Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I'm having a party!

I love parties!

Not all parties, of course. I only love the parties composed of people I like. Who wants to waste time at a party when you don't care for the people there? My party next Tuesday will be one of the best, because I've invited my sewing group buddies to the winter potluck supper at my house. I hold these gatherings three times a year, fall, winter, and spring. In the winter we have soup and whatever else people choose to bring.

I don't know what else will be coming, but Shelley will likely bring a soup, and Midge will bring something delightfully flavorful. Diane is a wild card, sometimes salad or fresh veggies, sometimes chips and yummy dips, sometimes cheese and crackers. The only consistency is that her contribution will be a wonderful accompaniment to the soups. The rest? I have no clue what will be served at my table, but I do know that the food will be delicious, and it will be eaten in an atmosphere of cheerful camaraderie. That's what happens when good friends who have known each other for a very long time come together. We laugh, joke, and discuss all those things that women, particularly teachers, like to talk about. I can't wait!

My part of the menu is all decided. This is my list:

• Minestrone soup (Something light to balance all the rest of the goodies.)
• Bread ( I may bake bread or I may buy fresh from the bakery. That depends on how much time I have.)
• Homemade cinnamon rolls (These are super special and delicious.)
• Biscotti and perhaps another kind of cookie, too. (I'm keeping dessert simple as we'll likely not have room for much.)

Today I'm sharing the yummy cinnamon roll recipe with you. Now, I've gotten into trouble with some of my readers for posting rich, high calorie recipes, so there are a couple of things I need to explain.

First of all, I don't bake rich foods for myself not do I keep them in my house. Decadent baked goods are reserved for special occasions. They are sometimes gifts, sometimes served to a group, but always shared with others.

Secondly, I know all about how hard it can be to keep to a healthy weight. I'm a small person, only 5' 3", and I'm not overweight, but that hasn't always been the case. I was a chubby child and a plump teen. I was very body conscious, and when I put on that "freshman 10" in college I knew that obesity was just around the corner unless I adopted a regimented diet. As a result, I've spent a lifetime fighting my body's tendency to put on weight. I watch what I eat very carefully. I monitor calories, nutritional content, and fiber with every meal. On the rare occasions that I have something rich I stick to small portions.

But, my goodness, this is a party! And I'm baking up a batch of very tasty cinnamon rolls!   I hope you enjoy this recipe. I don't know the calorie count, but cinnamon rolls are never low in calories.

So set out your favorite baking supplies and get ready for some kitchen fun!

I found this recipe online, but I changed it up quite a bit. I cut down on both butter and sugar.  I followed the original recipe once and the rolls were overly rich for my tastes.  I used a different icing,  too. I also changed the instructions for making the dough because I really prefer a hands on approach to yeast breads. If I can feel the dough with my hands, I know when it is ready to stop kneading. I like to imagine that my bread is happier, too.

Now on to the fun - the recipe.

APPLE PIE CINNAMON ROLLS

Makes 18.  
Prep time, about 4 1/2 - 5 hours. This dough rises slowly.
Oven temperature, 350 degrees F.
Baking time, 20 - 5 minutes
The finished cinnamon rolls freeze beautifully!

Dough:

• 1 package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup scalded milk, cooled to warm
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups flour 

 Filling, first layer: 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Filling, apple layer:

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 small apples, peeled, cored, and diced

Glaze: 

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 - 4 tablespoons milk

Instructions: 

I always heat my mixing bowl a bit before making yeast doughs. I put 1/2 cup of water into the bowl and pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Then I dump out the water, dry it, and it's nicely warmed up.

1. In a small bowl, add yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to the warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until it dissolves and starts to foam a bit.
2. In a mixing bowl, put the scalded milk, melted butter, egg, remaining sugar, and salt. Whisk together.
3. Add two cups of flour, one cup at a time, to the mixing bowl contents. Mix with the wire whisk until the mixture is smooth.
4. Add another cup of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix with a wooden spoon.
5. Lightly dust a flat surface with flour and turn the dough onto the kneading surface. Knead, adding flour as needed to make a slightly firm dough that no longer sticks to the surface. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. This will relax it somewhat and make it easier to knead.

6. Knead for 5 or 6 minutes. (Press down on the dough with the heels of your hands, turn a quarter turn, fold the dough, press again, repeat.) Form the dough into a ball.

My grandmother taught me that you can often tell that you've kneaded enough when blisters begin to form and break on the surface of the dough.

7.  Pour about a tablespoon of oil into a large bowl. Spread the oil to grease the bowl. Place the ball of dough into the bowl, and turn it to cover it with a thin film of oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. Spritz the towel lightly with water every hour or so to keep the surface of the dough from drying out.
8. Let the dough rise until double in bulk. This will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Dough after 1 hour

9. While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and apples. Cook on a medium high setting, stirring frequently.

10. When the liquid has mostly evaporated and the apples are lightly caramelized, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

 11. Check the dough again.

Dough, after 1 1/2 hours
Not near ready

Dough, after 2 hours
It was growing, but when I poked it lightly with my finger the dough popped back up.
Not ready yet. This was another of my grandmother's tricks to see if the dough has risen enough.

After 3 hours. The dough was nice and fluffy and the finger poke stayed poked. Done!

12. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean countertop lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 11" x 18".

12. Spread the melted butter with a pastry brush  to completely cover the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon.  

Confession - I didn't measure, I just sprinkled from the jar.

13. Spread the apple mixture on top, making sure to get as close to the side edges as possible. Roll the dough into a log.

I roll the dough from the back to the front, so I left a couple of inches of dough uncovered with the apple mixture.
That decreased the danger of my apples squeezing out on that end. 

 14. Cut into 1" slices. Put the rolls in a lightly greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan, cover it with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise.

15. Let it rise until it's double in bulk. This took about 1 1/2 hours.

 16. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

 17. While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

18. Remove the rolls from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Spread with glaze.

Done!!

Yum!!

Eat or freeze. 

I'm freezing mine in the pan. I'll thaw them and reheat them in a warm oven next Tuesday.

They'll be fresh and lovely for our party dinner. 

Flavorful Minestrone Soup for a Cold Winter's Day

The sun may be shining, but it is COLD outside! Brr... Temps are below zero, winds gusting up to 35 mph.

View from my window

There's something about winter's chill that makes us yearn for comfort food. When I was growing up my mother served grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell's tomato soup for lunch on days like this. We usually had hot cocoa and stovetop popcorn for snacks, and dinner was likely to be a macaroni casserole with made with onions, ground beef and tomato sauce.

But, I'm doing something different today. I'm baking up some whole wheat French bread and cooking a huge pot of minestrone soup. My kitchen is getting all nice and cozy and our tummies will be warmed up, too. I'll share the bread recipe in a future post.

SIMPLE MINESTRONE SOUP

One of the best things about minestrone soup is that you don't have to follow any particular list of ingredients. There isn't just one recipe. The essentials are onions, green or red sweet peppers, tomatoes, Italian spices, and pasta. Add veggies, mixing and matching your favorite flavors. Toss it all together into a big pot and let it simmer.

So this is minestrone soup made my way. Nothing is measured - I just tossed in whatever I found that looked good. If I'd had peas and okra on hand instead of carrots and celery, they would have made fine choices.

This is what went into my soup:

• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 1 small zucchini chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic  
• a couple of stalks of celery, chopped
• a few baby carrots, sliced (these were aging and needed to be used up)
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes  
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• about 1/2 cup small shell pasta
• basil (about 1 teaspoon)
• parsley (about 2 tablespoons)
• bay leaf (1)
• salt
• pepper
• water

Step 1: Fry the onion on medium heat in olive oil, stirring often.

Step 2: When the onion is just lightly browned, add the zucchini. Continue frying on medium heat until the zucchini begins to brown.

Step 3: Toss the rest of the chopped veggies into the pot. Continue cooking and stirring often for another several minutes.

Step 4: Add herbs. I chose these.

A generous portion of parsley (I dropped in about two tablespoon of dried parsley.)

A pinch or two of basil to suit your taste buds

One bay leaf

Salt

Pepper

Step 5:

Pour in a can of chicken broth, a can of chopped tomatoes, and add some water. 

Turn temperature to medium low, and let it all simmer for awhile.

Step 6:

When the veggies are tender, but not overcooked, drop in the pasta and any frozen veggies you might add. The soup will need to cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 7: Serve it up, nice and hot!

YUM!!

Quick and easy and full of flavor!

Keep Warm!!

Muffins!

What to do on a cold, cold day?
Bake muffins, of course!
At least that's what I did.

The wind was blowing and the temperature dropping as arctic cold pointed it's icy finger right at Lincoln, Nebraska! We didn't even get a blanket of beautiful, white snow to gentle the harsh view of barren trees and dying grass. Just wind. And cold.

Brrr....
I  looked out through my window and shivered.

Definitely a day for baking. I decided against buttery, sugary, calorie laden cookies and pulled up my favorite muffin recipe. The recipe calls for buttermilk and fresh fruit, so I figured I'd at least get some calcium and good vitamins with my calories.

I split the recipe in half and made two batches. The kitchen warmed up, the house smelled heavenly, and I made a lovely mess while listening to country music on the radio.

Here's my recipe. It starts with a basic recipe to which you add your own favorite fruit.

Fruit Muffins with Buttermilk

I get 2 dozen muffins, but my ancient cupcake pans are smaller than the new muffin pans. 

Start with this basic recipe. I've suggested some variations at the end.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 1 cup of *prepared fruit (see variations below)

PREPARATION:

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Blend in vanilla extract. 

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture with a wooden spoon. Gradually add buttermilk stirring just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. *Stir in fruit. 

Spoon batter into prepared cupcake or muffin pans, filling each cup  2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops with coarse granulated sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently move muffins onto a wire rack to finish cooling. 

A FEW VARIATIONS: 

Blueberry Muffins: *Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. A teaspoon of grated orange or lemon peel is also delicious with blueberries.

Strawberry Muffins: *Add 1 cup of chopped fresh or frozen strawberries.

Apple-cinnamon muffins: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mix. *Add 1 cup of freshly grated apple, skin included.

Pear-walnut muffins: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mix. *Add 1 cup of chopped fresh pears and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. 

Pineapple muffins: *Add 1 cup of drained, crushed pineapple.

Invent-your-own muffins: You get the idea, I'm sure. Toss in a cupful or your favorite fruit and add any flavorings you like. Be creative!

I think I'd like to try cinnamon-raisin with streusel topping. Maybe substitute brown sugar for half of the white sugar.

Oh, and zucchini! Wouldn't that be fun!

Dates? Might need to reduce the sugar a bit. Maybe with orange zest.

What else? Send your ideas to me here: klee2strings@gmail.com

Turn on some happy music and sing along as you fill your kitchen with warm, appetizing fragrances, and banish winter's chill from your home!

Happy Baking!!

I think I'll bake bread tomorrow.