No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Have you ever wanted some warm, gooey, sweet bread, but just didn't want to wait... and wait... and wait... for the dough to rise and then to prepare the filling, roll out the dough, and then wait... for it to rise one more time... and then to cook!!!  You get my drift... by the time they are ready you have already eaten something else.

So I got really excited when this recipe came across my Facebook Feed.  Unfortunately, I forgot to write down who initially posted it.  I did do a little search through our magic friend Google, and I found several recipes that were very similar, but couldn't find this exact one.  So, whoever's recipe this is THANK YOU!!  Because I really love the ease of this recipe and the true deliciousness of it, even in my altered  Low-Sugar  version.

This recipe has 3 sets of ingredients:  the dough, the filling, and the glaze.

 The Filling:

• 1/3 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
• 1/4 c. Splenda granulated
• 3 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. salt

Mix these ingredients in a small bowl and set them aside.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Grease/Spray a 9" pan:  round or square.

 The Dough:

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 3 T. Splenda granulated
• 1 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk  (if you don't have any buttermilk, simply pour the milk just shy of the amount you need, and add a splash of white vinegar to complete the amount--let it set for 5-10 minutes before using to allow to curdle)
• 6 T. butter, divided into 3 parts of 2 T. each, melted

Add the dry ingredients into your mixing bowl.  Use a whisk attachment if you have one.  Slowly add in the buttermilk and the first 2 T. of melted butter. 

 Dough will be quite sticky.  Flour your counter and knead dough 1-2 minutes until smooth.

 Press/Roll dough out to a rectangle of approximately 9 x 12 inches.

 Brush the second 2 T. of melted butter all over the dough.  Then, sprinkle the filling you mixed up all over the rectangle.

(A couple of the recipes I came across when searching for this one also called for raisins.  I love raisins, and think I will add some here in the filling the next time I make them.)

 Starting on the short side, roll the dough tightly.  You may have a little bit of filling squish out towards the end, but it won't be a problem.

Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 even pieces.

 Place the rolls in your prepared pan.  Using your last 2 T. butter, brush the tops of the rolls, allowing the butter to run down the sides and into the layers.

Bake rolls for 20 minutes.

 The Icing/Glaze:

The original icing recipe called for:  2 T. butter, 1 t. vanilla, 1 T. milk... and you guessed it... 1 c. powdered sugar.

So of course I tried to come up with something that would allow me to avoid the powdered sugar.  So here is what I used:

• 4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 c. Splenda granulated
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 % milk as needed

Beat the cream cheese until smooth; add Splenda and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add milk a little at a time until icing is thin and pour-able.  Pour/Spread icing over warm rolls.

You will be enjoying these cinnamon rolls before you know it.  None of that wait time involved.

Apple Dumplings

Are you just hankering for something sweet after dinner, but you didn't plan for anything?  The other night, my husband and I were thinking just that.  I found that I had a couple of apples in my fridge and a prepared pie crust left over as I had made a quiche a couple of days before and only used one in the package.  You can throw this in the oven quickly and it will make your house smell wonderful!

•  1 apple per person
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• Splenda brown sugar Blend
• cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• prepared pie crust

Start by coring the apples.  Clean all of the seeds and core through the entire middle.  Next, find a shallow baking dish.  A 9 x 9 works great if you have 4 or 6 apples... I have this small one, that worked perfect for two apples.
I used about 1/3 of the pie crust for each apple.  It doesn't have to fit around the apple perfectly, but put the crust down in the bottom of the dish.  Add 2 or 3 T. of butter into the core of each apple and then a couple of spoonfuls of the brown sugar blend.  This makes the recipe a  Low Sugar  recipe.  If desired, give a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

Wrap the pie crust around the apples.  No worries if it doesn't wrap up nice and neat... trim and patch.
Bake the apples at 350 degrees for 45 to 1 hour.  Just check it occasionally.  You want the crust to become a beautiful golden brown.

You can serve these apples with a little half-n-half or a small scoop of no sugar added ice cream or frozen yoghurt.  The apple inside is going to be warm, sweet and soft.

Sorry there isn't a picture of the finished apples.  They smelled so good, that we dove in and ate them right away and I forgot to take the picture... the smell went straight to my brain!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

So what do you do on a weekend morning...when it is snowing like crazy... and you just want something WARM for breakfast.  Oh wait... I haven't been to the grocery store in more than a week.  Hey!  There is a can of biscuits in my fridge.  You can make something warm and gooey without any special ingredients.

I came across this recipe one day last summer and it comes from the Stamps 4 Fun blog.  I was able to make this a  Low Sugar  recipe since it has a little bit of brown sugar blend in it.  Something about a sticky bun just says winter and this last weekend was certainly the right time.  Now I was by myself this weekend and happened to have a small can of biscuits (5 count).  So you will notice that the pics of this recipe make a small ring, but I am writing up the full recipe here, as I am sure most of you are not just cooking for yourself.

• 2 cans of refrigerator biscuits  or  1 can of Pillsbury Grands biscuits
• 3 Tbs. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• 1/2 c. sugar-free pancake syrup
• 1/6 c. Splenda brown sugar Blend
• 1/2 t. cinnamon

 Start by spraying a bundt pan with non-stick spray.  You will notice that I used a regular cake pan for my smaller version.  If you don't have a bundt pan, I think a regular cake pan will work fine.
Combine the melted butter and the syrup in a small bowl and set aside for the moment.

