Falafel Pita and Its Many Toppings

Falafel Balls

The other day I had the most delicious falafel pita from a restaurant near where I live. Within the pita I added Israeli salad (tomatoes, cucumbers and onions dressed in lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper), tahini (sesame paste), hummus, lettuce and pickles.

Although this sounds scrumptious, you are probably wondering what falafel is. Originating in the Middle East, falafel is described as fried chickpeas and can be served as a patty or in ball form. It is often served in a pita, but can be put on as a salad topping or on flatbread. Falafel itself does not have much flavor, which is why it is often paired up with other toppings or side dishes.

Since I am always looking for new things to cook or bake, it got me thinking of how I can make this meal in the comfort of my kitchen. You could pick up all the ingredients up at the store depending on how much time and effort you would like to put into making this dish. If you do have the time, try and make everything from scratch. Food always tastes better when it comes out of your own kitchen :-). 

Here are my suggestions for making this meal:

• Morning Star makes a great falafel ball or you can make it from scratch. Here is one recipe to use: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755
• For Israeli salad, I do not use any specific measurements. I just chop up the cucumbers, tomatoes and onions and add as needed. The same goes with the lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper for the dressing.
• Sabra hummus is the brand I use.  I like the variety of flavors they offer such as garlic or peppers. When you open the hummus you just need to mix the flavoring in since it is placed on top of the hummus.
• In addition to the toppings mentioned above, you can also add olives (green, black, Greek or calimata), red cabbage, coleslaw and sauerkraut. 
• Rice, couscous, French fries and sweet potato fries are all great side dishes to pair with falafel. 

If you are looking to spice up your dinner or need a unique idea for a party, falafel pitas are the way to go. These are also great dishes for people with food allergies since these can be made gluten, dairy and nut free. 

Tea Types and Flavors

Many people prefer tea to coffee due to teas high level on antioxidants and low caffeine content. One of the many reasons I myself am a tea drinker.  As an avid tea drinker, people ask me the differences between the assortments of teas they come across.  Although all teas come from the same basic plant, Camellia sinensis, their differences lie in their growing conditions, processing and geography.

Teas are grouped into several different categories, but three of the most popular are green tea, white tea and black tea.

Green Tea – This type of tea is minimally processed and therefore reportedly provides a high level of antioxidants (University of Maryland Medical School).  Antioxidants rid the body of any harmful free radicals, damaging compounds that can harm cells in the body.  The polyphenols in green tea assist in neutralizing the free radicals in our body, and may even reduce or prevent some of the damage from free radicals.

When the tealeaves are harvested, they are briefly steamed which prevents them from fermenting and changing colors. Once the leaves have been steamed, they are spread out and dried with hot air until the leaves are crisp (George Mateljan Foundation). The result is a yellowish-green color tea we are used to seeing and where the astringent taste of green tea comes from. 

White Tea – White tea is the purest of all teas. The leaves are steamed and dried which result in a high level of antioxidants due to the minimal processing. Additionally, white tea has less caffeine then green tea or black tea and much less caffeine then coffee. This tea is a great choice for people who are looking to reduce caffeine. White tea has a delicate, sweet taste that does not overwhelm your taste palate.

Black Tea – Black tea goes through a higher fermentation process resulting in a stronger flavor then green tea or white tea. Processing black tea is a complex process. It involves removing approximately one-third of their moisture rendering the leaves soft and supple, breaking the cell wall to release essential juices for fermentation and keeping the leaves under high humidity to promote fermentation (George Mateljan Foundation). This will turn the leaves a darkish brown, developing the strong black tea flavor.


For those of you who are not tea drinkers, I recommend starting off with a tea that does not have a strong flavor. White tea is usually a good choice. Tea can be an acquired taste and too strong of a flavor can sometimes turn people off. 

What’s In an Espresso Chocolate Bar?

Espresso is known as high caffeine drink, designed to help keep us awake when we are half asleep. However, espresso has another side that does not involve a liquid form. This variety of espresso comes in the form of a chocolate bar for your baking needs.

I came across the idea of using espresso when I was baking double chocolate chip cookies. I was running low on chocolate chips and didn’t have nearly enough to satisfy the recipe requirements. Instead of running out to the store, I decided to rummage through the cabinets to see if there was something else I could use. Hidden in the back of one of the cabinets, and luckily, not expired, was an espresso chocolate bar.

