I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

cinnamon

Snickerdoodle Blondies

snickerdoodle blondiesOne of the first blogs I started to consistently started to read and drool over was Kim’s blog Lovin’ from the Oven. I was always craving one thing from the next. Go over and just look at her recipe index… seriously, drool worthy. I made Oreo Chocolate Chips Cookies from her blog before and they were a huge hit with everyone.

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 For ages I had been thinking about making the Snickerdoodle Blondies that I had pinned. After making some blondies last year I have been craving them every now and then. Well the time finally presented itself this weekend since we were snowed in because of Blizzard Nemo (really, does The Weather Channel have to name them??) Having the oven on make our house extra toasty which was perfect.

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These were good good!! I loved the signature snickerdoodle flavor in these blondies. Plus it helps that they were super easy to mix up. Kim did mention that they were sweet and these really are so I think a small bar is more than enough. One other thing to mention is that this is a really, really thick dough so I think that reducing the flour from the 2 2/3 cups that is called for to 2 1/2 it could help making this dough a bit softer and in the end have a softer texture. Lastly, just be sure not to overcook them, like brownies I think they are best a bit ooey gooey.

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Snickerdoodle Blondies

Makes 20-24 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, and beat until smooth.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
  5. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
  6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool before cutting.

Apple Pie Squares

When I was recently doing a bit of random blog browsing on Rachel’s blog I saw this recipe for Apple Pie Squares and I knew I would have to make them this year. After I went apple picking I knew that making these was only a matter of time, finding time. Well after a crazy 2 weeks that included a surprise trip to Chicago (more on that later!) I finally had some time to stay home and bake. I’m not saying they take long, I just felt the impulse to basically unpack everything in the kitchen before hand and put it in a new cabinet/drawer/bin before doing anything cooking related.

 

 

Before making them I discussed with Rachel that I don’t have a food processor large enough to process all the base ingredients together so I would have to adapt the recipe a bit and I’d see how it works out. Well, folks if you have a food processor then follow Rachel’s instructions, you don’t have one then follow mine. These came out really well so I imagine that you can make it work out for you as well. If you can’t break down oats in something like a mini prep which I borrowed from my friend) then you just carry on. Maybe I’d add an extra egg white to help it come together easier. The important thing is that you make these apple pie squares!

 

 

Truthfully I was a bit nervous about enjoying these because I don’t like apple crisps, or any crisps for that matter, since they have an oat crumble on top. Well, it turns out I like the taste and just hate the texture.  Blending the oats kept the great oaty taste but completely changed the texture. Perfect!! In regards to adapting the recipe I basically stuck with it but I used much more apples, basically because I felt like it, so I had to increase the bake time. Also, I didn’t have plain yogurt at home so I used vanilla which gave this a nice a la mode taste to it.These were a hit at work and I bet they will be a hit when you make them too.

Apple Pie Squares

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

For the base and topping:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 C oats
  • 1/2 C butter, cubed
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:

  • 6 oz of vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 C diced, peeled apple

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 8×8 pan by lining with foil or parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the peeled, diced apples together with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Once evenly coated, add the yogurt and mix to coat all pieces. Set aside.
  3. In a food processor,  blend the oats until a fine meal is created.  Add the oats to a large bowl containing flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter incorporate with your hands/forks/pastry blender until the dough is crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mix, set aside. Add 1 egg white, blend until mixture is just combined.
  4. Evenly press moist mixture into the baking pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
  5. Spoon filling over the pare-baked crust spreading out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle reserved topping mixture over apples. Press down to flatten just slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
  6. Cool in the pan then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least one hour. Remove from pan carefully and slice into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Individual Apple Pie Tarts

One of my favorite things to do is rip out all the recipes in magazine that I think I would enjoy making. There is a big difference tween the ‘ooo this looks good’ recipe to the ‘I need to make this one day/right now’ recipe. Then I trim my recipes pages up and file them stack them all up so I can go through them and pick out things to make. Well, I recently came across a recipe of Individual Plum Tarts from my Rachael Ray magazine.

 

 

I made Individual Apple Pie Tarts by swapping out the plums for apples and adding some typical spices used in apple pies. These are easy with a capital E! The puff pastry does most of the work for you and you just need to dice up some apples and quickly mix with the sugar and spices. The important thing is to have a non stick sheet or one that is coated with non stick cooking spray so the puff pastry doesn’t stick. The rest is a breeze! And you’ll end up with really yummy little apple pie tarts!

