Brown Sugar Pecan Coffee Cake

The winner of the Wok Giveaway is lucky Linda from Silly Little Mischief! Congrats, and enjoy.  Let us know what you make!  Big thanks to everyone who entered.



Yesterday my dear, amazing brother left a comment on the blog after he got to be a lucky first hand witness to what's called "kitchen drama" in our house. Though I absolutely love cooking, I tend to get well, let's just a say...a bit cranky when things don't go perfectly in the kitchen. Last weekend, I tried to make one (ok maybe, two!) too many things at once, with too little time and of course, there were ingredients forgotten, things spilled and a few swear words here and there and everywhere. Luckily, brother and hubby watched the Masters while things (including me) imploded in the kitchen. I suppose my kitchen inelegance may be reason #1 that I could never be on Top Chef or any other live cooking show for that matter!



Hubby is quite used to this kitchen drama and to his credit, he patiently puts up with my it like a saint and gets rewarded with his very own cake! This sour cream based coffee cake is a much more decadent version than the healthy one I baked not too long ago. Though I'd like to say both versions were equally delicious, c'mon that'd be a lie and I'm no liar! Since we're all being honest, who doesn't agree that baked goods hit a new level with some good old fashioned butter and eggs?

Oh well. I did use fat free sour cream which hopefully cuts down the fat content just a bit. And there's less than 2 cups sugar total so we have that going for us as well, right?! Regardless, this is one of my new favorite recipes and a great treat to bring to a party. Its quite pretty with a brown sugar pecan topping and stays unbelievably moist.

Brown Sugar Pecan Coffee Cake
topping:
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture.

cake:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup golden raisins
topping, recipe above
1/4 cup chopped pecans, pulsed in the food processor (you can up this if you're more of a pecan fan)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8 by 8-inch cake pan, line with parchment paper and butter the paper. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs and mix until light and fluffy.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Working in batches, add flour mix to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with dollops of sour cream. Stir in the raisins.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the cake. Sprinkle pecans on top. Bake until risen and browned, about 45-50 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Serve in squares.

Adapted from Gale Gand

(Healthy!) Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Something about the words "healthy" and "coffee cake" together just seems wrong. But folks, I kid you not, this cake is actually pretty healthy. With a mix of whole wheat pastry flour, ground oats, a modest 1/4 cup of brown sugar, low fat sour cream and an amount of butter that would horrify butter queen Paula Deen, there's not much to fear here. Though not as decadent as some coffee cakes I've made in the past, this guy certainly fulfilled my primal need for sweets and made the house smell like a dream (or a cake batter Yankee Candle, take your pick). 


The streusel topping's full of rolled oats, brown sugar, glazed walnuts and just a tad of butter, so I was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying it was sans all the butter.  Instead of an overly sugary topping, the mix added a lightly sweet and crunchy taste to the cake.  Though I was a huge fan of this recipe adapted from Cooking Light, I found that the cake tasted best on the day I baked it.  Afterward, a 20 second nuke in the microwave brought it back to life! 




Healthy Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light March '10

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats, divided (not quick oats)
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (though I'd like to keep this healthy, I'd bump this up next time - maybe double!)
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream
topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2.5 tablespoons finely chopped glazed or candied walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and light brown.

3. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside. (I don't have a springform so I used a 9 inch pie pan and lined the bottom with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray)

4. Reserve 1/4 cup oats; set aside. Place remaining oats in a food processor; process 4 seconds or until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine processed oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and salt; stir with a whisk.

5. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Batter will be slightly lumpy because of oats.) Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.

6. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until well blended. Sprinkle top of batter evenly with nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, top is golden, and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Pumpkin 'n Spice Cinnamon Streusel Buns

Yet again I find myself with a huge can of pumpkin, just waiting to be thrown into a treat. It's clearly the perfect excuse to continually make, bake and cook us sweets. I have been browsing around for temporary health insurance and though I'm not a smoker and have no pre-existing heart condition, should I confess my daily consumption of desserts to the powers that be? Uh probably not. I wonder if addiction to desserts counts as a health condition.

I have a whole bevvy of pumpkin recipes to share, but in between the sweet potato buttermilk rolls, homemade apple butter, and somewhat orangish turkey soup I didn't want anyone to get the idea that I was obsessed with orange foods. Quite the contrary - orange is my least favorite candy flavor. Hmm, though maybe one of my favorite fruits. I'm so confusing.

In any case, I made these delectable cinnamon rolls for our breakfast last weekend. They're warm, gooey, not to sweet and full of spice (as a result of adding lots o' cinnamon to the filling and dough!).

