White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

My senior year of high school starts Monday. OMG. This is pretty exciting. I'm not gonna lie, I can't wait for school to start. But it's not like I haven't been popping into my school all summer. (I accidentally wrote "pooping" the first time.. whoops) I seem to end up there a couple times a week for various reasons. I hold a couple important positions at my school, and I like to keep involved and active. I'm yearbook editor, president of our Student Ambassador program, and I've been working along side our brand new principal to plan assemblies and dances and the like. As exciting as all this is, it's a lot of work. And I still have some summer assignments to complete first...


When the school year does roll around, it always means one thing. No more sleeping in. Yupp, wake up time for me is 6 AM to catch a 6:30 bus. In that fleeting 30 minutes, I need to get dressed, fix my face ;), do my hair, gather my books and bags (both school, volleyball, and any other after school activity attire), grab any last minute notes for the office, and oh yeah, eat breakfast. With a tight schedule in the wee hours of the morning, it's easy for me to want to skip breakfast. But this is something I do not advocate. I tried it for a while one the years, and I was miserable. Empty stomachs for 5 hours is no fun. So I always try my darnedest to at least have something.


What I've found, is that during my 50 minute ride to school (grrr.....) I have plenty of time for relaxed eating with no stress of missing the bus. However, there are some items you can't easily eat during a bumpy bus ride. (Though I did actually have cereal once or twice. It worked well the first time, but not so much the second... It was quickly put to an end.) I have found that yogurt messes, overnight oat messes, and baked goodies travel well, though=)!


I have then decided that I will put my freezer to use. I'm going to bake some lovely goodies and then freeze them so I can have quick and easy breakfasts for the bus ride! It's genius, yes? And there are so many breakfast treats out there I can't wait to try, and this will give me an excuse to make them=)


First up: Scones. What can be a better combination than raspberry and white chocolate?! I wanted some fresh fruitiness in them, as well as a little touch of decadence. That basically sums up this scone perfectly=)


I do think I should have made them a bit flatter to get a more even cook through, but these tasted amazing none the less. Now, I can't wait for school to start just so I can eat these!


White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
adapted from Noble Pig

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup plus
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg yolk
1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400o F. In a food processor, pulse together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk. Slowly pour buttermilk mixture through feed tube into processor, pulsing until dough just comes together.

Transfer dough to a slightly floured surface and sprinkle raspberries on top. Knead three times to fold in raspberries (my raspberries were mushy so they broke down, if yours are in good shape, they will stay intact). Gather and pat dough into a 1" thick rectangle and cut or pull apart into 2" pieces. Place pieces, about 2 inches apart on two parchment or silicone lined, rimmed baking sheets, sprinkling tops with 1 Tablespoon sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let scones cool slightly on sheets on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Store in an airtight container up to 1 day).

Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins

When I saw this recipe I immediately fell in love with it. You may or may not know about my love of coffee desserts (and if you don't I'll be showing you more of it soon enough!). But coffee flavor in desserts is incredible. It has to be my favorite flavoring in desserts at the moment. It's not even like I'm a heavy coffee drinker or anything, I just love the sweet coffee taste. So, like many others, I need coffee in the morning, just not in the liquid form. That's why this recipe is so perfect!


I couldn't believe how easy they were to make, as well. It took no effort and no time at all. I did make two changes in the recipe, though, which I've added below. I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon into the recipe, not enough to overwhelm it, but enough so I know it's there;) I also upped the amount of chocolate chips. They just seemed so scattered and sparse that I had to double it! Anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on your preference.


I ate these warm out of the oven, or frozen solid the next day. Yes, I ate frozen muffins. It helps me use self control. This way, I don't finish the muffin in three bites. I can, instead, savor the muffin with tiny little bites. Plus, I think it tastes good. Kind of like that thing where people freeze their candy bars? Personally I've never been a fan, but I guess I'm sort of like them by doing this.


I would say these muffins were light and spongy, definitely not on the dry or crumbly side. I tried very hard not to over mix, so I think I did a good job! Because I'm usually not a chocolate fan, the whole "chocolate chip muffin" has never been something I'd eat. I'd have to say, though, that the chocolate chunks in here were awesome. Okay, I really shouldn't have to convince you anymore. It's chocolate and coffee. Get to baking!


Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
from Buttercream Barbie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp instant coffee
1/2- 1 cup chocolate chunks (the original recipe called for a half cup, but I ended up dumping a TON more in, so maybe closer to a whole cup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 12 muffin tins. Mix coffee into melted butter. Whisk well.

2. Whisk eggs lightly into the buttermilk with the vanilla extract. In a big bowl mix together both flours, sugar, baking powder & salt. Now pour in the buttermilk mixture & the butter mixture, and mix in gently. Do not over mix or muffins won't be soft. Fold in chocolate gently just to combine.

3. Fill prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.

Easy right? It's a super quick muffin for those of you who love the coffee/chocolate combination!

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

These were kind of yucky. I'm not beating around the bush in this post. I seriously did not like this. Not every recipe's a winner right? Yeah well these didn't even place in the top ten. I'm sad to even admit where I got these from because she usually never fails me. I've gotten so many great recipes from her blog, and I even follow her on Twitter! But for the first time, a Joy the Baker recipe failed me. Or rather, I failed at her recipe is probably more accurate. I read through a ton of the comments and everyone gave the recipe rave reviews and said they'd make it again and again. Weird.

These oatmeal pancakes sounded like a a good option. They were a slightly healthier pancake, and looked fluffy enough. Unfortunately, they were completely not. They were extremely runny, resulting in flat (non-fluffy) pancakes. My least favorite, ever. The thing was, I did not taste "cookie" (or "oatmeal" for that matter) in the pancake at all.

Don't you hate the never ending cycle of needing buttermilk but not having it, and having buttermilk and then it going bad because you have no use for it? Maybe it's just me but it can be a bit of a problem. These pancakes called for a whole 2 cups. I didn't have any so I did the ole make-it-yourself version with milk and cream of tartar. Right after this, I began to realize something was wrong. I don't know, something about the aroma it was giving off gave me an odd feeling, but I kept going. Once everything was all combined, then I could visibly see something was a miss. It was very watery. After a small taste test, I was completely repulsed. I know pancake batter isn't necessarily sweet or anything, but this was borderline foul. Soooo sour and gross. This is why I wonder if my "homemade" buttermilk may have been the problem.

The oats in the batter were not very noticeable, despite the fact that these are oatmeal pancakes. And I would never consider these reminiscent of a cookie. And terribly so, this batch made well over 40 pancakes! And they were averaged sized ones, too. So I ended up shoving a ton in the freezer and not telling anyone in my family that I didn't like them. So hopefully they will unsuspectingly finish them up hehe.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

from Joy the Baker

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
heaping 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
healthy pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

Step 1: In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter , maple syrup and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in raisins and let batter set for a few minutes.

Step 2: Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Step 3: Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Apple Dutch Baby

I have always been in love with pancakes. Every Sunday when I was little was known as Pancake Sunday. You woke up to Daddy making pancakes and bacon and afterward got ready for church. Eventually it wore off, but we definitely kept it going for about a year. The usual was always regular pancakes or chocolate chip. No complaints here, but now my pancake taste buds have grown. I've tried ones using cottage cheese, gingerbread ones, and one of my favorite variations on the pancake, the dutch baby.

I had my first encounter with this breakfast item when I saw it on the menu at my now favorite pancake place, The Original Pancake House, OPH. Not to be confused with this 24 hr wannabe. Don't get me wrong, they have good ideas, the cheesecake pancakes sounded/looked phenomenal on the menu, but they came out burnt on the bottom. Blech. Keep trying IHOP. The thing about OPH that I love is their statement and what they stand for. The fresh ingredients like milk, fresh grade AA eggs, pure whipped cream, hard wheat unbleached flour, a homemade sourdough starter and REAL butter make me realize that this is where I belong. Pancake heaven. But I digress. Let's talk about the Dutch Baby.

This breakfast (heck, eat it whenever) delight is something quite amazing. It is traditionally, and probably best, made in a cast iron pan. A metal round cake pan worked for me, though. It is eggstremely eggy (hehe) and so easy to make. Four ingredients for the plain pancake, and then you can play around with the toppings! If you are going traditional, however, colossal shake of powdered sugar, a butt load of butter, and a generous amount of lemon juice are the add-ons of choice. For mine, I went the sauteed apples and cinnamon route.