Individual Apple Pie Tarts

Makes 6

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet of puffed pastry, 1/2 pound
  • 3 cups of finely diced baking apples (approximately 3 apples)
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • butter

Process

  1. Let puff pastry thaw according to package’s instructions.
  2. While the puff pastry is thawing, peel, core and finely dice the apples. In the bowl, combine the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  3. Unfold the puff pastry and cut along the 2 seams to get 3 strips, then cut those in half to get 6 rectangles.
  4. Lay the rectangles out on a greased non-stick baking sheet, add 1/2 cup of the apple mixture to each rectangle keeping a 1/2″ border around the edges clean of apples. Add 2 tiny pieces of butter to the mound of apples.
  5. In a 375 degree oven, bake until golden, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Ice cream or caramel sauce are great additions when serving.

S’mores Cinnamon Rolls

S'mores Cinnamon Rolls

It is Day 4 of S’mores Week! Are you sick of Amanda and I yet? Hope not! Just one more day of great s’mores recipes. hint hint… I have a cocktail for you tomorrow!

Anyway, I originally planned on making mini cheesecakes today but then at the very last minute decided to change my mind resulting in some late night and early morning baking. how early? well this dumb-dumb got up at 4.30a.m. I am crazy. obvi.


 

 

 

I’m so glad that I put in the extra effort to make these because they are incredible. I honestly would not eat them for breakfast but I think they are perfect for a fun, different kind of dessert. It would totally shock someone if you served this for dessert. A big rich cinnamon roll jam packed full of s’mores goodness. The marshmallows get toasty, the chocolate chips get melty, and the graham adds a fun different crunch to it all. Addicting!

 

  

You need to go over and check out Amanda’s S’mores Ice Cream recipe. The post is hilarious and totally relate-able. Plus, the recipe is drool worthy. That ice cream is trouble with a capital T!

S’mores Cinnamon Rolls

makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup warm milk (skim works)
  • 1 packet dry active yeast
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 4 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup reserved
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 cinnamon graham crackers, broken into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Glaze

  • 4 ounces marshmallow Fluff
  • 1/4 cup milk

Process

  1. To prepare the dough, sift together the flours and salt, set aside. Heat the milk per yeast instructions. Once the milk has reached the right temperature (between 100-110F) add the yeast and let proof per instructions. In a large bowl or using a stand mixer, beat 2 eggs. Mix in the sugar and melted butter into the eggs. Gently pour the milk into the bowl. In half cup intervals mix in the bread flour until 3 1/2 cups has been incorporated. With the remaining 1/2 cup, dust a clean smooth surface and coat your hands. Kneed the dough into a ball incorporating the remaining flour. Place into a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size (several hours).
  2. While your dough is rising prepare the  filing by combining the cinnamon  and sugars together in a bowl and the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces. in another bowl.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking pans.
  4. Roll out dough into a 16 by 21 inch rectangle. Spread the melted butter evenly over dough. First add the sugar mixture to the cover the dough, then add the s’mores mixture. Roll up dough jelly roll style and, cut in half, then cut each section into 6 pieces.  Arrange evenly in pan
  5. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. While rolls are baking combine the fluff and milk. Spread frosting over warm rolls before serving.

S’mores Week

Day 1

S’mores Chex Mix and S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches

Day 2

S’mores Truffles and Microwave S’more Turtles

Day 3

S’mores Campfire Banana Splits and S’mores Cheesecake Bars

Cinnamon M&M Oatmeal Cookies

This was the first year I noticed that M&M’s had some great holiday themed candies. I picked up a few bags of each, including mint M&M’s, which I used in my Chocolate Chocolate Mint Cookies. They were a hit with the contractors for my project, so I decided that I should give cookie making a try again with another kind of M&M’s. I gravitated to the cinnamon M&M’s and decided that an oatmeal cookie would work well.

 

I started the journey of making these cookies by pulling out several cook books looking for an oatmeal cookie base that could be used with the cinnamon M&M’s. In the end, tweeting what I was doing ending out being fruitful since Rachel (Baked by Rachel) tweeted me back saying she had some great oatmeal cookie recipes on her blog. One being a crisp oatmeal cookie and another being a softer, chewier oatmeal cookie. I was looking for a chewy cookie so I went with the recipe on her blog. Perfect choice!

 

The cookie is soft, chewy and has nice cinnamony, chocolately pieces that dot throughout the cookie. The cinnamon flavor in the M&M is subtle but adds a nice touch to the cookie. I think the 1 bag is enough for the batch of cookies, but I can’t help but think that adding another 1/2 bag or so could not hurt!

 

I really enjoyed working with these M&M’s and I imagine that other’s did too since there is a Cinnamon M&M’s facebook page! I hope that you had a chance to try these since they are so good. I just grabbed a few more bags of these at Target for 30% off since it’s post Christmas. If you can’t find these still in stores then you should do a bit of googling for them. One place I found them was on The Candyland Store. I certainly hope they bring them back next year!