These are much easier than a previous Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll recipe I posted, though they're not nearly as sinful. This is a lightened recipe that gets the job done and satiates a cinnamon bun hunger, but if you're really looking to ward off the health insurance companies, try this guy.


Oh, and if you're anything like me and also looking to use up some pumpkin, this recipe only uses a 1/4 cup. Guess I'll just have to make some more desserts!

Check out Yeastspotting for some great inspiration!

Pumpkin 'n Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup pumpkin, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nonstick Cooking spray

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces


Glaze:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


To prepare the buns, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 3 cups flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and spices; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. If using a Kitchenaid, knead with a dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); while kneading, add enough of the remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky). Otherwise, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place , free from drafts for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in size. Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.

Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake the rolls at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking in between until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Remember the huge can of pumpkin I purchased? From the same ginormous tin, I have made a veritable bounty of pumpkin goods: pumpkin scones, pumpkin chip muffins, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Finally, after fearing that I may have overdone the pumpkin obsession, I had just a few tablespoons left and decided to make pumpkin spice pancakes for breakfast.

Of all things that I enjoy cooking and eating, I've never been able to master pancakes. Think of the big, fluffy perfect pancakes served at your favorite breakfast joint. Mine? Well, not usually so fluffy and perfect.

I spotted this perfect Martha Stewart-tweaked recipe on Baking and Books. I further tweaked the recipe by trading out and adding some spices. Though the pumpkin taste wasn't overwhelming, I was still happy to have made fluffy pancakes that almost look pretty! The house smelled wonderfully spicy and delicious.

Finally, thanks to Brea from The Boyd Team for giving me the Kreativ Blogger award. I feel so honored! Her blog is a playground of her adventures in remodeling her house, FANTASTIC shopping deals, and tips on saving money. She can cook, too! What a lady :) Thanks again!


Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart and Baking & Books

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pumpin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon melted butter
1 egg
Extra butter for cooking and serving the pancakes
maple syrup / confectioner's syrup

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add wheat germ, nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the egg.

Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup, or with confectioners sugar.

Help a Manic Muffin Lady

DC is wonderful, but I'm starting to miss the luxuries of home: my trusty red Kitchenaid mixer, a toaster oven, my Calphalon pans, oh and of course, my bed. Nothing's better than your own bed, dont ya think? Because the college kid has no other baking tools beyond a muffin pan, I have been well, baking a lot of muffins to satisfy my need for baking. When I get back home, I've already compiled a list of quick breads, yeast rolls and cornbread that I'm dying to make.

Today's muffins come as a courtesy of our cereal addiction. When cereal is on sale, I cannot pass it up and as a result, we have more cereal boxes than living space in the studio right now. How two people can devour 5 boxes of cereal is really beyond me. In an attempt to clear out the pantry, I went after my least favorite cereal,Raisin Bran and tried to repurpose it as muffins.




Raisin Bran cereal is soaked in a milk mixture along with molasses, brown sugar, oil and an egg. To boost the 'excitement' factor of sometimes blah bran muffins, I added cinnamon, chopped apples and extra raisins to the batter.

These were delightful straight out of the oven - warm & fluffy. A day later, the muffins were still good but a little bit on the dry side - nothing a quick 5 second nuke in the microwave didn't fix. Is this just the nature of bran muffins? I seem to have run into this day-old dry-bran muffins dillema many a time - they're never quite the same the 2nd day around.

Readers, please help! I need to get rid of this box of Raisin Bran. Do you have any tried & true Raisin Bran or bran muffin recipes to share? Something that doesn't dry out the next day? If so, please share!

In the meantime, here's my recipe. I'd suggest gobbling these guys up on the day you make them. Making half of a recipe always helps as well.

Molasses Apple Raisin Bran Muffins (Low Fat)

2 cups Raisin Bran cereal
handful of extra raisins (use your judgement. My cereal didn't have enough raisins)
1/2 of an apple, cored, peeled & diced
3/4 cup milk
1 extra large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups with muffin cups liners. In a medium bowl, whisk milk, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, molasses and oil in a bowl until combined. Stir in cereal, raisins and apple. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

2. Stir cereal mixture again to break up cereal. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add cereal mixture. Stir until just combined and divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Blueberry Dishwasher Muffins

Don't Blink....


Yes, you really are seeing blueberry muffins in a dishwasher. See, I mentioned in my last post that I've been spending time in DC. I suppose what I didn't explain is that I'm visiting DC while hubby is working here for the summer and subletting a studio apartment from a college student...

Now, think back on your college days. I don't know about you, but my most sophisticated kitchen tool in college was probably the hand held mixer my mom told me I'd absolutely need one day. She received the mixer as a gift when she got married. Not to date my lovely mom, but that was a long time ago. That thing was ancient.

