New Years Morning - Cinnamon Rolls!

Today is New Years Eve.. the last day of the year. Tonight, everyone is going to party hard and stay up late. There is nothing better to wake up to on New Years Day than cinnamon rolls! This recipe is a perfect breakfast treat. These cinnamon rolls are ooey, gooey and absolutely delicious! After reading these directions you might be thinking you need to become a chef, but don't worry.. it's not too hard. You can do it, I promise!


Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons softened butter

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup raisins (optional)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

In saucepan, heat 1/2 cup milk, water, and 2 tablespoons butter until very warm. Place milk mixture, salt, flour, yeast, sugar, and eggs in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle. Press Start.

Once Dough cycle is complete, remove the dough from the bread machine and punch down. On a floured surface, roll into a large rectangle. Smear with the softened butter. Combine the cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar. Sprinkle over the rectangle. Generously sprinkle the raisins and/or chopped nuts over the top.

Roll the dough up into a log starting at the long side. Cut into 12 slices. Place the rolls cut side down into a 9x13-inch greased baking pan. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine the confectioners' sugar, 1.5 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla extract, and 1.5 tablespoons milk into a thick frosting; set aside.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool 10 minutes. Spread frosting over baked rolls and enjoy.

..and there you have it! This recipe is not one of the easiest to create, but it is WELL worth it when the process is over.

Stenciled Chocolate Cookies

It's finally here... CHRISTMAS!! I had the most blessed day today and I pray that you did too! I took several different desserts to my family's dinner this year, but the one that got the most ravings were my stenciled chocolate cookies! I found this recipe online and when I first saw it, I thought it was going to be very difficult, but these turned out to be one of the easiest things I made this year. Everyone told me I was a master baker and raved about how cute they were. They were a hit to say the least! When you see the picture, you're probably going to be intimidated but DON'T BE! You definitely don't need to know how to become a pastry chef. Anyone can make these cookies.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup ground cinnamon

Salt

3 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Royal icing

Confectioners' sugar or luster dust

Directions:

Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a large bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Divide dough in half, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies in desired shapes using cookie cutters, and transfer to baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake until crisp, but not dark, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Punch desired shape out of stiff paper (we used a thick envelope) using a craft punch. Hold stencil over 1 cookie, and brush a thin layer of icing over exposed surface using a small food-safe paintbrush. Holding stencil in place, gently sift confectioners' sugar over cookie through a fine sieve to evenly coat exposed surface. Lift stencil, and return cookie to wire rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let dry.

Santa Hat Cupcakes!

So its the weekend before Christmas and I have been researching to find the perfect dessert to take to my family dinner. I came across this recipe and not only is it super cute, it is soooo simple and easy to create. These cupcakes will make it look like you had a full ride scholarship to the best culinary school in the country! It is basically a chocolate cupcake with a strawberry turned upside down on top. You pipe (or spread) some read icing on the strawberry, dot on some white frosting and you're done! It is literally the easiest dessert ever and it looks like you spent a lot of time piping these cute little hats!

Here is the recipe...

1 box chocolate cake mix (plus required eggs, oil)
1 batch buttercream frosting
Red food coloring (I cannot recommend AmeriColor’s Super Red gel coloring enough — buy a bottle, it’s well worth it!)
A large round pastry tip and a small star tip

1. Bake cupcakes according to box directions.
2. Tint a portion of the buttercream frosting red. Pipe large “blobs” of red frosting onto each cupcake using a large round tip.
3. Pipe white frosting around each hat using a star tip. Also pipe a bit of white frosting at the top of each hat.

That’s it! Simple, right?

Only one tip for this recipe (cause they're almost fool-proof) and it is VERY important:

• Invest in some good quality food coloring. You get to cheat and use a cake mix for the cake part so use the money you save and buy some of the best food coloring you can find. Like I mentioned, a good brand is AmeriColor. It is hard to get a rich red color when you are adding the food coloring to white icing. If you use a lesser quality coloring, it will probably turn pink, regardless of the amount of coloring you use. So do not go cheap on this ingredient!

These cupcakes are so adorable and so festive. They are perfect for Christmas (obviously), but honestly even year-round you could tweak them up a little for certain holidays. Change the red icing to brown to make pilgrim hats, or cut the strawberries in half and cover them in white frosting to make bunny ears! See, this recipe is very easy to change up for any occasion.

The Perfect Christmas Cookie!

Okay so I have been testing out recipes for the perfect roll out Christmas cookie recipe. I was getting discouraged because either they were too dry or ended up really hard, but I came across a recipe in a magazine I was flipping through and it turned out wonderfully!

The recipe is pretty short and super easy! You definitely do not need a degree from a top online college to master this one! Most of these ingredients are ones that you already have in the kitchen. So without further ado, here it is...

Ingredients

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

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light fluffy (around 2-3 minutes). Beat in the egg, vanilla and salt.

2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined (do not overmix). Shape into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

3. Heat oved to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Using a lightly floured cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes, re-flouring the cutters and re-rolling out the scraps as necessary. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake through until edges begin to turn light brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

And thats all you do! These cookies are so perfect for the holidays. They keep their shape and yet are very moist and soft. These cookies melt in your mouth!

Here are some tips to remember...

1. Don't become impatient. Make sure you let the cookies refrigerate for AT LEAST two hours, so that they are easy to roll out and cut.

2. When adding the flour, like I mentioned, do not overmix. Overmixing at this point will cause your cookies to be very dry.

White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

So I'm standing in line at the grocery store and I pick up a magazine about the best online universities and start to read it. Inside I came across some holiday recipes and I saw the most amazing dessert recipe. These brownies are so perfect for Christmas. They will wow anyone at your family gatherings!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 cup chopped peppermint candies

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and semi-sweet chocolate. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
6. When cooled, melt white chocolate and mix with canola oil and spread over the top of the brownies. Sprinkle with chopped peppermint candies. Let set before cutting into squares.


Tips to remember when making these brownies:

1. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.

2. When adding the flour mixture, only add a little bit at a time to ensure that the mixture incorporates completely.

I hope this recipe impresses your family as much as it did mine!

Maple Walnut Cake

So this past Thursday was Thanksgiving and my mother-in-law asked me if I would make a dessert because she knows how much I love to bake. So I was trying out recipes and came across this one. It is a cinnamon walnut cake with a rich, maple icing. It is great for Fall and so I thought it would be perfect for Thanksgiving! This a cake that anyone could make - whether you are a high school senior or a mother of six, it is easy to accomplish if you just follow along with the recipe!

Here is the recipe...

For the cake:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

For the icing:
3 large egg yolks
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in walnuts with a wooden spoon.

Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cake is golden and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool slightly. Let cakes cool completely before removing them from the pans. Frost tops with maple icing and garnish with candied walnuts, if using. Cake can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To make the icing:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; set aside. In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil, and cook until it registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

With the mixer running, slowly pour syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream, until completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Continue beating until bowl is just slightly warm to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, until thoroughly incorporated and the frosting is fluffy, about 4 minutes more.

I hope you try to make this cake for your next family get-together. It would be great to make for Christmas as well! Here are a few tips to ensuring that your cake comes out perfect:

1. When purchasing maple syrup for the icing, try and get 100% maple syrup. It can be a little more pricey than the imitation stuff but it is well worth it!

2. When making the icing, make sure the saucepan you use to boil the syrup is big enough. You want it to be big enough to hold double the amount of syrup you are actually using. Also, when you go to pour the syrup into the mixer, make sure it runs down the side. This allows it to cool slightly before hitting the eggs, so it doesn't cook them.

3. As with any cake, make sure the cake is COMPLETEY cooled before removing it from the pan. Otherwise, it will crack and break apart.