My Little Crafty Corner

Archive for the ‘Baking/Cooking’ Category

I am hoping my baking mood comes back soon, as I have missed all of my holiday baking!

I have been craving some ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls. If I can’t get these made I am going to have to put in a call to my friend Briana, to see if she can whip some up!

Ingredients

Rolls:
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup reserved potato water
3/4 cup butter OR margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup hot water
2 envelopes Fleishmann’s® Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F)
2 eggs
8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Filling:
1/2 cup butter OR margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Spice Islands® Ground Saigon Cinnamon

Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® 100% Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract
5 tablespoons milk, or more as needed

Directions

Combine potatoes, potato water, butter, sugar, salt and hot water in large mixing bowl. Stir until butter melts; set aside and let cool. Combine yeast and 1/2 cup warm water in small bowl. Let rest 5 minutes. Add eggs, 2 cups flour and yeast mixture to potato mixture. Beat until well mixed. Continue adding flour, 1 cup at a time until soft dough forms.
Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 4 to 6 minutes), OR knead with electric mixer using dough hook. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover.
Let rise in a warm, draft free area about 1 hour, until doubled in size. Punch dough down; divide in half.
Roll one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread with half the butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half of the mixture over surface. Roll up tightly lengthwise, sealing edges. Cut into 12 slices. Place in greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover.
Let rise 30 to 45 minutes until nearly doubled.
Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool for 15 minutes. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over rolls.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get presents completed. I just finished up the last slipper, and now I am going to start the next beard hat. One day to complete it, hopefully I can get it done in time. The baking just isn’t going to happen this year, and that has me bummed out big time! I love all the Christmas baking, and feel out of sorts with not having any in the house. I know me, and I have a feeling I will be baking some sort of goodies tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a long, long day!

I have found a new treat to make for Christmas! Hopefully they guys will like them!

You start with your Rolo’s

Add in some square pretzels

Place a Rolo on each pretzel (line them up in nice even rows for easier placement of the pecans)

Pop them in the oven at 350 (or around there) for 4-5 minutes. They will look shiny, but they will still look like a rolo, they shouldn’t melt all over the place.

Take them out of the oven (get a helper for this part if you are doing a lot of them) and place a pecan on top of each rolo candy. Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot caramel or the sides of the baking sheet.

Then, gently push down squishing the rolo. You do need a light touch on this part because if you squish them too much the rolo gets everywhere and they’re hard to remove from the pan when cooled.

Let them cool at room temp, then pop them in the fridge or freezer to cool completely. I store in the fridge to keep them longer, but remove them an hour or so before eating so the caramel softens up a bit. You can also store just in a covered tuperware container at room temp if you plan on eating them within a few days.

Don’t they look yummy!?!?!

This year has flown on by! This is a busy month, and its only going to be busier now that I will be starting a new job in a few days! I will be one of those last minute shoppers, that I so dread! I still have a few more gifts to finish knitting, that I think will be finished right at the eleventh hour!

I am sad, that I won’t be doing as much baking this year, as the weekend before Christmas I have a night rotation for my training at work. I am going to try and get some cookies made in the morning, and may have to enlist the help of the boys.

Let the madness commence!

I found this recipe on pinterest, and had to pin it for a “must try” for Christmas Eve. I love how this site allows you to pin things, then later you can go back to click on said pin that will lead you to the website for the how to’s! This thanks goes out to Pennies on a Platter for this yummy recipe!

Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites

Yield: 48 bites

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110-115?F)
1 cup warm milk (110-115?F)
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1/2 cup finely chopped ham (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used cheddar)
6 cups water
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 Tablespoons coarse salt

Combine the yeast, 1 tsp brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Set aside until foamy, 5-8 minutes. (If using the instant yeast, you can skip this step and just add it to the flour.) In another bowl, stir together the remaining 2 Tbsp brown sugar and warm milk until dissolved.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and milk mixture to the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Add the remaining flour as needed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times, forming a smooth ball.

Brush the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size and bubbles appear on the surface.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands and rolling pin with flour. Roll one of the four sections into a 12×4-inch rectangle. With the long side facing you, gently press 1/4 of the ham and cheese into the bottom third of the dough, and roll as tightly as possible, starting with the end that has the filling. Cut into 12 1-inch pieces and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining 3 portions of the dough.

Let rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Again, if using instant yeast you may choose to skip this step as it only requires one rise.) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400?F.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Boil pretzels in batches, cooking about 20 seconds each, turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheets.

Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes.

Brush warm pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.