Now, just imagine the tools I'm dealing with in this college kitchen. Living here has been quite the adventure. There are no mixing bowls, 1-2 pots, no baking dishes (except for a crusty muffin pan), and not even an ancient hand held mixer in sight. I've become creative as of late, using a huge stock pot to mix the dry ingredients and Tupperware to mix the wet ingredients for these muffins.

Of course, when it came time to cooling the muffins, I improvised and used the dishwasher racks. Don't worry, they were clean.
In any case, I made two batches of muffins: one using sour cream, the other using a mixture of sour cream and blueberry yogurt and a spritz of lemon zest. I also experimented with adding a brown sugar cinnamon streusel to the tops of some. The verdict in this 2-people-living-in-a stuido-with-no-kitchen-tools household? The blueberry yogurt & sour cream muffins with streusel topping were the best. They also came out a bit darker than the ones pictured above.

Oh, and if you were wondering. I caved. It may be too hot to cook, but its never too hot for blueberry muffins. Living in a studio will remind you to use the oven sparingly, though.

For those of you slumming it like me, this recipe requires no ancient hand mixer. Lucky you!

Best Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
3/4 cup sour cream
6 oz container of blueberry yogurt
1 1/4 cups blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl (or huge stock pot if you have to!) until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl (aka Tupperware) until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick; add melted butter in batches, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream and yogurt in batches, whisking just until combined. Stir in lemon zest.

3. Add blueberries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not overmix.

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.

Runner up Blueberry Muffins
source: He who must not be named.

If you are curious, read a little more here.

Check out the Weekend Breakfast Blogging Roundup at Monsoon Spice featuring summer fruits & veggies!

Strawberry Lemon German Pancake

One of my favorite childhood memories is the day my Father tried to make breakfast for the family. We had a very traditional household; Mom ruled the kitchen and Dad usually only entered to help clean dishes. I'm not even sure if he could tell you the difference between a spatula and a whisk. If you can only imagine, the outcome was a disaster. One pancake batch was burnt, the other underdone. My brother and I had many a laugh watching our Dad bumble around and delivering the flattest, ugliest pancakes you've ever seen to the breakfast table.

Though I'd consider myself fairly skilled in the kitchen, I've never been able to master fluffy perfectly uniform pancakes like these beauties from Recipe Girl. The talent has somehow eluded me, though perhaps it could be genetic? I've been tempted on more than one occasion and infomercial to buy the Perfect Pancake Maker, though my kitchen really can't handle one more kitchen gadget .

This morning, I had an "a-ha" moment and decided to make a German Pancake, a one "pot" wonder, that's sometimes also referred to as a Dutch Baby Pancake. No guesswork or constant pancake flipping needed here! The texture is a little different than a 'normal' pancake, as the German guy is a little more part crepe, part pancake. Having had these decadent babies in pancake houses, I was surprised at the ingredient list and the simplicity of the recipe. I found some tips on the Seattle News Food & Wine website and from there combined several recipes to create this delicious breakfast.

After the batter is combined in a blender, its placed in a hot cast iron skillet coated with melted butter.

The pancake is immediately placed back into the oven and allowed to baked until golden and puffs up quite beautifully:

After its pulled out of the oven, the pancake deflates a little and is ready for the topping of your choice. Since strawberries are in season here, I sprinkled ours with strawberries and some extra blackberries we had in the house. Feel free to substitute sauteed cinnamon apples, chocolate chips or raspberries. The pancake is slightly sweet and spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. Depending on how sweet you like yours, warm maple syrup drizzled atop the slices is absolutely divine.

Strawberry Lemon German Pancake
Adapted from King Arthur Flour recipes
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
2 large eggs
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar
maple syrup, optional

Quart of strawberries
1 teaspoon of sugar
spritz of lemon juice
Makes 4 servings for 4 normal people or 2 servings for ravenous couples (us)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Melt the butter in an 11-12" cast iron skillet. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, substitute an oven proof skillet. Place a pat of butter onto the skillet and place into the preheated oven.
In a blender, quickly combine the eggs until golden and frothy. Remove the blender cap and stream in milk, followed by the flour, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest until mixture is smooth.
Once butter is sizzling,remove from oven and with a potholder, swirl the butter around the pan to make sure its coated. Pour the batter into the pan and return to oven immediately. Bake the pancake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until it’s very puffy and golden.

While the pancake is baking, hull and slice strawberries into a bowl. Sprinkle strawberries with lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. Toss to combine.

Remove it from the oven, and sprinkle with the lemon juice, then the powdered sugar. Cut in squares, and serve immediately, garnished with the strawberries, or the topping of your choice. Drizzle with maple syrup.

