Desserts, Recipes

Cinnamon Rolls (Sticky Buns)

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Cinnamon rolls “sticky buns”

Who doesn’t love soft, ooie, gooey cinnamon rolls? When they are transformed in “Sticky Buns”, even better! Sticky Buns just means that you add a bottom layer of butter, cinnamon and sugar with walnuts or pecans before putting the uncooked buns on top. Then let it rise, bake it, then invert it so the sticky sweet caramel and nuts are on top of the cinnamon rolls, my favorite! I was really impressed with how these came out, so soft!

Cinnamon Rolls

Sticky Buns:

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 condensed milk (or 4 Tablespoons sugar and 4 tablespoons milk or cream)
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  • 4  cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup soft butter

Cinnamon filling for Cinnamon Rolls:

  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

To make it “Sticky Buns”:

  • 1/2 cup of butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt 

Dough Instructions:

  • Add 1 cup warm milk to a large bowl
  • Add yeast
  • Add egg, condensed milk, sugar and salt, stir together 
  • Add flour and and stir until a dough forms (dough hooks or use your hands)
  • Add 1/4 soft butter, beat in with dough hooks 
  • Knead 10 minutes with dough hooks or your hands
  • Let rise 1 hour
  • Roll out with a rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick

To Assemble Cinnamon Rolls:

  • Stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white  sugar, pinch of salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • Melt 1/4 cup butter and spread out on dough
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the top
  • Roll up like cinnamon rolls
  • Place on a buttered dish, cover and allow to rise another hour. 

To make it “Sticky Buns”:

  • Place melted 1/2 cup butter in a 9×13 baking dish
  • Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar and cinnamon and pecans or walnuts
  • Place cut cinnamon rolls cut side up in the cinnamon mixture.
  • Cover and allow to rise another hour
  • Bake 350 for 30 minutes

Allow to cool just a few minutes then invert onto a platter so the sticky side is up. Be careful not to get any of the hot stickiness on your body while flipping it, it’s hot!

Spread the cinnamon sugar on melted butter on the rolled out dough
Roll it up and slice
Add melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and nuts in the bottom of the baking dish
Place the cinnamon rolls on top, allow to rise 1 hour…
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then invert on a serving platter…
Enjoy!
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Breads, Breakfast, Desserts

Apricot White-Chocolate Scones

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It’s Apricot season and time to come up with ideas on what to make with Apricots! I have already processed 5 pints of Apricot jam but what goes better with jam than scones! Although once I made these ultra yummy scones no addition of jam was necessary. So easy and delicious all by themselves. Many pie crust and scone recipes make a big fuss about ultra cold butter and refrigerating the dough. I don’t see the need, maybe it makes a cleaner line on the cut of the scone but I think these are beautiful and delicious without the fuss. My butter was removed from the refrigerator about an hour before I started making the scones, it was firm enough that I could slice it up. If it’s too soft it will make your dough sticky then you will need to allow it to firm up in the refrigerator after you make it. Also, you can start with 1/2 cup of cream and if you can form the dough, great. If you need more cream as I did, keep adding it until the dough is no longer so crumbly and you can form it into a circle.

Apricot White-Chocolate Scones

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup cream
  • 5 fresh apricots diced finely
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions:

  • Measure dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder), stir
  • Chop up the butter and add to the bowl, mixing with a pastry cutter or a whisk works too! Keep mixing until it resembles crumbles.
  • Add cream (starting with 1/2 cup and add more as you need it to for, the dough) and mix lightly, add fresh, chopped apricots and white chocolate chips, it’s best if mixed with your hands, squishing it between your fingers as you go
  • turn the dough onto a baking sheet that has been buttered or a silicon baking mat, form it into a round circle about 1 1/2 inch thick
  • Cut into triangles to form the scones and arrange on the baking sheet with space between each triangle. You can also cut them with a 3” biscuit cutter or a glass if you want round scones.
  • bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until they are slightly golden and a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. (The size of the scone will determine exact cooking time)
  • enjoy!

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Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes

Apple Strudel

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Apple Strudel

This is a recipe that came as a direct result of the 2020 Quarantine. We found ourselves at home without hope of eating the “Cornetto” and Cappuccino that we had become so accustomed to on Saturday morning. So on our Anniversary morning I was thinking what I could make for Jeff that was special.

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Desserts, Recipes

Apple Brown Sugar Crisp

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Apple Crisp

What can be better than Apple Pie? Not much, ….but maybe Apple Crisp! If my husband is going to request a dessert, it’s going to be Apple Pie, but then sometimes he hesitates and changes it to Apple Crisp. I’m always happy to make Apple Crisp instead of Apple Pie because it’s so much easier! No crust to roll out and form, just oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and flour tossed together and dumped on top of sliced apples and baked. I actually agree that it is better than Apple Pie, I mean, all of that brown sugar goodness mingled with fragrant cinnamon and crunchy oats! So delicious with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, it’s even better the next day for breakfast! Ice cream and all!

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Desserts, Italian Recipes, Living in Italy, Recipes, Writers Corner

Choux Pastry: The making of Cream Puffs, Eclairs, Crullers & Churros

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Cream Puffs from Choux Pastry

The other day I saw a post from a friend, she was eating an Éclair, and I thought, “Wow! It’s been a long time since I have made Cream Puffs….” of course Éclairs and Cream Puffs are made of the same Choux Pastry but did you know that Mexican Churros and British Yorkshire Pudding are also creations made from Choux pastry? All of these pastries sound quite exotic, foreign and difficult but actually they are not hard to make at all.

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Desserts, Recipes

German Chocolate Cake

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German Chocolate Cake Cupcakes!

I am sorry for all of the other cakes in the world, but German Chocolate Cake is my favorite. It has been for a long time. I love the creamy carmel taste of the frosting with coconut and nuts. I think it is supposed to be with pecans but I always make it with walnuts.

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Desserts, Italian Recipes, Recipes

Nona’s Biscotti

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Biscotti

I am a fourth generation Italian living in America but we have done a pretty good job of holding on to our Italian traditions after so many years in America. Bagna Cauda, Raviolis and Biscotti seem to be the recipes we have clung to. You can read my past posts on Bagna Cauda (a hot Fondue made of butter, garlic and anchovies, typical of the North of Italy) and our family tradition of making homemade Beef and Spinach Raviolis by clicking the links.

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Desserts, Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Cake

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Pumpkin bread

Today is the first of October and already the mornings and evenings are getting cooler and there is a crispness in the air. The fields of pumpkins are ripe and ready for harvest. I couldn’t resist buying one today at the fruit stand that is spilling over with fresh produce.

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