So overall taste: The best breakfast to wake up to. I really enjoyed it. The apple topping made it out of this world for me=) So, if you have never tried one, please go ahead and do so.............. now!


Apple Dutch Baby
from here

Pancake:
-3 tbsp butter
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 milk

Sauteed Apple Topping:
-2 tart apples (Granny Smith), peeled and cut into very thin slices-3 tbsp butter
-3/4 teaspoon cornstarch-1/4 cup cold water
-1/4 cup brown sugar-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/8-1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make the pancake - first, heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Over low heat, melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a 10 or 11 inch cast iron pan.
3. Put the eggs, flour, and milk in a blender, and blend well. The idea is to create a lump-free batter.
4. When the butter is melted, pour the batter into the cast iron pan.
   
5. Move the cast iron pan to the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. You can tell the Dutch baby is done when the sides are brown and nice and puffy. But don't check it too early! A draft of cold air can cause it to de-puff.

When it's done, it'll look something like this:

6. While the pancake is baking, saute the apples.
Start by melting the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the apples and saute, stirring often over medium heat,
until they're tender (about 10 minutes).
8. Mix the corn starch with the cold water, and pour it over the
apples along with the brown sugar, spices, and vanilla.

9. Boil for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly,
then remove from heat.

10. When the Dutch Baby is done baking, pull it out

and pour your sauteed apple slices all over it.

11. Top with TONS of powdered sugar and whipped cream!

High Rise Sour Cream Streusel Muffins

I don't have a whole lot to say about these. I don't make muffins very often, not sure why. I guess I always consider them only for breakfast. And, since I don't vary my breakfasts too much from my Greek yogurt or overnight oats, I don't see subbing them in. But for some reason these drew me in. I guess since it's been awhile for me and muffins, this was a good starter.

I found this via Cookie Madness. These are a nice muffin base, allowing you to add in whatever the heck you want. I added a dark brown sugar streusel topping with I think was much needed. Warm out of the oven is best. They didn't keep that well. I thought they got pretty tough in the day or two following=/. But certainly right out of the oven is incredible! They taste like the best cinnamon coffee cake you've ever eaten!


Overall, I don't feel compelled to ever make these again. I made half the recipe for 12 muffins.

Okay, boring post. Sorry! Trust me tough, better ones are coming real soon!

High Rise Sour Cream Muffins
found here

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (12.5 oz)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. If you’re using a dark (darker than silver) muffin pan, use 400 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in vanilla, eggs, salt and baking soda. Fold in the sour cream, then fold in the flour and any add-ins you choose (see below).

Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes at 450F or about 23 minutes at 400F. Remove from oven, let cool. Remove from pans. Make 24

Also, I won a giveaway over at Chocolate Moosey!


She was having a Nescafe Coffee Giveaway and I won! I got this nice Nescafe mug and 5 boxes with 6 different coffee types in each.


They are individual sized packets perfect to add to 6 oz of water (and of course a heavy dose of white chocolate mocha creamer he he!) My mom gave up coffee for Lent so they were all left for me to enjoy! I've never drunken coffee regularly before, but now I'm becoming an addict! Of course when I run out I can quit cold turkey, right? I hope!

German Pancake Cups

Spontaneous breakfasts!! These are my favorites. Sometimes you just wake up, (and after realizing there's nothing to eat in the house), and feel inspired to make yourself a great breakfast. Gingerbread pancakes? On a complete whim. Random streusel breakfast cups? I made it up as I went.

I love German pancakes! They're so soft and dense and I like all the egg in it. These were extremely cute to make and serve. Watching them rise and then fall is very exciting. These tasted fabulous. You can't screw these up too much and they are really delicious. Make a bunch and save them in the fridge. They are extremely versatile and I can't wait to try more fun variations with crazy toppings too!

Mini German Pancakes
from Real Mom Kitchen

1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend all ingredients except butter in a blender. Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.

Blend in melted butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.

Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly between tins. Fill each about 3/4 the way full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.

Serve with your favorite toppings Some suggestions are:
-powdered sugar
-butter and syrup
-freshly squeezed lemon juice, butter, and powdered sugar (a traditional combo for German pancakes)
-whipped cream
-fresh fruit or jam
-or my favorite...