Check out Nutriferia for a Berrylicious roundup.

Gooey Delights - Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

I'm interrupting my previously scheduled "recipes with lime" series to tempt you (and myself) out of any previously scheduled diets. Yikes, I'm a nasty one.

In honor of my wonderful Mother who absolutely loves cinnamon rolls, I made these gooey & tasty treats for hubby and me on Mother's Day. Since my Mom couldn't actually fly out to join our glutton fest, I called her to wish her a Happy Mother's Day, and also tell her about my creation - I wasn't sure if she appreciated that or was just jealous. Sorry, Mom. I promise I'll make you some soon.

Though I'm not yeast phobic, baking with yeast is always a little bit of a gamble. My last kitchen disaster happened when I tried to make last minute dinner rolls and ran out of flour midway through the process. I still got a rise out of my rolls, but they were odd-tasting to say the least. Luckily, this attempt was much more successful.

Planning ahead this go around, I prepared the dough the night before and used the correct amount of flour. Genius, huh? After using my trusty Kitchen-Aid stand mixer to do the brunt of the work, I allowed the dough to rise (crossing my fingers the entire time) and then proceeded to roll out the dough, fill and cut like a madwoman who needed cinnamon rolls to survive.

Because I like things to be decadent if I'm going to splurge, I increased the amount of brown sugar in the cinnamon filling mixture to 1 cup. When sprinkling on the dough, it seems like an awful lot, but trust me, it's delicious and worth it. Plus, a little bit tends to fall out during the assembly process, and I want all the gooey goodness I can get. If you're so inclined, you could also add raisins or nuts to the filling and thus incorporate some vitamins into an otherwise non-nutritious meal. After rolling (be sure to make it tight!) and cutting the rolls, I covered the beauties with plastic wrap and let them sit in the fridge overnight.

Fast forward to Sunday morning, I woke up when the sunlight peeked through our blinds and and pulled the buns out. I promptly went back to sleep to give those guys a chance to rise again. Though they only need about 45 minutes for the final rise, mine had a chance to rise for 2 hours thanks to my sleepiness.

Into the oven they went:

...we were almost immediately rewarded with wafting scents of cinnamon. Luckily, we only had to wait about 16 more minutes to dive in. Yum!

**If you're visiting via Google Reader, please click on the original post to see my site makeover. Thanks to Julie from LeeLou Blogs who was a great help!!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
Courtesy of Molly Wizenberg on Epicurious

Dough:

1 cup whole milk (I used skim milk)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (I used 1 cup)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

(add in raisins or nuts, if you choose)

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
For dough:

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.
Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. If making ahead, refrigerate dough overnight. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 16 -20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kitchen Notes:

• Use high quality cinnamon...you won't regret it. Penzeys Spices has some good ones to choose from.
• Be sure to roll the dough very tightly to keep the rolls uniform and to prevent precious filling from falling out
• If you're not the type to wake up at 6am to have these rolls ready by brunch, prepare the dough overnight. After assembling, cover the pans with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator. Remove in the morning and allow to rise for 45 minutes - 1 hour before baking
• Not sure what to do with two batches of cinnamon rolls? Besides making some new friends at the office, freeze an already baked batch and save for a future treat. When ready to enjoy, microwave or bake in the toaster oven.
• If you're really feeling indulgent or you love icing, double the icing recipe!
  

Baked Oatmeal for a Lazy Weekend Breakfast

Although its Monday, and 'being lazy' is like a distant & fond memory, I thought I'd share a recipe for baked oatmeal that hubby and I have been enjoying. During our vacation, I developed a slight obsession with oatmeal and ordered it in nearly every little breakfast cafe we found. This recipe is wonderful and smells like 'Christmas in a bowl.' I used to save that term for chai tea (Christmas in a cup), but baked oatmeal's aroma is nearly as dreamy. Cinnamon, brown sugar, and a tad bit of butter combine to make a hearty and comforting meal. I mixed the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately the night before so that when I woke, I just had a little mixing & baking to do. I've read that you can freeze and reheat the oatmeal as well though of course, we had few leftovers! :)

Baked Oatmeal
Adapted from Cooking Light

2 cups rolled or old fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins (can also use cranberries, blueberries)
1/4 cup chopped, peeled apple
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
2 egg whites -- beaten well
Fresh, sliced strawberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

1. Combine dry ingredients (first 8) in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg whites in a separate bowl and beat well. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until just moist.

2. Pour mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, depending upon the consistency you prefer. I like thick oatmeal, so I bake for 25 minutes.

3. Serve hot with a dash of milk poured over it. Serve with fresh, sliced fruit such as strawberries.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings