Ooey - Gooey Goodness!

 

It's cold. Really cold. Having grown up 10 minutes from the beach in California, this whole Colorado winter thing is a bit different. My solution? Baking; and cinnamon rolls are, of course, the ultimate winter comfort pastry. Below is a recipe I used to make these little cinnamon coated pieces of sin. 

Dough:

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

5 1/2 tbs butter (melted-cooled)

1 tsp salt 

2 eggs

4 cups flour

Filling:

5 1/2 tbs butter (softened)

1 cu brown sugar 

1 tbs cinnamin

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla

First, dissolve the yest in the warm milk in a large bowl (About 5 min) Next add the eggs, sugar, butter and salt. Then slowly add the flour until all has been absorbed into the dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. 

Place the dough onto a floured board and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and butter. Whip into a thick paste with a fork. 

Roll out your dough to about 15x25 inches. Spread the butter/sugar mixture out onto the dough with a butter knife. 

Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough as tightly as possible and then cut the log into 12 equal pieces. 

Place the rolls in a greased pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. 

You can use any glaze of frosting you like!

What to do on cold snowy days? Why you should make some beignets!

Beignets (pronounced 'bin-yays') are french pastries that puff up when fried and are traditionally dusted with powdered sugar. Being that they are so simple and tasty, I figured I would whip up a batch as it is supposed to snow this evening.

Below is my recipe for these delightful little pillows of goodness, and don't be afraid to tweak things as you see fit. (Except for the rising times, those are so-very important!)

Ingredients:
1 tbs active dry yeast (1 package)
1/2 tbs salt
3/4 cup warm water
4 eggs (beaten)
3/4 cup butter  (melted and cooled to room temperature)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp brown sugar
3 3/4 cup flour

vegetable oil (for frying)
powdered sugar (for dusting)



Start by melting your butter in a coffee cup in the microwave and setting aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast and salt. Next add the warm water, 4 eggs, vanilla, honey, brown sugar and lastly the butter. Whisk until combined.

Using a wide spatula, add the flour into the wet mixture. This dough will be very sticky and wet, but do not be alarmed! It will all be just fine.

Once you have a uniform looking dough, cover the top of the bowl with a towel and then place a plate over the bowl. Place it in the fridge for AT LEAST one hour. This dough can last for about two weeks in the fridge if you need to make more beignets later, but make sure it rises for at least one hour.

After the dough has risen, flour a wooden cutting board, your hands and the top of the dough. Start kneading and working more flour into the dough just until it is no longer sticky.

With your trusty rolling pin, roll a piece of the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick. At this point it is up to you to determine the shape of your beignets. I prefer round because I fry them in a round pot and have a round basket on a handle to remove them with. However, they are traditionally square, but the dough is so versatile you could make stars or hearts if you wanted to. Annyyywaaayyy...

After cutting out your desired shapes, let the dough sit for 20 minutes. (This is thee most important part, if you skip this step to save time, they will not puff up!)

Next, heat a pot with 4-6 inches of oil in it on medium/high. Drop in a small pinch of dough. If it rises to the surface and starts to fry, then your oil is ready. Fry a few beignets at a time. When ready to serve, which I reccomend being immediately, dust with powdered sugar.

 

Enjoy your fresh homemade tasty-noms!