Take a Megabite

Banket {Almond Roll}

I’m a bit Dutch. That directly relates to me choosing the Netherlands for my 6th grade project. We could choose any country. My mom made Banket for me to set out for people to taste what the Dutch are all about. So there you go.

We only got this on special occasions in my family. We tried to keep it real.

A rich almond center + a flakey crust = a dreamy almond-y pastry.

What I’m trying to say is:

Banket {makes four 12-inch rolls}
Recipe from Eet Smakelijk (Cookbook title means “Eat-Tasty”. Cute, eh?)

Ingredients:

filling + glaze -

• 1 cup almond paste
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg, separated
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

crust -

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter, cold
• 1/4 cup water + 1 T if needed

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place almond paste, sugar, egg, egg yolk and corn starch in a medium bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes.
2. Make crust. Cut cold butter into flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use a pastry blender, fork or your hands. Add 1/4 cup water and stir toughly with a wooden spoon until barely any loose flour remains. If it’s still too dry drizzle in an additional tablespoon of water and stir  again. Press together and place onto a floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rectangle about 4 inches wide and 13 inches long. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
3. Make filling. Using an electric mixer beat the almond paste, sugar, egg, egg yolk and corn starch until mixed thoroughly. Pipe a dime width cylinder of filling down the center of each rectangle of dough leaving an inch at each end. Fold over the ends followed by the long sides, moistening one side to seal before pressing together.
4. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Prick holes on top with a fork and brush with a beaten egg white.
5. Bake for 14 minutes at 400°F. Turn the temperature down to 325°F and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until light brown and flakey.
6. Slice into small rectangles and enjoy at least 3 right away.

Just a casual young Dutch lady.

Mrs. Fields Cookies {My Favorite}

So these cookies are called Mrs. Fields cookies, but my mom refers to them as Megan’s Cookies. These are my most favorite and I hadn’t made them until now because I didn’t have a blender for the oatmeal! Ok… I’ve had a blender since last summer, so what’s my problem? Well, one of my friends is having a birthday today and he love love loves oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. So there you go. I made him the best ones.

P.S. After work today I’m out. Out of chocolate chips. Out of town. Out of Michigan. Driving up a storm. I’ll be back Sunday and depending on the time I get back… I’ll bake something for you.

P.P.S. Look at this dough! It’s packed with semisweet chocolate chips, grated milk chocolate and ground oatmeal. These are my favorite, and you guys are my favorites. You totally deserve these in your life!

Mrs. Fields Cookies {makes about 6 dozen}
Recipe from Mrs. Field’s + Mrs. DeCookie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 cups ground oatmeal*
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz. grated milk chocolate

* Put the oatmeal in a blender until coarsely ground.

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.
2. In another medium bowl whisk together the flour, ground oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Beat into the sugar and egg mixture until all mixed together. With a wooden spoon, and using some muscle,  stir the chocolate chips and grated chocolate into the dough.
3. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes or until golden on top and set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then maybe eat them for dinner, or give them to a hip friend of yours for their birthday.

I’m so full because I had to sample the dough f’sho.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

Rosemary in a cookie is equivalent to a cookie in a party dress. It’s just how it is.

The shrubs outside my windows look like rosemary. One of them is growing wider and trying to block my front door. It might be happening right now. Maybe if it was rosemary I wouldn’t feel as though I’m being bullied by a shrub.

When I baked the first cookie sheet’s worth of these guys, I put the dough too close together (kinda like that picture below…). So keep in mind they will spread out a little bit while baking.

Although, Jake says that when cookies spread while baking and run into another one it’s called a “kissing crust”. I guess it makes me not mind so much when it happens. They’re just in love. And I’m just in love with these cookies.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread
Recipe [cut in half] from Eat Boutique

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (6 oz.), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1 1/2 t chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment) cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Mix until combined.
2. In a small bowl whisk flour and salt together. Slowly add this to the butter mixture, mixing until completely incorporated. Add the rosemary and beat until evenly distributed.
   
3. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a small cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, rotating half way through. They will be just golden around the edges. Watch them closely, since they can bake quickly at the end. Transfer to your belly.

Mini Baguettes

I like Saturdays to be my bread baking day.

I try to put off lunch until bread comes out of the oven. Then I simply slice the warm bread (too soon) and butter one slice and spoon strawberry jam on the other … and there you go. Lunch. Carb-style. Get carby with it, already.

I made these mini baguettes with a sandwich in mind. A hip sandwich that would like nothing more than making my weekday lunch worth eating. Picture it. A mini baguette layered with mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes and proscuitto. I think it sounds like a dream. What do YOU think?

Mini Baguettes
Recipe adapted from The Thrifty Gourmet

Ingredients

• 1 t active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water, divided
• 1 t sugar
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 t salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
2. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon. Pour the yeast water into the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water until you obtain a dough ball that detaches from the the edges of the bowl when stirred. The dough will be a little bit sticky. (If the dough is too sticky add a small handful of flour, and if it’s too dry add more warm water a tablespoon at a time, or until it reaches desired consistency.) Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes or until smooth. Spray a medium bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rise until double in size, about 1-2 hours.
   
3. After the dough has doubled in size transfer to a floured surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Gently stretch each piece and roll to form a log. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Starting with the first log you shaped, elongate each baguette by rolling it back and forth until it reaches the desired length.
4. Place the mini baguettes on a lightly floured baking sheet. Make 2 diagonal slashes across each loaf with a sharp knife and lightly dust with flour. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 40-60 minutes or until the baguettes are plump
5. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place an empty cake pan in the bottom rack. Just before placing the bread in the oven pour 2 cups of warm water into the cake pan. This will create steam in the oven where the baguettes are baking and make sure they are crusty and light. Bake for 10 minute (rotating half way through). The bread will be golden and fabulous.

Oh Elliot. I can’t share one of these with you! I just can’t.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

I saw a guy eating nachos over the weekend. Then I saw that same guy dunking tortilla chips in ketchup instead of nacho cheese. Ketchup people? That’s just gross.

These cupcakes, on the other hand, are the opposite of gross. Even people who think bananas are gross, love these. At least one lovely banana-hater that I know, sure loved her cupcake despite the whole banana-hating thing.

So it turns out the art director I’ve been working with is moving on, and her last day of work was yesterday. She’s the kind of girl who loves banana everything … banana cream pie, banana boats, a pancake loving nannerpuss and roasted banana cupcakes. So there you go… So just for her, I made these cupcakes!

These cupcakes have a way of disappearing. You’ll take one bite, thinking you’re going to save the rest for later, but you’ll find yourself sitting there with a crumb covered cupcake paper and a sheepish face. It’ll happen… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes
Recipes for both cupcakes and frosting from: Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 t pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. The peels will darken (like below). Remove from oven and allow to cool before peeling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
   
2. Line a regular muffin tin or two with 16 paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream. Beat until just combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites to soft peaks; fold one-third whites into batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 T honey
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.
2. Pipe frosting onto your cooled roasted banana cupcakes!

Mushroom Veloute topped with Buttermilk Blinis

I’m getting excited about spring. I want to be surrounded by warm green instead of cold white; I want fresh vegetables and spices in my life and in my soup.

I had my friend Katie over for dinner this weekend and I was excited to give this recipe a try… Mainly because last week I discovered that “blinis” exist. And who wouldn’t want a mini savory pancake?

This soup and pancake combo is pretty, luxurious and just whimsical. And I felt pretty fancy pants about it since this soup is called a “velouté”.

The flavors in this soup are subtle and delicate with that of mushrooms and fresh rosemary, topped with a sprig of parsley and a mini pancake. If this isn’t a welcome to spring, I’m not sure what is.