Since I still need approximately ½ cup of chocolate chips, I decided to chop the espresso chocolate bar into very small pieces. I didn’t want anyone to notice there was something different about the cookies until they bit into them. I was pleasantly surprised that the cookies came out as good as they did. The espresso added that extra kick you don’t normally get in cookies.

If you would like to use an espresso chocolate bar in your cookie recipe, you can either halve the amount of chocolate chips to make it 50-50 or make it 75-25 depending on how strong you like espresso. Since espresso has a strong flavor I would be careful of how much you put into your batter. Too strong of a flavor might turn people off especially if they are not coffee drinkers.

Espresso also works well in brownies, cakes, muffins and cupcakes. So if you are looking for that extra kick, chop up some espresso chocolate bar and add it to your favorite batter. You will keep your audience guessing on what the mystery ingredient is. 

Zucchini Bread

In my household we prefer to grow as many fruits and vegetables as we can. This year’s crop included blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  For some reason we had an abundance of zucchini this year. So much so that we were trying to figure out what exactly you can make with zucchini. We decided to make a couple of loafs of zucchini bread since you can always freeze the extra loaf to eat at a later date.

What I love most about zucchini bread is that you can add almost anything you want to it. I added walnuts or pecans to add an extra crunch to the batter. You can also put in chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins if you are looking for a little more sweetness. There are also several spices that mix well together like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Zucchini Batter Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon baking soda

1-teaspoon baking powder

3-teaspoon ground cinnamon

3-teaspoons of nutmeg (optional)

3 eggs (or 1 egg and 1/3 cup egg whites)

1-cup vegetable or canola oil

2-¼ cup sugar

3-teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1-cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1-cup chocolate chips (optional)

Zucchini  Bread Batter

Directions

Grease two 8 by 4 inch pans. I used a 9 ¼ by 5 ¼ by 2-¾ inch pan greased with butter and flour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowel.

Beat eggs, oil vanilla and sugar together in a large bowel. Add sifted ingredients to the mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Inserting a toothpick in the center to determine if the zucchini bread is done. The toothpick will come out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan and completely cool.

Zucchini Bread 

Coca Cola Cupcakes

My brother is always asking me to bake his favorite cookies, brownies or cupcakes. A few days ago my brother brought a Coca Cola cupcake recipe to my attention. Putting soda in cupcakes was something different, but having experiences of cooking with Coca Cola, I knew that the soda does add sweetness to whatever you are cooking. I figured I would give the recipe a shot.

The one concern I had with this recipe was that it might add too much sweetness since the recipe also calls for sugar and coco powder. To my surprise, the cupcakes were not overly sweet and tasted great. The Coca Cola added that extra something to the cupcake. 

Cupcakes Batter

2 cups Coca Cola (do not use diet!)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs 

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Whipped Cream Frosting 

1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: Maraschino cherries (for topping)

Whipped Cream Frosting 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat the Coca Cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners/tin and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag with a 5B star tip.  In a circular motion, pipe on whipped cream and top with one cherry. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a knife or or place the frosting in a plastic bag and cut the tip to frost the cupcakes. 

Coca Cola Cupcake with Whipped Cream Frosting

I did experience some trouble getting the whip cream frosting to thicken up. There are several reasons as to why the whip cream frosting didn’t thicken up including not beating the batter long enough or the mixer was not on a high enough speed. To remedy this problem I added in three to four tablespoons of cream cheese and about three tablespoons of cream of tartar. The cream of tartar helps stabilize the whip cream frosting.

Thank you to acozykitchen.com for sharing this delicious recipe!

Got Smoothie?

Smoothies are the perfect cold summer drink. They are healthy and refreshing, helping you get your daily vitamins and minerals, depending on what ingredients you use. Just beware that smoothies made at smoothie places or restaurants may not be as healthy as you would like to believe. They often contain large amounts of sugar and very little fruit, juice or yogurt. Making them from scratch is a sure fire way to guarantee a healthy beverage and know what exactly is going into your smoothie.

My personal favorite smoothies are peanut butter banana smoothies and strawberry mango smoothies. Below are the recipes I use. 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

One banana

Three to four tablespoons of peanut butter

½ cup of milk

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together. 

What I like most about this smoothie recipe is the peanut butter and milk provides protein that keeps you full for several hours. It is also great for a breakfast on the go.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Three to four strawberries de-stemmed

½ of a mango, peeled and cut

½ cup milk

One six-ounce container of plain yogurt

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together. 

Brownie Pie

I’ve discovered a new use for brownies – brownie pie. Brownie pies consist of a piecrust, brownie batter and the topping(s) of your choosing.  Although you have to make and bake the brownie batter, there are endless opportunities of what you can do with the brownies once they are created.

One brownie pie idea is brownie ice cream pie.  First you need to select the ice cream that you would like to use. You can also throw in chocolate chips, M & Ms or other candies if you so choose. Here’s how you would create the brownie ice cream pie:

1 nine-inch pie shell

Brownie batter or brownie mix

1.5 quart of ice cream

¼ cup candy of your choosing

¼ cup hot fudge or syrup for topping

Whipped Cream

In mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, coca, salt and baking powder. Combine oil, eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Put the brownie batter in the piecrust and bake from 25-27 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Once the brownies are cooled, place the ice cream on top of the brownie and freeze until the ice cream is hardened.  Take the pie out a few minutes before you are ready to serve.  Before serving the brownie, I recommend drizzling hot fudge or syrup topped with whipped cream over the pie.

If you are looking for a quick brownie ice cream pie, you can get pre-packaged brownies. Just be sure to push the brownies down and spread them out evenly in the piecrust.

If you are hosting a get together, mini pie trays are a great dessert idea. It gives your guest a choice of desserts. You can create s ‘mores brownies, brownies with nuts, brownies with candy and the list goes on. For s ‘mores brownies you need to cook the brownie batter for about 18 to 20 minutes. Take the pie out and put the marshmallows on top to cook for the remaining 5 minutes. Once the pie is cooled, drizzle some chocolate over the pie and enjoy! 

Jell-O and its Many Shapes

The other day I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal talking about sculpting Jell-O into a variety of shapes and colors. This got me thinking about how versatile Jell-O. You don’t need an oven so it’s great for the summer months; they come in sugar-free and have a variety of flavors that fit almost anyone’s taste.


Think about it. Who would want to turn on a hot oven in sweltering 90 degree heat? As much as I love to bake, I do not want to make the house any hotter. This is where Jell-O desserts and snacks comes in. 

Jell-O molds come in all types of shapes so they are perfect for any occasion, ranging from fun things like zombie brains to hearts, stars and Tupperware models for drinks. Jell-O is also a great project if you are looking for something to do with kids. There isn’t too much mess, and is a healthy alternative to ice cream and cookies. 


All you need to do is check the web or your local home goods store for Jell-O molds, pick up a variety of flavors and you are on your way to crafting a delicious Jell-O dessert. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am a huge fan of red velvet cake. I absolutely love the cream cheese frosting and the taste of biting into a piece of red velvet cake. I don't know how to explain it, but there is just something about the texture and flavors that really gets to me. With this in mind, I decided to combine my love of the cupcakes and red velvet cake to create red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

This recipe turned out great. My family and friends loved them. The sour cream in the frosting really added a nice kick to the flavor. The only downside to the cupcakes was that I did not put enough batter in the cupcake tins. They turned out a little smaller than I hoped. The recipe and frosting also took a little longer to make than I thought, but the results were definitely worth the extra time.

Prep Time: ~20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Servings: 30

Batter

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1-cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-cup sour cream

½ cup milk

1 (1 ounce) bottle of red food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Red velvet batter

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (16 ounce) box of confectioners’ sugar

Cream cheese frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat.

Spoon batter into 30 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Prepared and ready to be baked

The final product

This recipe came from www.allrecipes.com

Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes

Over the weekend I was helping prepare brunch for several people. We decided to serve pancakes and fruit, but had to accommodate a few of the guests who have gluten allergies. Since people with gluten allergies cannot have any wheat ingredients, we had to come up with an alternative pancake recipe that everyone would love. 

After talking to a few of the guests, one of them lent us a gluten-free oatmeal pancake recipe that she promised would taste great. She was right.  The pancakes tasted amazing. The oatmeal really adds that extra something. Everyone loved the pancakes with a request that they be made on a regular basis.

Ingredients

3/4 cup gluten free quick rolled oats

 1 cup nonfat mils

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea alt

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
In a small saucepan heat milk till hot; stir in oats; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine oat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add oat-milk mixture.

In a small bowl combine egg yolks and cooking oil; add all at once to flour-oat mixture, stirring just till combined.

In another bowl beat egg white till stiff peaks form; fold into the batter. 





For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook till golden brown, turning to cook other side when pancake has a bubbly surface and slightly dry edges.

Use a 1/4 cup measure as a handy scoop for transferring pancake batter from the bowl to the griddle. If you want smaller pancakes, switch to a 1 tablespoon measure. That will put just the right amount of batter on the griddle for dollar-size pancakes. Makes 12 pancakes.







This recipe came from http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_details.php?rid-236

As a side note, oatmeal pancakes take a little longer to cook then regular pancakes. Be sure to check the middle before serving.

If you are looking for gluten-free pancakes or just pancakes in general, oatmeal pancakes are the way to go. Everyone will surely enjoy this pancake twist.

Black and White Cupcakes

Continuing on my quest to bake the perfect cupcake, I wanted to bake a black and white cupcake. I also knew I didn’t want a recipe that used white chocolate as the white part of the cupcake. I was looking for something creamier, something like cream cheese. Knowing what I was looking for in a recipe, I set out to find the perfect black and white cupcake recipe. After much research, I came across the following black and white cupcake recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Cupcake Batter

Chocolate Chip Filling

8 ounces cream cheese 

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

8 ounces milk chocolate chips

Chocolate Chip Filling

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the first five ingredients. In another bowl, beat together water, oil and vanilla. Gradually add to the dry ingredients, stirring until well blended. Fill 18 cupcake liners half full of batter. Beat the filling ingredients and put a tablespoon of the filling on each cupcake, on top of the chocolate batter.

Prepared and ready to go into the oven

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes

Baked and ready to eat

This recipe came from http://www.food.com/recipe/black-and-white-cupcakes-149076

I made these cupcakes the day before a family get together, giving me the perfect opportunity to have several people taste the cupcakes. Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes saying the cream cheese gave the cupcakes an interesting texture. The cupcakes also came out very moist. The only change I would make to this recipe is mixing the chocolate chip filling into the batter instead of putting a tablespoon on top. I think this would give the black and white cupcakes a more even taste. 

Ice Cream Cake - What's Your Flavor?

With Father’s Day this past weekend, many of us were celebrating with a variety of desserts. In my house, we choose to go with a simple ice cream cake that said Happy Father’s Day. It was a small, round chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake with cookie crumbs in the middle. Vanilla frosting covered the outer part of the cake with a little blue design decorating one side on top of the cake.

Many people think ice cream cake can be difficult to make, but that is not the case. All you need is a few basic ingredients and a springform pan. Below is a simple ice cream cake recipe that can be made in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Ingredients

1 (18 ounce) package small chocolate chip cookies

1/4 cup margarine, melted

1 cup hot fudge topping

2 quarts vanilla ice cream

1 cup whipped cream

12 cherries (or other fruit or topping of your choice)

Directions

1.      Crush half the cookies (about 20) to make crumbs. Combine crumbs with melted margarine and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Stand remaining cookies around edge of pan. Spread 3/4 cup fudge topping over crust. Freeze 15 minutes.

2.      Meanwhile, soften 1 quart of ice cream in microwave or on countertop. After crust has chilled, spread softened ice cream over fudge layer. Freeze 30 minutes.

3.      Scoop remaining quart of ice cream into balls and arrange over spread ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with remainder of fudge topping, whipped cream and cherries.

This recipe can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-chip-cookie-ice-cream-cake/detail.aspx

What I like about this recipe is you can change up the ice cream flavor, as well as the fruit or other toppings you choose to decorate the cake with. You can also easily add two or three layers to this cake if you would like to use a variety of ice cream flavors.

Dark Chocolate Mint Three Musketeers Cookies

My office was having a potluck recently and I wanted to bring in something that was not only unique, but something that people may not have had before. For the potluck, I decided to bake Three Musketeer cookies, using the dark chocolate mint Three Musketeers mini bars.

I have been baking chocolate chips cookies for many years now. It gets repetitive when you make the same desserts over and over again. Dark Chocolate Mint Three Musketeers cookies allowed me to combine my love of dark chocolate and mint with my love of cookies. It also gave me an opportunity to expand my knowledge about baking with candy.

Making Dark Chocolate Mint Three Musketeers cookies isn’t that complicated. You just need a basic cookie recipe, as well as chopping up three-quarters of a bag of Dark Chocolate Mint Three Musketeers minis. Once you unwrap the mini bars, cut them into fours and place them in a separate bowl. You add them in at the end of the recipe just as you would with chocolate chips. 

Preparing to make the batter

Waiting to go into the oven

When you take them off the cookie sheet, just be aware that the mint from the candy bar may stick to the bottom of the tray. Use caution when taking the cookies off the cookie sheet or they may break. 

The final product

The team that I work with ate the cookies before the potluck even started. Although a few people at the potluck were disappointed that they didn’t get to try the cookies, I’m just glad that the people on my team enjoyed them.  

The Wonders of Homemade Pizza

Every now and then I like to write about cooking ideas outside my normal realm of baking. Today, I am going to focus on homemade pizza, a classic dinner item that we all love. The key to a successful homemade pizza lies within the dough and the quality of ingredients you use.  The dough recipe I use has been successful every time I’ve made it.  Just make sure the oven is up to temperature. Otherwise the pizza may not come out as crunchy as you would like it.

Pizza Dough Recipe

4-½ cups unbleached flour (I use 50 percent all-purpose flour and 50 percent bread flour.)

1 ¾ teaspoons salt

1-teaspoon instant yeast

¼ cup olive oil

1-¾ cups ice cold water

You need a mixer to assist you in preparing the pizza dough. Stir flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Stir in olive oil and cold water on low speed until smooth. Mix on medium for five to seven minutes. You do not have to let the dough rise. Stick it in the fridge to enjoy it that night or in the freezer to enjoy at a later date. The dough freezes well. 

Preparing to roll out and start decorating the pizza

Homemade pizza allows you to dress your pizza anyway you like it without the extra cost. A favorite in my house is vegetable pizza containing mushrooms, black olives, pimento olives, roasted red peppers and red onions. I try and buy the vegetables pre-sliced like the mushrooms and black olives, making it easier to prepare and place on the pizza. I don’t mind cutting up a few of the ingredients, but it can be time consuming to prepare and chop so many vegetables.

Another benefit to homemade pizza is using whatever kind of cheese you like. We’ve used the basic mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, as well as Swiss cheese, three cheddar cheese blends and six cheese blends. Cheese blends usually contain a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss cheese and a variety of other cheeses depending on the brand you buy.

Spices are an essential part of any pizza. I love pizzas that have a variety of spices on them. Whenever I ordered pizza, I am always adding garlic powder, onion powder and oregano or Mrs. Dash, which has a combination of spices in one bottle.  However, when I am making homemade pizza I can take all these spices and bake them right into the pizza that makes the pizza taste even better. 

The final product, yummy cheese pizza.  

Everyone has a favorite pizza topping, what’s yours?

Ooey Gooey Cinnabons

Cinnabons are one of those treats that you can eat for breakfast or have as a mid-afternoon snack. Sticky and messy, cinnabuns ooze warm cinnamon and frosting when served hot out of the oven. In my opinion, this is the only way eat them.  Most people are familiar with the Cinnabon stands in food courts and rest stops throughout the country, as well as the numerous companies who make and ship them to most of our supermarkets. 


Cinnabons can now be made in the comfort of our own kitchens at half the price. All you need is a few basic ingredients and you are good to go. Below is one recipe that I found to be simple and straightforward with great results. 


Batter

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 
2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (3.5 Oz)

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 8 cups flour

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 5 each 8 or 9 Inch Square Baking Pans

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of maple syrup

Toppings 

• 2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preparations

1. In small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. Yeast should bubble. In large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Mix until slightly thickened. Add butter, eggs, salt; mix well. Add yeast. Blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth. 
2. Place in large greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm draft free place until double in size, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again, about 45 minutes. On lightly floured surface, roll out to 34" x 21" rectangle. Spread 1/2 c melted butter over surface. 
3. In small bowl, mix topping (brown sugar and cinnamon). Sprinkle over top of dough. Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll up very tightly. With a knife, put a notch every 2 inches. With string or thread place under roll by notch and cross cross over to cut roll. 
4. Place 4 rolls into each baking pan, 2" apart. Cover and let rise in warm draft free place until double. Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes, remove when golden brown. 
5. Combine all frosting ingredients and mix until smooth. Spread on warm rolls. Serve warm.

This recipe came from: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/354/Cinnabon_Rolls1576.shtml

If you do not have the time to make cinnabons, there are several store bought options to choose from. Although nothing is as good as home baked treats, I recommend baking Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. When I was in college I used to love making cinnabuns for breakfast or for a snack while I was studying. I’ve tried a few brands and Pillsbury tasted the best. They also kept well for a few days after orginally baking them. What I liked about the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls is that the rolls tasted almost like they were fresh out of a bakery, all warm and gooey. As a college student you want home made food or as close to home made as you are going to get. When reheated the next day, the rolls still have a somewhat fresh taste to them and were not dried out or stale.