Don't get me wrong, there has been lots to do but I haven't had the motivation to work on any craft or take any pictures. I hope to get something done tomorrow. I have been working on some pieces for a card that I hope to have published but that is it!
So, I have to redouble my efforts to get some photos and cards done to share with you all! And, I need to see about entering some further pieces for publication...
Until then, here is a snapshot from the last few weeks.
What I have been doing is baking again! I decided to combine three recipes from the All Recipes website and came up with the following for a brilliant Cinnamon Roll recipe. You can find the originals here, here and here! And my combination is as follows:
Best Ever Cinnamon Buns
Makes 24 Buns
Ingredients:
2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 package yellow cake mix (I use butter cake for those in AUS)
7 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
1/3 cup butter
Filling (divide the ingredients in half when rolling out two lots of dough):
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon (personally, I don't measure this!)
Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water, and let stand for 3 minutes. Add cake mix, 1 cup flour, eggs, oil, and salt; beat well. Stir in remaining flour until a soft dough forms.
2. Knead on well floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the dough surface. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile; in a small saucepan, melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup ice cream; bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Pour caramel into the bottom of 2 lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pans.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Punch down, and divide into two equal parts. Roll out each section on a lightly floured surface. Spread each with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll up like jelly rolls and cut buns 1 1/2 inches thick with a piece of dental floss or a dull knife. Place in baking pans on top of caramel, and allow to rise until doubled.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown; shifting pans around after half of cooking time.
8. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
* If you aren’t a big cream cheese fan, reduce the cream cheese to 2/3 of the block for a more mellow taste.
These turned out light and fluffy with a yummy caramel base. As predicted, the two pans are nearly gone and it's only been three days! Enjoy :-)