P.S. After looking up “velouté” in the Larousse Gastronomique I learned that it is a sauce or soup thickened with a roux (equal parts of melted butter [fat] and flour). So there you go. Now, not only are you a fancy pants, but you’re a smarty pants too!

Mushroom Velouté {makes 8 servings}
Both recipes adapted from The Los Angeles Times

Ingredients:

• 4 T butter, divided
• 1 cup diced leeks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms*
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 T flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 T beaten egg (reserved from blini recipe below)
• salt
• white pepper
• fresh parsley for serving

* 1 lb cremini mushrooms and 1/2 lb oyster mushrooms are suggested, but I used a random assortment and it was delish.

Directions:

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pot over a low heat. Add the leeks and sauté about 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, bay leaf and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, loosely covered, for 45 minutes.
3. Make the blini’s. (Recipe below.)
4. Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprig from the soup.
5. Transfer the soup into a batter bowl or large bowl and purée the soup in a blender until velvety smooth, pouring the smooth soup back into the large sauce pot. When it is all blended, bring the soup to a simmer.
6. Blend the remaining tablespoon of butter (melted) with a tablespoon of flour to make a roux. Whisk into the soup and simmer about 1 minute until the soup is slightly thickened. Lower heat slightly. In another small bowl, beat together the heavy cream and one tablespoon of beaten egg until blended. Whisk this into the soup until it is combined and the soup is slightly thickened; do not bring to a simmer or the egg will scramble. Season with about one-eighth teaspoon of salt and white pepper to taste.
7. To serve, ladel the soup into bowls and top with 1 or 2 filled blini and a parsley sprig.

Buttermilk Blinis

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 t sugar
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 6 T buttermilk
• 1 egg beaten, divided (2 T)
• 1 T melted butter
• oil or cooking spray for the griddle
• scant 2 T crème fraîche
• 1 t thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine buttermilk, two tablespoons of beaten egg (reserve the remaining tablespoon of beaten egg for the soup above) and butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the liquid ingredients. Stir until just blended.
2. Heat a griddle or skillet over a medium heat with just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan or spray with cooking spray.
3. Spoon 1 teaspoon of batter onto the griddle or skillet for each blini. Cook 30 seconds to a minute on each side until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used, adding oil to the pan as necessary. Reserve in a warm place until ready to use.
4. Mix together the crème fraîche and green onions. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket in each blini and spoon about 1/4 teaspoon crème fraîche mixture onto each blini half, then put together to make a sandwich. (I’m going to be honest with you guys. I maybe just sandwiched the crème fraîche between two pancakes instead of in the center of one. I guess I didn’t read the bottom of the recipe. I wish I would’ve though because I think that this way would’ve been even better.)

Can you even believe that the bay leaf and rosemary are spooning. Scandalous.

Brioche {a first attempt}

If brioche was your date you’d better show up at it’s house with flowers. You’d totally have to open the door for it always, and it would probably go to the bathroom when the bill arrived to make it clear you are the one to pay. This dough is a bit high maintenance; definitely more of a weekend bread.

I had a date on Friday with some brioche dough.

Yeah, yeah. The top got too tan. A bit sunburned even. The egg wash glaze was like sun tan oil. I didn’t realize I was supposed to tent this bread with foil or wax paper the entire time it was baking, and only ended up doing it for the final 10 minutes. So next time I will tent the dough f’sho and I will make this recipe again to show you the difference.

So now I know. This bread is fair-skinned like myself. Maybe it’s the redhead of breads.

You should probably know that this bread is like cake. Light and dreamy and buttery and just darn tasty.

And when stale it has delicious uses also, since this is the bread French Toast was meant for. And will there be French Toast made out of it so soon? Oui! Oui! And will Jake be the one making it for me? Oui!

