Recipes

[house_cat]

I made a carrot cake for a friend's birthday this week, and had leftover cream cheese frosting.  

What to do.... what to do.... what to do?!

Well, here's what I did....

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE EVER

The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever!

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons salted butter softened
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

• 1/2 cup salted butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze

• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/4 cup salted butter softened
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs. Add in flour. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on to a low speed.
2. Once the flour starts to incorporate into the dough, increase the speed to a medium range. Add more flour as necessary so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough mixture should be tacky, but not stick to your hands. It should be soft. Add more or less flour until the dough reaches the desired consistency. The amount of flour you add in bread making is always an approximation and you should go by feel.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
4. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and roll into a 12inch by 18inch rectangle.
5. Brush the dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of the melted butter. Roll up tightly lengthwise so you have one long roll. Use plain dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 one-inch slices.
6. Place the slices onto a lightly 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the rolls for about 14 minutes, until just kissed with brown on top.
8. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese glaze by using a hand mixer to whip together cream cheese and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whip in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Add enough milk to achieve a drizzle-like consistency.
9. Frost the rolls while still warm. Serve immediately or cool and store. Stays good for 4 to 5 days.

I taste tested before posting... nice of me, right?  

They are the best I've ever made.  I will be saving this recipe.

*Note: I did not use the frosting recipe posted above.

[kivah]

do u live near Oxnard, CA??? I can join u.

[house_cat]

@kivah

Hop on the 126 and head east.  I'm just down the road in the SCV, but you'd better hurry.  My son and I are alone here and there are already two buns missing from the tray!

Oxnard is one of my favorite places in CA, we have dreams of retiring there.   You're very lucky to be in such a beautiful place.

[kivah]

@house_cat

In 1969 I got a job as a "secretary" to the Controller at Cal Arts, Los Angeles. Around a year  or two later, the school was built in Valencia - where I worked for a couple of years. I went to the ground-breaking which Walt Disney's wife attended. Brand new houses were selling for about $23,000 - and there were few people living there. I moved to California a couple of years prior - and worked in mid-town Manhattan. It was a shocking change. Yes - I'm very happy living in north Oxnard - where the weather is glorious every day And - we breathe fresh air. I'm long retired - and home most of the time - and I feel very lucky to be here.

[house_cat]

@kivah

Thank you for the historical perspective.  I live across the street from the college.  It's a beautiful area.... would be nice if the houses still cost $23,000, though!

[kivah]

@house_cat

I'm not able to drive on the freeway anymore --- I freak out from all the traffic - and my "old age."

When I worked at Cal Arts, I lived in an apartment in north Hollwood. Took me 15 minutes on the 5 freeway to get to work - no traffic.

[house_cat]

@kivah

I hear ya!  The freeways are scary. I was born and raised in NYC, lived there until I was 42, learned to drive there and was never afraid. I moved here and the freeways freak me out. I drive them because I have no choice, but it's pretty wild.  I bought the safest car I could afford. I'm the one drivng the speed limit while everyone else is driving 85 mph.

[Mom2Dogs]

Oh my @house_cat....that pan of sweet rolls looks delicious.....once and only once did I try a recipe with yeast - it flopped - the sweet bread did not rise, and I had to throw everything out.  Enjoy!!

[house_cat]

@Mom2Dogs

When my son woke up this morning I was in the middle of making a cinnamon roll dough that I found online.  He made a fuss about how long it's been since he's had them and was uncharacteristically enthusiastic about my baking, so I didn't want to admit that the recipe was not working as expected. The entire bowl of dough wound up in the trash after waiting an hour for it to rise.  Nothing. Nada.  Wouldn't budge.

I would have ended the adventure right there, but since he was looking forward to them, I soldiered on and tried this recipe. It worked beautifully.  Same yeast. Same flour. I don't understand it, but that's the way baking is sometimes.

[Mom2Dogs]

@house_cat...you win 'mom of the year' award!

Guess I should give baking with yeast another try.