 In another small bowl, mix the brown sugar and the cinnamon.  If you like pecans or other nuts in your sticky buns, this is where you would mix them in.  You can either use them whole or chop them up, but mix them in with this brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Now that I am writing this up, another great add-in here would be raisins.

 Pour about half of your butter/syrup mixture into the bottom of your pan.  Sprinkle about half of the brown sugar mixture over the syrup.  Cut your biscuits into half moon shapes and lay them in the pan slightly overlapping.
NOTE: If you are using the Grands biscuits, they are very thick and have a natural split.  Split them in half horizontally before you cut them in half moon shapes.

 Top with remaining butter/syrup mixture and finally sprinkle on the last of the brown sugar/cinnamon.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

I just left mine in the pan.  But if you were having company or if you just want to impress your family, invert pan onto a serving platter.  The gooey mixture on the bottom will drip all over.
Warm and gooey... great for a snowy morning!

Cinnamon Rolls

This may be the true meaning of decadence.  Cinnamon Rolls have always been one of my favorites, but I certainly want the inside ones that are gooey all the way around!  My exciting news on the cooking front this holiday season is that I was able to purchase a Kitchen Aid mixer.  I have wanted one for a while, and finally with sales, rebates, coupons and found money... let's just say I got a deal that couldn't be beat!  The morning after I came home with my mixer, my husband let me know on his way out the door, that I had better make something with that new mixer.  I know how to follow orders!  I decided to make these cinnamon rolls.  It's an interesting recipe, because it starts with a cake mix.  This is one of those recipes that I have had for so long, that I have no idea where it came from.  After making a few adjustments, this will be a   Low  Sugar  recipe as we will need to use some brown sugar.

• 2 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 pkgs. yeast
• 1 sugar-free yellow cake mix
• 4 1/2 c. flour
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• Splenda Blend brown sugar
• cinnamon
• raisins (optional)
• chopped nuts  (optional)
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 c. Splenda

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Remember, I was wanting to try out my new mixer, so I just did this in my mixing bowl and put the dough hook on.  If you don't have this option, any mixing bowl is fine.

 Add the cake mix and flour, then knead.  Let dough rise in a warm place until double.

 Roll dough out on a floured board or counter into a 1/4" thick rectangle.  Spread with a layer of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  For all of these filling ingredients, there are no set amounts; just decide how gooey you want your cinnamon rolls and how well you like the other ingredients and judge the amounts accordingly.  Next top with the Splenda blend brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts & raisins if you like them.  Roll up the dough, beginning at the wide side.  Seal well by pinching the edge of the dough into roll.

 Cut into slices about 1 or 1 1/2 inches thick.  Place into a buttered baking dish.  You will want to space them apart a little to give them some room to rise.  I had enough rolls for a 9 x 13 pan, as well as a round cake pan.
Let them rise a second time in a warm place; approximately 1 hour.
Bake at 345 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
You can stop here, but....

 I thought maybe a little icing was in order.  Put one 8 oz package of cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip it until light and fluffy.  Add 1/2 c. Splenda and mix well, just to give it a little sweetness.

 Spread a little bit of the icing on each roll while they are still warm.  This will allow the icing to melt a little and ooze down in between the layers.

Mmmm, ... mmmm, ... good!

Pumpkin Rolls

The day before Thanksgiving is all about baking and doing the prep work ahead so you aren't crazy on Thanksgiving day.  This year was great because I had a lot of help...my daughter, my mom and my sister.  So even the prep day wasn't crazy...we were able to just take it slow, do a little at a time and enjoy each other's company.

In order to have a little something to eat and not have to worry about "snacking" on what we were preparing for the following day, I wanted to make something pumpkin...well, you all know how I feel about pumpkin.  This recipe comes from Bloom Designs Online.  It is a  Reduced Sugar  recipe as it calls for brown sugar, so we will have to use the Splenda Blend, and it calls for powdered sugar in the glaze.

I absolutely LOVE cinnamon rolls, so I just knew that this had to be good:

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 T. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted
• 1/4 c. Splenda Blend brown sugar
• 1/4 c. Splenda granulated
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 1/8 t. ginger

Glaze

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. milk (I used 2%)
• 1 T. melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• 1/4 t. cinnamon

 Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.  Next, mix together the pumpkin filling.  Add pumpkin, sugars and spices to a small mixing bowl and stir together until well incorporated.
Unroll the crescent rolls, being careful not to separate them.  I don't know about you, but I say that anything that starts with crescent rolls is going to be wonderful. Press all of the seams together into one big rectangle.  Spread the filling all over the dough.  Starting on the short end of the rectangle, carefully roll up the dough.

 Cut the roll into 8 pieces and place them in a sprayed 8" cake pan.  Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; approximately 5 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze.  You can use a powdered sugar substitute here, but when you start getting into a cup or more, sometimes I find it difficult and I find that there is a little "after taste".  I decided that today was a special day and went for the real stuff.
Absolutely delicious!  Everyone really liked them.