Grape Jelly Whipped Cream Topping

-grape jelly, or your favorite fruit spread
-whipping cream (I only had heavy cream so it stayed soupy, which was fine but if you want it nice and whipped, use whipping cream)
-slash of powdered sugar

Combine all in a bowl (to taste) and beat on high until whipped to your liking.

Baked Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Since we were in Ohio for Christmas, we weren't able to have our traditional cream cheese roll-ups. So as soon as we got back I made sure we had at least a variation of them. The normal recipe is just putting the cream cheese filling into white bread then rolling it up. But I decided to take it a bit further by baking it in a 9 x 13 dish instead.

I'm really not a fan of white bread at all. So I found some interesting bread called paska? I've never heard of it before but I thought it would work out since it was a type of sweet bread. It turned out to be pretty similar to challah, which is what I had been looking for.

Baked Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
adapted from my dad's Cream Cheese Roll-ups recipe

1 loaf of paska bread (or any other bread really)

Cream cheese filling:
2 8oz packages of cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 sugar
(combine this in a bowl)

Cinnamon sugar topping:
1 1/2 sticks of butter
sugar and cinnamon (I mixed this to taste with a starting point of 1/2 tbsp cinnamon to 1/2 cup sugar. I thought there needed to be more cinnamon overall though)

I first buttered my baking dish, a 9 x 13 dish. Then I layered slices of the bread evenly on the bottom. Then I spread the cream cheese mixture over top. I sprinkled a generous amount of cinnamon sugar over that. More bread is added to cover the top. Then, I poured the melted butter/cinnamon sugar mixture as evenly as I could over top.

At this point you can refrigerate it over night. If not, place it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

That evening we had a mock Thanksgiving Day feast. My dad loves turkey but we never seem to have any other time than at Thanksgiving. So we went through the preparations and with some Jenny-O turkey we were able to pull it off! No pumpkin pie for dessert, but we have enough chocolate to last us years!

Also, look what I got:

DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER! I am truly in heaven. I honestly ate half of it the very night I got it. I spread it over the last of the paska bread and also added vanilla frosting. Yeah, I know it's weird. Dipping pretzels into it is truly divine!!

I just love that cute little monkey on the side!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

This was an extremely spur of the moment kind of cake. Honestly it's what I needed though, since I haven't posted in quite a while. Today was my last day of school before break and it was a lovely half day. And luckily, that means I get the house to myself for quite awhile when I get home and it is the best atmosphere. While listening to the entire Wedding Singer soundtrack, I was able to make a cranberry coffee cake.



I brought this cake to my grandparents house later that night and we all ate it blissfully. Even my dad, the pickiest eater known to man(no exaggeration here), ate it and liked it! Now that is saying something!

I had to borrow sour cream from a neighbor, so this cake almost didn't happen! But thank goodness it did. This is the first time I have ever baked with cranberries and I was really nervous. Joy the Baker never steers anyone wrong, so I knew I could trust her recipe.



While we ate our fabulous cake, so many stories were shared at the table. It was a really nice get together since my family won't be in town for Christmas. We are going to see my 91 (almost 92 year old grandmother).

**Big mistake: I used an extra stick of butter in the batter! Oh goodness what was I thinking! Well, there was no noticeable taste difference but I wouldn't recommend it.XD.
**The cake was a good three inches high in my 13 x 9 pan.
**The taste was exactly what I would hope a coffee cake to be. It was really moist and the crumb topping was OUT of this world!
**I was so happy about the cranberry taste. It was tarty goodness!
**The crumb topping could be eaten on its own. It is that good.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sour cream mixed with 2 Tablespoons of milk

4 cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (Optional. I left these out so I could get greater appeal from my picky eaters)
1/3 cup quick oats

Put a rack in middle oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in almond extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and sour cream mixture in alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and mixing until just incorporated. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into baking dish and spread evenly.

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take two full handful of the topping and spread it over the cake batter. Use a knife to swirl the topping into the batter. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the cranberry cake batter.

Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Serve in big warm slices with a cup of creamy coffee.

Gingerbread Pancakes w/ Homemade Syrup

It's Sunday morning. There's a major ice storm in progress with many accidents on the roads. Church has been canceled (for the time being). And I'm hungry. You know what that means? PANCAKES!

