Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

I'm going to revisit breakfast again..I apologize...but I just can't help it!  This recipe may be intimidating, but trust me, its SUPER easy.  As usual, this is best straight from the oven, and maybe even some extra melter butter poured over top...YUM!  Enjoy this quick and easy recipe and warm your tummy this weekend!

INGREDIENTS:

     DOUGH-
                     2 3/4 Cups of Flour + 2 extra tablespoons
                     1/4 cup of sugar
                     2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast (or 1 envelope)
                     1/2 teaspoon of salt
                     4 Tablespoons of butter
                     1/3 Cup of whole milk
                     1/4 Cup of water
                     2 large eggs
                     1 teaspoon of vanilla

     FILLING -
                     1 Cup of sugar
                     2 tablespoons of cinnamon
                     1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
                     4 Tablespoons of butter, melted until browned

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixer, combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt and set aside. 

In a saucepan, melt butter and milk together. Once butter in completely melted, take off stove top and add in water and vanilla. It is best to let the mixture cool for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Scramble up eggs and add into the butter and milk mixture.

Slowly pour in the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.   Add in 3/4 C. of flour and mix well.  The mixture will be very sticky - this is normal.



Pull out dough and place into a medium greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Once the dough doubles in size, knead in 2 tablespoons of  flour. Cover and let rise for another 5-10 minutes.

While you're waiting for the last 5-10 minutes - Start the filling. Mix together sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Next, brown butter in a small pan, this should take about 5-8 minutes. Once browned, take off head and set aside. Once the dough is ready, roll it out onto a floured surface. Brush dough with browned butter and add on the sugar mixture. Make sure everything is covered.

Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2 inch strips. Try to make them as equal as possible.

Stack all the strips on top of each other and cut into six equal squares.

Place squares side by side in a bread pan and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until outside of bread is golden brown.  Eat up! YUMM

GIVE ME S'MORE COOKIES

The snow is finally falling here in my little town. This is our second real snow this summer and I am so happy!  Since I'm a December baby I have always enjoyed the winter, cold, and snow.  I guess its a good thing I've stayed in Ohio right?

Tonight I am posting a cookie that was a first for me.  I knew I wanted to make some sort of S'more cookie so I looked all around for recipes and different ways to 'present' the cookies.  While I can't credit an exact source for the recipe, since its basically what I came up with from reading multiple recipes, but I'll credit the 'presentation' to this little cookie shop ( http://ilovesweetthangs.com/wordpress/ ) I found  thanks to Google Image Search.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup brown sugar

2 large chocolate bars

2 eggs

1 bag of large marshmallows

1 1/2 cups for flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of chocolate chips

6 graham crackers

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixer, combine eggs, vanilla, brown sugar and butter.  For some reason, whenever I have to 'scramble' the eggs, I have to throw in some milk. Its just something my mother always did :)



Mix in graham crackers crumbs

And chocolate chips

Scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes

Time to prep the goodies - Cut large marshmallows into two pieces and break apart chocolate bars

Once the cookies look to be almost done, pull the rack out and place the marshmallow in the middle and a chocolate bar on top. Bakes cookies a few more minutes, or until the tops of the marshmallows start to brown

Now - the most important step - as always - is to have one of these shortly after removing them from the oven.  As I may have mentioned before, I am a big fan of 'right out of the oven,' and these are a great example as to why.  The cinnamon in these cookies really bring it all together.  Enjoy!



Blueberry Breakfast Bake

If someone were to ask me what my favorite meal is, well that would be easy...BREAKFAST!!!  I can actually go on and on for days about how amazing breakfast can be.  Whether you are enjoying a bowl of fruit and some yogurt or going for broke with something like a Lumberjack Slam at Denny's, there are many ways to enjoy and truly treasure a good breakfast.  One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday with no plans, is to get up, have a big breakfast, and then go back to bed for a couple hours. Laziness at its finest!

The following recipe is one that I enjoy because it is quick, easy, very tasty, and something you can whip together for yourself or your family.  I haven't run across a tummy that didn't ask for seconds with this dish.  It's simple because everyone can relate to a nice, buttery blueberry muffin.  Turn it into a bake that can be shared and you'll see ear to ear smiles. 

What pulls this whole dish together is a hint of lemon that creates a nice contrast with the blueberry.  Pair it with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or a big old glass of milk and you will be set to start your day!

Recipe adapted from http://www.alexandracooks.com


INGREDIENTS:

1 pint of fresh blueberries
1 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of lemon zest
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 egg
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar.

 Add in egg and vanilla until combined well.  Once mixed, toss blueberries in 1/4 cup of flour.  In a separate bowl, mix the remaining flour, salt and baking power.  Slowly add in the dry mixture and alternate with buttermilk.

Once everything is mixed in well, slowly fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch pan or baking dish and spread batter evenly.  Sprinkle the top of the batter with as much sugar as you'd like. A couple tablespoons should do the trick. 

Bake for about 45-50 minutes. A knife or toothpick should come out clean when the bread is finished.
Allow a few minutes to cool and then serve with some butter :)

Yumm! A perfect weekend morning breakfast made from scratch!

Cutie Pies & Cutie Pie Pops

Tonight, I'm going to post a recipe that takes me back to grade school. While I wasn't busy getting in trouble for flushing someones New Kids On The Block trading card down the toilet or getting the comment 'Too Talkative' on my report cards....I was enjoying school lunches. My mom never had to worry about packing my lunch because I always loved school lunches!
One of my favorite desserts were the cutie pies. I think most of the time they were cherry, and they always tasted so good. While I don't have an exact place to credit for this recipe, I have seen numerous ones around the Internet, and its pretty easy to figure out without one.  Enjoy, and may it take you back to the days of grade school :)


INGREDIENTS:

2 Pillsbury pie crusts  (1 box)
1 can of apple pie filling
1 can of cherry pie filling

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup of flour

2 Tablespoons of butter

cinnamon

sprinkles

Cookie cutter of any shape (round, heart, star, etc.)
Sprinkles
Sucker sticks (found in any baking section of craft stores, Wal-Mart or Target

Roll out your pie crusts on a sprinkling of flour, dust with some additional flour and use a rolling pin to thin it out.

Use your cookie cutter to cut out shapes for the pies. Gather up extra dough and roll out again to cut additional crusts.

Since the pie filling is typically too chunky for the small pies, its easiest to mix them with a hand or stand mixer. This will break it down so that it fits into the cuties pies better.





Lay out all of your crusts and start to spoon in the pie filling.  If you're making 'pops' out of these, make sure to place your stick in the crusts along with the filling. Here, I have added in dark chocolate chips with my cherry, but you are welcome to combine any flavors that sound good to you.



Place the other side of your pie on top and pinch together using a fork. With the 'pops' its important to pinch well around the stick to ensure they're sturdy when done baking.

Brush on melted butter and toppings of your choice.  For the apple pies, I have added cinnamon to the top and for the cherry pies, I have added sugar sprinkles. As you can see from mine, if the pie filling comes out, no big deal.  This will help you remember what flavor they are ;)  Something I will never promise is that baking is clean!

Use a thin spatula to bring pies off your contertop or cutting board. Place on a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bake until the crusts get golden brown, around 10-15 minutes. As with most things I bake, I highly recommend trying one shortly after they're pulled from the oven.  Allow pies to cool and serve.

 These are great for parties and wrapping up in bags with a little ribbon. I hope you enjoy and have fun exploring other flavors!