Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are part of the weekend breakfast rotation at my house.  They're the perfect sweet treat for a lazy morning spent lying around the house. Here's a recipe that can be made the night before to sit in the fridge overnight.  Even the icing can be made the night before and just reheated in the microwave the next morning.  This way, however late you decide to wake up, you can just pop them into the oven and await the warm, gooey bliss.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
•  
• For the filling:
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
•  
• For the glaze:
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

Directions:

* Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.


* In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.


* Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.


* Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.


* Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.


* The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.


*Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, combine the corn syrup with the vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough cream to make a thick glaze; set aside. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls 
and serve warm.


(Recipe from Allrecipes.com)

Quick Sticky Bun Breakfast

I woke up last Saturday morning craving our typical weekend carb-loaded breakfast, but I didn't really want to go all out in baking something.  I decided to peruse my bookmarked recipes for something that was quick and easy (i.e. ready-to-eat in about half an hour with the least amount of dirty dishes possible).

I came across this recipe several months ago and decided to bookmark it since my husband loves monkey bread. When it popped up in my saved recipes, I saw that it was loaded with buttery, brown sugar goodness, and it really only required that I have a can of biscuits in the fridge.  Perfect!  I had just bought a can of biscuits from the store "just in case" anything popped up.  I must have been channeling this recipe at the grocery store.

Although my husband still prefers the traditional monkey bread to this recipe, I actually think that this takes about 50% of the effort to get 95% of the satisfaction of monkey bread.  Here it is for you to judge for yourself.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

Five Minute Doughnuts

I crave doughnuts.  Basically, I could eat them at least every weekend if not more.  Recently, I had these amazing melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts at a local pumpkin patch, and I knew I had to find something similar to make at home.  After searching the web for the easiest possible recipe, I stumbled over this gem that uses a can of biscuit dough.

This is the first time that I've ever fried anything in my kitchen.  I have to say that I was a bit concerned that I was going to set the whole place on fire, but luckily it was very easy with little mess.  The frying only took about one minute on each side, and then they were done!  This recipe is sure to please when you're craving some fried dough but don't want to go to all out.

Recipe for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Doughnuts