Cinnamon M&M Oatmeal Cookies

*makes approximately 3 dozen*

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 2/3 cup of light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 9.9 oz of bag of cinnamon M&M’s

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
  2. In a large mixing owl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together.
  3. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl down to evenly mix together.
  4. Add the salt, baking soda, flour, and cinnamon into the mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
  5. Gently mix in the oatmeal, milk, and vanilla extract. Again, scrape down the sides to ensure all the mixture is coming together evenly.
  6. By hand, mix in the M&M’s into the cookie dough.
  7. Using 2 spoons, scoop out heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheet. Do not crowd the cookies together.
  8. Bake for 11-13 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie, or until the cookie is set up in the center. Let cookie sit on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes prior to removing to fully cool.

Pineapple Cinnamon Pancakes

Pancakes with Grade B maple syrup (no butter)

In honor of National Pancake Day, Price and I had pancakes for dinner last night. I adapted a recipe for pineapple cinnamon pancakes from The Great Big Cookie Book by Hilaire Walden. Apparently pancakes fall under the scone and muffin category in a cookie book, who knew? Well I thought the combination of pineapple and cinnamon was interesting and would be good so I picked them as the pancake to try.

 

These pancakes turned out to be fluffy, thick, and flavorful. These pancakes were quite dense, which resulted in an airy sponge that soaked up our syrup. (awww we used syrup we got during a trip to VT for one of my birthday’s) Every bite was punctuated with bits of the crushed pineapple. I think that it could have used even more pineapple. The best is that there is little sugar and no butter or oil in the recipe making them a bit healthier and makes them light in texture.

coming together now

This is a large batch of pancakes. We purposefully make large batches of pancakes and waffles so we can freeze them and reheat them later on for a quick breakfast. Then freezing the pancakes separate them with pieces of wax paper before wrapping them up. Separating them will prevent them from becoming a block of pancakes and defrosting/reheating a lot easier.

Pineapple Cinnamon Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups self rising flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2-3 cups milk (I use skim)
8 oz of crushed pineapple*
 

Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Mix together the eggs and milk.

Combine the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together. Add in the crushed pineapple and mix. Add more milk if you like thinner pancakes.

Cook pancakes until golden brown.

*If you like pineapple feel free to add more. 8oz is the minimum

 
 

Monkey Bread

Over 4 years ago Price and I spent Memorial Day Weekend in Rockport, MA. We stayed at the Sally Webster Inn, a cute B&B that is walking distance to the historic district. While there we had this sweet, sticky, yummy breakfast… it was the first time we ever had Monkey Bread. We had never heard of it before so we eagerly asked what it was and how to make it. Our inn keeper told us how simple it was to make so we decide that we must try it at home later on. I have made it several times since but I don’t typically make it at home since it makes a lot, I have even cut it in half when we have had a few people stay over and it is a lot. Plus, let’s be honest, it’s not really healthy…. you’ll see.

Every friday my office has this thing called Pod Breakfast. It just means that 1 person brings in breakfast for our different pods (sections of open workstations). So today is my turn for Pod Breakfast. Since I started working at Gensler 3 years ago Sept I have made Monkey Bread for all but 1 of my turns. I’m kinda sad that I missed that one but I know at the time I correctly choose sleep over getting up early to bake.

I make Monkey Bread and either make something else or purchase something else. I have done everything from a large fruit salad to McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches. So I had to decide what my other item would be… since we just made waffles last weekend I had that on the brain and settled on that. I got up at 6 this morning (luckily I did not snooze for 30-40 minutes like usual) and went to the grocery store to get all the supplies I would need for monkey bread and buttermilk waffles.

Making the monkey bread was easy, like usual, and prepping for the waffles was a breeze however I put the eggs in the fridge and forgot them at home. Damn! I was so annoyed since I had to run out to the closest convenience store to get eggs. Just another thing to juggle this morning. The big scheme it was not a big deal since I made 3 batches of waffles but it slowed me down at the start. Once I got going everything went smoothly- I think I ended up making 45+waffles- which were served with syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream. I sent up a table for the monkey bread and the waffle prep. The monkey bread was a hit since it is a sugary, buttery, sweet breakfast bread. I felt bad that I forgot to invert it since I was so busy with the waffles but it was still good. Inverting the monkey bread allows the buttery ‘caramel’ to sink back into all of the pieces.

Monkey Bread

4 pack of buttermilk rolls (I use Pillsbury)
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 to 1 1/2 sticks of butter (depends on if your heart/hips can take it)

pre=””>Preheat the oven to 350. Use a bundt pan or a loaf pan for the monkey bread. Spray with nonstick cooking oil.

In a large bowl mix the sugars and cinnamon together.

Using clean, sharp kitchen scissors cut every roll into 4 pieces.

While you are cutting the pieces melt the butter.

Roll all pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated. Place all pieces in the pan. Pour the butter overall the pieces. Cook for 30 minutes. be sure to check on the monkey bread so it does not brown to quickly. Invert the monkey bread onto a plate, serve warm.