Brioche
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my Home to Yours

Ingredients:

bread -

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch milk
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 t salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, almost at room temperature (still slightly firm) cut into 2 T pieces

glaze -

• 1 large egg
• 1 T water

Directions:

1. Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point you’ll have a fairly dry, shaggy mass.
2. Scrape the sides and bottoms of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like cake batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40-60 minutes. (More or less depending on how warm the room is.)
4. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the covered dough in the refrigerator over night.
5. The next day, spray with cooking spray or butter and flour two bread pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches). Pull the dough from the fridge and divide into two equal parts. Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise along the bottom of each pan. Cover lightly with a towel and leave at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. Like this:
6. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
7. Make the glaze. Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze. Place the bread pans on a cookie sheet and tent with foil or wax paper. Bake until the loaves are well risen and deeply golden, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a cooling rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pans and turning out onto the wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Glazing the loaves. Keepin’ it real.

Spinach and Cheese Muffins

I always want to put an “e” at the end of spinach. I don’t know why.
I’ve never made savory muffins before. I don’t know why.

But I do know why I love these guys. Spinach + cheese = win win.

I made these to go with delicious Broccoli + Arugula Soup,  that Joy the Baker posted a couple days ago. They were both delicious and went together like total BFFs.

Spinach and Cheese Muffins
Recipe from the hummingbird bakery cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 T butter
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 4 oz. baby spinach, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Meanwhile melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion until cooked. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cayenne and cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg together, then slowly pour into the flour mixture and beat with a hand mixer until too thick to mix.
3. Stir in the onion and spinach with a wooden spoon until evenly dispersed. (It will be hard to stir because this batter is much more like biscuit dough, but just do the best you can.)
4. Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Fill about two thirds full. (Mine made about 18.) Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool

Mini Quiche {red pepper + swiss + green onion + grape tomatoes}

Did you know that chives are just baby green onions? Know it. You’ll be ready when the “Baby Vegetable” category pops up on Jeopardy.

I had to sprinkle these guys with pepper after they were done, instead of pre-baking. You see, I broke the pepper mill and pepper was everywhere, but on the quiche. Jake went out and got some though, and there was plenty of pepper involved pre-eating.

These guys are cute, pretty and delicious. What else matters?

Mini Quiche
Recipe from Pampered Chef

Ingredients:

• pie crust for 1 double crust (store bought or home-made)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/8 t salt
• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (I left this out to keep it vegetarian)
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced*
• 2 T finely chopped fresh chives or green onion
• 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
• 12 grape tomatoes
• coarsely ground black pepper
• additional chopped chives or green onion (optional)

* Squeeze out excess moisture from the pepper, by gently squeezing in a paper towel.

Directions:

1. Make or thaw pie crust. Roll out and cut 3 inch circles out of the dough using a biscuit cutter or a jar or a glass and press disks into (24) wells in mini muffin tins. (This step can be done the night before. Then simply wrap up the muffin tins with plastic wrap and place in the fridge over night or until ready to make the filling.)
2. Preheat oven to 400° F. Whisk eggs, half and half and salt in a small bowl or 2 cup measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Combine bacon, red pepper, chives and cheese in a medium bowl, mixing well. Pour egg mixture evenly into tart shells and top with cheese mixture. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and press one tomato half, cut side up into the center of each tartlet. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake 14-16 minutes or until egg mixture is set and crusts are golden. Remove from pans and sprinkle with additional chives or green onion if you want.

Cinnamon Rolls

There is love in the world. Real, sincere “all I need is love” love. And that’s why I love Valentine’s Day best, and it’s why I made these cinnamon rolls in heart shaped cake pans and it’s why I will proudly wear my new heart shaped sunglasses [Thanks Jacob!]. And it’s probably got something to do with the 3 teeny hearts on the inside of my wrist. There’s no big meaning to that tattoo, but when asked, I’ll tell you that the big heart is Jacob, the medium heart is me and the teeny one is Elliot.