When it comes to making pancakes there is really only one place to go: Joy the Baker, of course. She has incredible and fun pancake recipes that will make you drool like crazy!! Carrot cake, oatmeal raisin, pumpkin, buttermilk, and the list goes on! I chose her gingerbread pancakes for the fact that they are so seasonably appropriate and because they looked sooo good.

This was actually my first attempt at making pancakes all by myself. No help at all what-so-ever. So when I was able to stand back and admire my fabulous work, I almost cried. Almost! But seriously, these pancakes are it! I mean it!!! I have long been searching for a pancake that would satisfy my breakfast needs and this is the ONE.

The recipe made around 15? I don't know. I was so hungry I didn't bother to count and then I just ate as much as I could shove in my mouth. I can tell you this, my mom and I ate a total of twelve. And we only stopped because we had my dad take them away from us.


Let's talk about the pancakes themselves, shall we? Light and fluffy. A pillow of soft warmth. Clouds dripping with butter and syrup. Do these make any sense? Try these pancakes and they will. The flavor was spot on as well. And the whole process of making the batter and cooking them was a breeze. It took me a try or two to get the hang of cooking them, but it was my first time and all.

Let's not forget the other half of this post's title. I said homemade syrup. Brown sugar vanilla syrup, to be exact. This isn't your back-to-nature-stick-a-spicket-in-a-tree kind of syrup, but I made it in a pot nonetheless. It was the perfect (I'm talking perfect) partner for these pancakes. Maybe maple would have worked, but you gotta have that brown sugary good stuff.


I seem to be really emotional in this post but they are crazy good! Okay, I'll stop GUSHING and let you whip these up yourself. Also, I definitely plan on trying her other immaculate pancakes recipes since these were such a success!

Gingerbread Pancakes

Makes: 15ish well sized pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3 Tablespoons molasses (not robust or black strap)

1 large egg

1 cup sour cream

3 Tablespoons whole milk

2 Tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for brushing the griddle

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and brown sugar (if you’re using it) in a medium bowl. Whisk together molasses, egg, sour cream, milk and butter in a small bowl, then add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Heat griddle or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over the surface. Brush with butter. Working in batches of 4 to 6 (depending on the size of the griddle), drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer pancakes to a heatproof plate and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining batches.

Brown Sugar Vanilla Pancake Syrup from Allrecipes

3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the sugars, water and corn syrup; bring to a boil over medium heat. Broil for 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in maple flavoring and vanilla. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

Thanksgiving Morning Cinnamon Rolls

For Thanksgiving morning we wanted a tasty treat that would start our day off right. What else can do that but cinnamon rolls!! My last experience wasn't so great, but that's because I tried to make a different recipe and not my mom's traditional one. Big mistake/disappointment. This time around, I'm sticking to the old favorite.

These can not be compared to any other cinnamon roll. They are super soft and tender. The amount of sugar and cinnamon is in perfect ratio with everything else. The icing can be described as followings: It blows every other cream cheese or regular icing out of the water! The amount of cream cheese in it is minimal, but that's what's so great about it. You get the hint and flavor of cream cheese but it's not at all overwhelming. Also, there's a big secret ingredient that I love. Whipping cream. By adding this cream to it, you get a fluffy and silky creamy icing.

Making these is no harder than any other cinnamon roll. And honestly, not powerful mixer or anything other than your hands is 'kneaded'. Hahaha, get it? But seriously, these aren't hard at all and they produce the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tried in my life.

The recipe itself is from a book called Miserly Moms. It's a book focusing on how to save money on everyday things. There some other really great recipes I'll hopefully get to trying.

Cinnamon Rolls
Dough
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/3 white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups of flour


Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the rest of the ingredints and mix well. Knead into a ball. Let rise until doubled in size. When ready, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Spread with filling.

Filling
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

Spread butter evenly over dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over dough evenly as well. Roll dough up. Slice roll into 1 inch slices. Place in a parchment paper lined pan. Let rise again until doubled. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.



Icing
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 oz. cream cheese
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy. When rolls are hot, spread lots of icing on them.

Tip: To make these the night before,skip the final rising step. Let rise in the fridge overnight and bake them in the morning.

**We used parchment paper because they come out really cleanly, however, that isn't so "miserly" I guess. So the recipe just says to butter your pan.

Added: I shamelessly ate three of these deliciousnesses for breakfast=))