Quick Cinnamon Rolls and Cream Cheese Frosting

There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting through the house to get my mouth watering.   I love this recipe from my sister  because the rolls are soft and delicious and quicker to make than most recipes.  I like to make them for a special weekend brunch for my family along with some fresh fruit and scrambled eggs.  

You'll have to look at the unique way we cut and rolled these cinnamon rolls.  I never was much good at rolling the entire sheet of dough at a time and my 12-year-old niece introduced me to a much easier way--no dental floss needed and they keep their shape better! 

 Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:
CINNAMON ROLLS (from AnnaLisa):

1-3/4 cups warm water (110°-115°F)
6 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 Tbs. instant yeast
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
5-1/2 cups flour
melted butter (we used a 1/4 cup)
sugar and cinnamon mixture (1/2 cup sugar + 1 Tbs. cinnamon)

Mix the following: water, sugar, oil, and yeast. Let stand 15 minutes. Then add salt, eggs and flour. Roll 1/2 inch thick (10x20 inches) on lightly floured surface.

Spread with melted butter

and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Cut into slices with pizza cutter.

Starting with long edge begin rolling fairly tightly.

(We prefer this way of cutting and rolling over the traditional way of rolling the entire sheet of dough and then cutting with dental floss.  We find our rolls hold their shape much better this way.)

Arrange cut side down, on a greased cookie sheet.

Let rise 15-30 minutes in warm place, covered with a dishcloth. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.

 While warm, spread with cream cheese frosting and serve immediately!  Enjoy!

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
2 Tbs. butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture. Beat until fluffy.  Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.  Enjoy!

"Greatest Brownies in the World" with Coconut Pecan Frosting

My 7 year-old nephew and I found this recipe in our church cookbook and couldn't wait to find out what the "Greatest Brownies in the World" tasted like.  I know that people have all sorts of ideas about what constitutes a good brownie, but these were right up my alley.  They were ooey, gooey, fudgy, and bursting with lots of chocolate.  In other words, we loved them! Although the German Chocolate Frosting was not originally part of the recipe, after ogling over some similar brownies over at Kara's Kitchen Creations we decided to give it a try and I'm glad we did! I think these "German Chocolate Brownies" were even better the next day!

 Click here for printable recipe.

"Greatest Brownies in the World" (That's the actual name straight from the cookbook) :

Made by AnnaLisa:

1 c. unsalted butter
3-1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips

Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate. Sift cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat eggs; add sugar, vanilla, and cooled butter-chocolate mixture. Stir in dry ingredients. Spread batter in greased 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. (Do not overbake). Let cool for about 10 minutes and then put the frosting on. Enjoy!

German Chocolate Frosting Recipe (from Kara's Kitchen Creations)

Ingredients:
1 c. evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Combine milk, egg yolks and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Whisk till thoroughly blended. Add butter. Cook and stir over medium heat till thick; about 12 minutes. Add vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Cool till thick enough to spread onto brownies.

Snickerdoodles

I found this awesome recipe for snickerdoodles on allrecipes.com! They're easy to make and yummy to eat! Be warned that they're addicting :)

Click here for printable recipe.

Snickerdoodles
From AnnaLisa

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar (for rolling)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (for rolling)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400° F.

-Cream together butter, shortening, 1-1/2 cups sugar, the eggs, and vanilla.

-Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

-Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture.

-Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes or until set, but not too hard.

Enjoy!

Avocado Smash

I heard about this recipe from my sister-in-law, Karey. I tried it and loved it! Karey told me she found it on the Food Network website.  (Note from admin:  AnnaLisa made this for our family and it was gobbled up in no time flat. I was also impressed with how quick and easy to make it was. )

Click here for Printable Recipe.

Avocado Smash
from AnnaLisa

1 avocado
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
3 scallions - thinly sliced
1 lime - juiced
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
1 plum tomato - finely chopped

Remove one avocado flesh to a bowl. Add the cilantro and scallions. Pop the lime in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the juice of one lime, the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. With a fork or spoon smash up the mixture, leaving chunks for a good consistency. Chop and seed the plum tomato and fold into avocado. Serve with chips or crackers. Enjoy!