This is my third time making these cinnamon rolls. My mom coached me through the first attempt. I mean, it is her recipe after all, and I did grow up eating these on weekend mornings and weekday mornings and any morning they were around.

My second attempt was last Valentine’s Day. I didn’t sprinkle enough sugar and cinnamon in the middles. So this year I took it up a notch and switched to brown sugar in the middle.

And I made sure to be generous with it. Handfuls of brown sugar + a sprinkle-fest of cinnamon.

And I made them all with the brown sugar tops because that way is best.

My sister, Laura, would beg to differ. But what does she know? (Love you, Laura! You know a lot.)

She just prefers them plain-topped with frosting, and I have to say that when it comes to cinnamon rolls, I’ll take them any way they want to be. Both are absolutely delish.

Cinnamon rolls are my most favorite. You should probably know that every food conversation I have with my friend Dayna somehow ends with cinnamon rolls being best. Every time.

These remind me of being a kid, for sure. My mom’s always made these like it ain’t no thing.

These are filled with love, cinnamon and brown sugar. There’s definite chemistry there because rumor has it, cinnamon and sugar have been spotted walking with their pinkies linked.

P.S. Please keep in mind the dough needs to rise in the fridge for 8 hours! Worth it though, for sure. Whip this dough up tonight and bake these fresh in the morning.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

proof that yeast -

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 t sugar
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast

dough f’sho -

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (cold is fine)
• 1 cup boiling water + 1 cup cold water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 7 cups all-purpose flour

roll up in it -

• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, but more like a few handfuls
• generous amount of cinnamon

brown sugar topped -

• 6 T butter, divided
• 6 T brown sugar, divided

{Ok, so total you need about 3 sticks of butter. 2 whole sticks + 6 T.}

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, proof the yeast. Whisk together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 t of sugar and 1 package of active dry yeast in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, until all puffy and bubbly. Now we have proof that yeast is working.
2. In a large bowl stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1 t salt, a stick of butter, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup cold water and 2 eggs. Stir until the butter is mostly melted. (It’s ok if there are a couple butter pieces that aren’t melted when you add the rest of the dough ingredients.) Add yeast water, and lastly add 7 cups of flour. Stir, stir, stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge over night, or 8 eight hours. (This dough doesn’t even need you to knead it.)
3. The next morning, or eight hours later it is time to roll out the dough. But first prepare your cakes pans. Divide 6 tablespoons of butter between 3 cake pans. Turn your oven on to about 250 degrees F and place the cake pans in the oven until the butter melts. Then sprinkle the melted butter with brown sugar and twirl the two together enough so that the top will be even. OK. Now do the dough.
4. Place the dough on a LARGE floured surface and roll out (until about and eighth of an inch thick). Spread evenly with a stick of softened butter using a spatula. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and top that with a generous amount of brown sugar. Gently pat the brown sugar down into the dough a little. Roll up, slice and place in 3 prepared cake pans. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in the pan for 30 minutes to an hour. You want the rolls to have risen enough to be touching each other, but it’s ok if they haven’t completely filled the cake pans, considering they will rise speedily in the oven.
5. Meanwhile turn the oven on to 350 degrees F and bake the rolls for 22 – 30 minutes, rotating positions in the oven. Flip them out onto a plates or foil when done. Be sure to allow them to cool completely before covering, to prevent sogginess. These are best right out of the oven, but keep well if wrapped tightly for a day or two or three.

ALSO! For Laura-style cinnamon rolls, leave out the step where you place butter and brown sugar in the cake pans. Simply spray the cake pans with cooking spray before placing the rolls in to rise. Then you’ve got the perfect cinnamon rolls for frosting! I would top with a simple vanilla buttercream. Recipe below:

Simple Vanilla Buttercream

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup of butter, room temperature
• 1 t vanilla
• 2-3 T milk

Directions:

1. Mix butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add vanilla and milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until a thick consistency.
2. Top cinnamon rolls!