Yummy! Hot cinnamon rolls or Petite Sticky Buns

2/22/12 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

Cold, dreary winter days bring out the baker in me. This month, homemade cinnamon rolls have been calling my name. Yeast dough however, is my Achilles Heel. A good yeast dough calls for a finesse and patience that I lack.

Step one is easy: Prepare the dough. I can do this. Step two is kneading the dough on a floured surface for an interminably long time. Fortunately, my husband, actually likes to do this! I gratefully turn that task over to him while I gather up the filling and frosting ingredients.

Step 3 (letting the dough rise) is a bit tricky. Instructions will always tell you to let the dough rise in a place that’s neither too hot, too cold or in a draft—good luck! A proof oven would be nice.

But here’s what I do: I turn the oven thermostat to 150° F. and put a pan of hot water on the bottom rack. Then I turn the oven off, cover the kneaded dough with a clean dishcloth, put it in the oven and wait for the yeast to work its magic.

Now I’m in the home stretch. The risen dough is punched down, rolled out, spread with filling, rolled up jelly roll style, sliced and place in the pan to…rise again! When the rolls are double in size, they’re baked, frosted and enjoyed.

Fact: Yeast rolls taste best if eaten immediately fresh out of the oven.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to break this rule. I was serving cinnamon rolls to two different groups several days apart. So I decided to see if I could ‘kill two birds with one stone’ aka one batch of rolls. I did a little dough experimenting with mixed results.

After the first raise, I cut the rolls and placed eight of them on a baking pan; covered and refrigerated them to be proofed and baked the next morning. On a scale of 1-10 I would say the result was a 6. Not great but not bad. I would do it again but proof them longer.

The remainder of the rolls I raised the second time; baked, cooled and froze them. A few days later I warmed and frosted them. On a scale of 1-10 I would say that they were a mediocre 3. Beautiful to look at but nearly inedible and embarrassing to serve.

So much for shortcuts. Hot out of the oven is still best.

Today’s Cappuccino Cinnamon Rolls recipe with a hint of coffee flavoring is a nice change from regular cinnamon rolls. They are always a hit. The frosting is especially delicious and I usually double the recipe. The Petite Sticky Buns are delish and so easy the kids can help. Enjoy!

CAPPUCCINO CINNAMON ROLLS

ROLLS
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
(I use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise)
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3/4 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING
1/4 cup butter, melted (set aside)
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


ICING
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cappuccino mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the warm milk, buttermilk, sugar, butter, salt and 4 cups flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft
dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about
6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the
top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; turn onto a floured surface. Roll into an 18-in. x
12-in. rectangle; brush with butter. Combine the brown sugar, coffee
granules and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of
edges.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to
seal. Cut into 12 slices. Place rolls, cut side down, in a greased
13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about
30 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 22-28 minutes or until golden brown. Place pan
on a wire rack. In a small bowl, beat the icing ingredients until
smooth. Spread over warm rolls. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

PETITE STICKY BUNS

Buns
3 to 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 egg

TOPPING
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, cubed
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Directions
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a
small saucepan, heat the milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add
to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until
smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough (dough
will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place
until doubled, about an hour.

In a small saucepan over low heat, cook topping ingredients until butter is melted. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into 24 well-greased muffin cups.

Stir dough down. Fill greased muffin cups half full. Cover and let
rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Place muffin cups on foil-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for
12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before
inverting onto baking sheets. Transfer to serving platters. Serve
warm. Yield: 2 dozen.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.

Sweet Valentine's Day Treats

2/8/12 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

In case you haven’t noticed—it’s still winter. And just last week Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair, saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of cold, nasty weather.

Phil’s famous Groundhog Day revelation is a strictly tongue-in-cheek event. It suggests that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 (the Christian date of Candlemass), winter will last another six weeks. Conversely, if no shadow is seen, spring will come early.

Since 1886 Phil and a multitude of cousins have been attracting crowds hoping for an early spring. So far they’ve only predicted a short winter about 16 times. This isn’t one of those years.

But hold on. Don’t despair. Better days are coming. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Soon bright, red foil covered chocolates will start blooming in gift cards and boxes—like crocus’ in flower beds—to offset these dreary winter blues.

Much has been written about why we celebrate Valentine’s Day. The reasons range from honoring the Roman God of Fertility to the Aztec’s love of chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Personally, I think it’s a mixed bag of traditions that have evolved over centuries.

As a kid, I remember eagerly awaiting Valentine’s Day. In elementary school we decorated shoeboxes with doilies, hearts and flowers, in anticipation of all the valentine cards and candy hearts we would receive. After the card exchange, we took them home and cherished them for weeks. The day was a celebration of friendship, innocence and joy.

Today with our kids all grown up and our grandsons living far away, our celebrations are still simple. My husband and I exchange funny, silly or sweet cards. He brings me a bouquet of flowers and I make him a favorite dessert. Unlike newspaper or magazine ads, no diamonds or new cars are involved.

Our dessert preferences are distinctly different. He loves cheesecake (I don’t) and I love chocolate (he prefers cheesecake). That problem is easily solved. He brings me chocolates and I make him a cheesecake. Sometimes a chocolate cheesecake.

But this year I have a new recipe for a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. And except for the topping, it won’t taste like chocolate. Instead, the so-called ‘white chocolate’ is a creamy, sweet confection with a strong flavor of milk and vanilla.

Now if you have a yen for chocolate cake, I’m including the recipe for Hershey’s famous Perfectly Chocolate Cake and frosting. You’ll like them both. Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

The Crust
1/2 package vanilla wafers crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter melted

The Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese cubed, soft
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour, all-purpose
5 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 pound white chocolate
1 pint raspberries fresh

Topping
1/2 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Mix crust ingredients and press into bottom of 9 inch springform pan. A little oil on your fingers helps to keep the crust from sticking to your fingers. Bake at 350° degrees F for 8 minutes. Let Cool.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour in large bowl with heavy duty mixer until very smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, only until blended. Stir in milk, then white chocolate, by hand.

Grease sides of prepared pan and pour in half of cheesecake mixer. Sprinkle with half of raspberries. Repeat with remaining cheesecake batter and raspberries, pressing the second layer of raspberries down into the batter so they don’t dry out in the oven.

Bake at 375° degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 235° degrees F and continue baking for one hour and thirty minutes or until done. Center will no longer be sticky but will not appear cooked. It will firm up upon cooling.

Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Remove from pan.

Mix together topping ingredients and heat in microwave Spread cooled cake with chocolate and let stand until firm. Decorate with whipped cream, chocolate curls and raspberries and serve.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE"

CHOCOLATE CAKE

10 to 12 servings.

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely and frost as follows.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

VARIATIONS: ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.

Super Bowl Snacks

2/1/12 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

It’s coming! This Sunday, Super Bowl XLVI will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Kickoff for this much anticipated Giants-Patriots rematch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Pacific time on NBC.

Already? The Super Bowl? Yikes! How can that be? Didn’t we just celebrate the Rose Bowl? (Go, Ducks!)

Nevertheless, the Super Bowl looms and it’s time to start thinking what to serve the hungry hordes. Leafing through recipe ideas led me to a dead end: Chips, dips and other boring stuff.

So I got nosy and checked out Super Bowl party recipes around the country. I finally struck pay dirt in The Indianapolis Star newspaper. Just in the nick of time they published some recipes from Greg Hardesty. He is the lead chef for the Taste of the NFL fundraising event the night before the Super Bowl.

Chef Hardesty’s recipes will spice up any Super Bowl party. They include an interesting potato ‘nacho’ with a salmon and white bean topping; a celery heart salad topped with chicken ‘lollipops’ and a simple but elegant Buffalo Chicken Wrap.

At first glance the recipes seemed a bit complicated with too much to do at the last minute. But really, most of the prep work can be done early and assembled at the last minute. The potatoes for the ‘nachos’ can be sliced in advance and covered with cold water (drain and pat dry before cooking). The chicken ‘lollipops’ can be prepared in advance and re-heated; also the filling for the lettuce wraps.

Enjoy the game and the food!

IDAHO POTATO 'NACHOS'

Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings

10 medium Idaho potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (20-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sour cream
24 slices (about 1 pound) smoked salmon, chopped
2 to 3 jalapenos, seeds removed and diced
1 small red onion, diced
12 large green olives, chopped
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 cup Cotija cheese (or other cheese, such as feta or mozzarella)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
6 to 8 red radishes, julienned

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil. (The remainder of the oil will be used later.) Season potatoes lightly with salt and pepper. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes, until tender and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Place beans and sour cream into a food processor. Pulse machine 8 to 10 times to lightly mash up the beans. Transfer beans to a bowl. Stir in the salmon, jalapenos, onions, olives and tortilla chips. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place 2 large ovenproof sauté pans over high heat and add a bit of the remaining olive oil to both pans and sauté potatoes on one side until very crisp. Turn potatoes over and top each "potato nacho" with a heaping tablespoon of the salmon bean mixture. Sprinkle the Cotija cheese over the top of the nachos and place sauté pans into the oven. Bake 3 to 4 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted.

Remove potatoes to a platter; top each with cilantro and radishes. Squeeze lime juice over the top, and serve immediately.

CHICKEN WINGS WITH CELERY HEART

AND MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Serves 4

2 cups celery hearts, sliced thinly on the bias
1/4 cup carrots, finely julienned
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
8 grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
24 to 32 chicken wingettes (two bone portions of the wing)
2 teaspoons peanut oil, per batch of wings cooked
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
3 or 4 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Red Hot or Texas Pete

For salad, toss celery, carrots, parsley and grape tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 salad plates. Sprinkle cheese over each salad equally.

For wings and sauce, pull the skin down from the wings, starting where the wing tip connects to the wingette. Pull the thinner or skinnier bone out, creating a "lollipop" of chicken with the remaining larger bone.

Bring peanut oil to medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook chicken in several batches, seasoning the chicken lollipops with salt and pepper. Sauté in the oil about 3-1/2 to 4 minutes per side or until crisp and cooked through.

Meanwhile, place chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce stock by just over half. Remove from heat and swirl in butter and hot sauce. Add chicken wings and toss to coat. Remove and place 6 to 8 wings on each plate with the salad.

BUFFALO CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Red Hot or Texas Pete)
1/2 stick butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and cut into 1-inch cubes
16 to 20 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried
6 to 8 ribs celery hearts, diced
2 small carrots, peeled and shredded
1 cup high-quality blue cheese crumbles

Bring the chicken stock and hot sauce to a boil over high heat. Add the butter, cube by cube, to the sauce and whisk until the butter is incorporated. Add the chicken to the boiling mixture, and heat through until chicken is hot.

Place the open lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Divide the chicken and sauce among the lettuce leaves. Top with celery hearts, carrot shreds and blue cheese. Roll and serve immediately.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!

 Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.