinnamon Bun-fins (& Joy)

So have you all heard that Adopt-a-Blogger is back for round three?!?!?! And this time around I'm having a go at it - as a newbie, of course :)

As part of Adopt-a-Blogger I have to introduce you all to my mentor, although she needs no introduction at all - Ms. Joy the Baker!!! I am sure most, if not all, of you are already familiar with this kitchen crusader - I have been following her since the day I started my blog :) Her recipes are fantastic, but what I enjoy most about Joy's posts are her whimsical ramblings that never fail to make me laugh out loud! Check her out if haven't already.

To best introduce, no, to best praise Joy I had a go at one of her recipes I have been eying for quite some time - Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins. They are fabulous! And not to mention, easy as could be! The only big thing I changed was regular milk to soy milk, and it worked fine, so make your own and enjoy licking your fingers :)

Bread Base
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp yeast
2/3 cup warm (soy) milk
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Steps
-Stir together dry ingredients.
-Stir yeast into warm milk.
-Add the milk mixture, oil, vanilla, and egg to dry mixture. Stir until smooth.
-Place in greased bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.
-Make cinnamon topping (below).
-Divide bread base between 12 greased muffin cups. Add topping. Place into cold oven and set temperature to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes.
*If any of the cinnamon topping has spread onto the pan use a butter knife to sweep it back onto the buns before they cool.

Cinnamon Topping
Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup brown sugar (I only had white on hand so I added about 1 tsp molasses)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch allspice
*I had loads left over so if you want to half this part go ahead.

Steps

-Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated.

Frosting
Ingredients

1 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp (soy) milk

Steps

-Add milk by half teaspoon measure until desired consistency is reached.
-Pipe onto warm buns with plastic bag.

*Make sure you lick you fingers clean :)

#58) Chewy Ginger Cookies

So the in-laws came to town yesterday :) I can't remember the last time I seen my fiance so excited - he gets to see his parents, and his brother and nephew :) In order to make him even happier I gave in to his constant beggings for "real" cookies - with butter and eggs LOL

I am confident these little treats were a good choice because between him and his dad the whole batch is pretty much gone! When they came out of the oven the outside had a great crunch to it while the inside was warm and chewy... As they cooled the outside lost the crunch and they are now a truly chewy cookie.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Beat butter for 30 seconds.
-Add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Beat.
-Beat in egg and molasses.
-Beat in flour.
-Chill dough for 1 hour.
-Roll into tablespoon balls and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture.
-Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, until tops are cracked.

#46) Banana Bites & Cinnamoney

I made these mini cupcakes a few days ago in a bit of a rush. I was attending a get-together and had procrastinated on making something to bring along. Then I found a bag of frozen ripe banana in the freezer and these wonderfully coloured mini liners in the cupboard - it was like fate! Okay, maybe not fate, but a very strong suggestion.

They were quite a hit and I would definitely use this recipe again, but next time I might dress it up with some chocolate chips or raisins!

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Sift together dry ingredients. Make a well in middle.
-Add wet ingredients and hand mix just until blended.
-Divide amongst liners and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cinnamoney Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Add all ingredients to one bowl and mix until smooth and of spreading/piping consistency.
-Dress up cooled cupcakes :)

#45) Chocolate Chippies 3 Ways

You know, I love being in the kitchen trying out new recipes. There is always something exciting about baking the unknown... a sense of anticipation. That being said, I still have some recipes I love dearly, but as mentioned in a previous post, because baking time is precious I want to always do something new and interesting. For that purpose I have started re-inventing some old favorites (see my Minty Brownie Drops).

I know everyone must have that special chocolate chip cookie recipe hidden away in that drawer in the kitchen - oh you know what drawer I mean!!! To make mine a bit more interesting today I decided to make the basic dough and divide between three bowls. Each bowl turned into a new and exciting sweet treats :)

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

2 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Cream sugar, vanilla, and butter. Add eggs. Beat well.
-Sift together dry ingredients and add in fourths to butter mixture.
-Divide between three bowls.

Variation #1 - Old Faithful

Milk chocolate chips

Variation #2 - Chocolate Orange

Milk chocolate chips
Zest of one large orange

Variation #3 - Cinnamon Swirl

Milk and white chocolate swirled chocolate chips
2 tsp cinnamon

-Spoon onto baking sheet with a tablespoon and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack :)