Last weekend our church had a bake sale to raise money for the youth-children's ministry. Yum, yum, yum! I made cinnamon rolls.
I packaged them in sets of four on a cardboard with scrapbook paper-wrapped with Seran wrap, and tied with a sweet heart ribbon.
Years ago I did share my cinnamon roll recipe here, so I'll share it again now:
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Heidi’s Goof-Proof Cinnamon Rolls
--in microwave,Heat about 2 minutes or when it reaches 120 degrees (no hotter):
1 ¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 tsp. salt
--meanwhile, in mix in mixing bowl:
1 ½ cups flour
2 ½ tsp. yeast (or one package)
--NOW add the milk mixture to the flour/yeast mixture. Mix until well blended.
--NOW add 2 eggs, the mix for another 2 or 3 minutes. DO NOT FORGET THE EGGS
---OKAY---Now mix in another 3 ¼ cups of flour, mixing until it’s soft. If you are using a Kitchen Aid mixer, NOW put on the dough-hook and let the machine knead for 3 to 5 minutes. You can add up to another ½ cup flour if needed. IF YOU ARE KNEADING by hand, throw the dough on a floured countertop and USE THOSE MUSCLES, knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes.
--Now make a nice ball and put it in a bowl, which you have pre-loaded with a little oil, then turn the ball over, so that both the top and bottom of the dough has some oil on it. (This prevents the dough from cracking and splitting as it rises.)
--Cover with a light towel, and let this rise (by the wood stove if you have one) for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough rises up nicely, it’ll look like it has about doubled in size.
--PUNCH DOWN and divide this dough ball in half. Cover with a towel and let these rest for 10 minutes.
--MIX IN A BOWL: ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon and in a separate bowl, soften 6 Tblspn. Butter.
--To each of the balls… ROLL out to a circle, spread half the butter, and half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll the edge of the circle up, making a tube shape. Cut the rolls into pieces, you can use dental floss or blanket thread, which makes it easy! (Criss-cross the thread and pull, this cuts it.) Place the rolls in a well greased pan with sides, and let this RISE for at least ½ hour. (again, covered with a towel by the wood stove)
--BAKE at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden. Let cool, then frost if desired.
---The icing I’ve always used is: 1 cup powered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 3-4 tsp. milk. HOWEVER, if you add ½ packaged of cream cheese, and fool around with the measurements, you’ll get a delicious cream cheese frosting. This has been the icing of preference lately at Sweet Woodruff Acres. Blessings!
Please note: The ways you can goof this recipe up is if you kill the yeast by adding too hot of milk mixture, or too cold.
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When you think of cinnamon rolls do you think of Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls? The closest Cinnabon store is over two hours away, so we have to make our own! I bought a jar of Cinnabon's special Legendary Makara Cinnamon last year. The sales lady said if I bring the jar back empty they would refill it for about half the price. But I'm still on my first jar. Also, you could try the copy-cat Cinnabon recipe, here. I think the deal on that is they add a package of vanilla pudding. I want to try that recipe someday just for fun. When I was at the Cinnabon store last year I quizzed the baker about their techniques. The one thing I did find out is that Cinnabon uses margarine in both their dough and the brown-sugar filling. She said the reason is that butter burns too easily. But if you use margarine buy a good quality, just thought I'd pass that tip along! The cream cheese icing really closes the deal, though, don't skimp on that if you want the true Cinnabon wanna-be rolls!
For the bake sale I also made a couple batches of Rice Krispies treats, topped with white chocolate. You just melt a cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave about a minute, the stir that up real smooth and spread or drizzle across the top of the uncut bars. I've also done it with chocolate chips, but I like white chocolate better.
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Our missionaries to the Philippines shared at church last night. They went through Psalms 66. By the end of their teaching/sharing I had tears, it was so touching to me that they shared such a personal testimony. How God captured them in His net to put them through fire to refine and grow them to be dependent on Him alone. When everything is striped away that's when we learn that He alone is enough, He alone is sufficient. I wanted to shout out, "amen, we've been there!" I'm going to go ahead any post that complete chapter of Psalm 66, just for some of you who may need to hear and read this today:
Psalm 66 (New King James Version)
1 To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name." Selah
5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.
7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.
10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.
12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!
Blessings, Heidi
