Cinnamon Rolls (aka Melt in your Mouth Heart Attacks)

Seriously, from dough, to filling, to frosting, this recipe took 7 STICKS of butter!

Ready for the oven

I recently lost 12 pounds on my mission to shed 40 and I'm convinced that just ONE of these cinnamon rolls would put all 12 of those pounds and then some right back on me. That's why I repeat this mantra when I look at them...

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, melted

1 Tablespoon salt

5 eggs

½ cup milk

2 Tablespoons yeast

2 and ½ cup warm water

12 cups flour

Filling:

1 and ½ cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon (I doubled that)

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

2 Tablespoons water

For Dough: Dissolve yeast in warm water. 

Mix sugar, salt and butter. Add eggs and milk and beat well. 

 

Add yeast mixture; mix in flour. Knead to make smooth elastic dough. 

Let rise until double. 

Divide dough in half. 

Roll one half into a rectangle ¼ inch thick. 

My little helper

Cover with filling. 

Roll up (starting with long edge) and slice into 1 inch rolls. 

Put a little filling into the pans and place rolls in pan.

 Let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

The two in the back are covered with cream cheese frosting and the two in front are covered with caramel frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar

4 ounces cream cheese

½ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 Tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients together and frost cooled cinnamon rolls.

Butter Cookie Cream Cheese Fruit Bars

I took these bars to the Sadie Rose Foundation memorial picnic and balloon release too. Sorry about the long name for them, but they are a made-up recipe, using some of my favorite things. I started by using my favorite butter cookie recipe from Deer Valley Ranch, where I was one of many "kitchen chics." There, we made these buttery cookies and served them with a dip of strawberry ice cream for lunch-time dessert.

As you might notice, I forgot to take a picture before my friend, Zena, and I tried them out.

For these bars, I used that "Wonderful Butter Cookie" recipe and spread the dough in a greased 9X13 pan. I baked it as a crust, then spread a layer of Wildtree's Lemon Lime Cheesecake (prepared) and topped it off with fresh blueberries and raspberries. (If you want to make this recipe without the lemon lime cheesecake filling, simply prepare the filling recipe below without adding the cheesecake blend and it will still be a tasty dessert.)There were no leftovers from the picnic and I plan to make them again for our family camping trip this weekend.

Wonderful Butter Cookies

Recipe from Deer Valley Ranch

1/2 cup shortening (I use all butter)

1/2 cup butter (so I use 1 cup butter total and no shortening)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 and 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring)

Butter cookie crust

Method: Mix all together. Roll in 1-inch balls, roll ball on sugar and press down lightly with a fork. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. DO NOT over-bake or wait for them to turn "brown." These are easy to over-bake.

For the dessert pictured above, make the cookie dough recipe and spread into 9X13 greased pan. SPrinkle the granulated sugar over top of crust. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Again, do not over-bake. Cool completely. 

Topped with filling and ready for the berries

The filling ready to be spread onto cooled crust

For Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 teaspoons Wildtree's Lemon Lime Cheesecake Blend

1 cup heavy whipping cream (beat with splash of vanilla and 2 Tablespoons sugar until mixture forms soft peaks) 

Mix all together and spread over top of cooled butter cookie crust. 

Top with fresh blueberries and raspberries.