Tag Archives: cinnamon

Recipe: Easy Sour Cream Coffee Cake

30 Mar

“Now is the winter of our discontent.” – Shakespeare

Just when mother nature had us fooled into thinking spring was here, she’s dumped another layer of snow on us. She must not have heard that it’s almost April. This has been a long, hard winter in more ways than one and I’m in serious need of some sunshine.

Until then, this coffee cake will appease me. I’ve been making it for years now so I was pretty surprised that I hadn’t blogged it yet. It’s a great way to use up a bit of leftover sour cream before it gets funky.

 

Easy Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake | baconavecbacon.com

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream (light is OK, haven’t tried using yogurt instead, but it would probably be fine)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the crumble topping:
2/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter or hard margarine

In a medium sized bowl, combine the sugar and Bisquick with a spatula. Add in the egg, sour cream and vanilla and stir well to combine. The mix might look like it needs a bit more liquid at first, but don’t fret, it’ll come together. Scoop the mix (it’ll be thick) into an 8-9″ round or square cake pan, greased and lined with parchment.

In another medium bowl, add all of the crumble topping ingredients and use a pastry blender to combine until the butter is about the size of a pea. Pour the topping over the cake and spread evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes. It’s best warm from the oven, but a quick zap in the microwave is equally fine over the next few days.

This recipe also freezes well. I slip a whole cake into a large ziplock and suck the air out with a straw before stowing it away later. Remove from the bag and let it defrost on the counter, covered,  for a day before serving.

 

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Recipe: Easy Mini Cinnamon Caramel Rolls

19 Oct

I’ve yet to meet a person who could say no to a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven. Add some gooey caramel to that mix and it’s downright irresistible.

Unfortunately fresh homemade caramel rolls aren’t exactly  easy or quick to make. The method my mom used when I was growing up would severely cut into my precious weekend sleep in time so instead I made this shortcut version and I wasn’t disappointed.

So buttery and gooey, these are a surefire winner, so much so I’m slating them for Christmas morning breakfast. An extra benefit, they’re tiny so you don’t have to feel bad about eating more than one!

Easy Mini Cinnamon Caramel Rolls

Easy Mini Caramel Rolls | baconavecbacon.com

1/3 cup packed brown sugar + 4 tablespoons (reserved)
1/3 cup butter, cubed
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk (or cream)
1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (I used the less fat version)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a small microwavable bowl, add the 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and milk. Microwave on high, stirring once every minute until the mixture gets smooth and bubbly. Pour into a well greased 9″ pie pan (sprinkle the pecans on top if you’re using them) and set aside.

Open the crescent rolls, unroll the dough and separate it into four squares along the perforated lines. Pinch the dough along the diagonal perforations to seal.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar on each slice along with some cinnamon and roll up jelly roll style starting from the long side. Pinch the seams to seal.

Cut each log into 8 or 9 pieces and place, cut side down on top of the caramel in the pie plate.

Bake at 375 for about 16 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for about a minute before inverting on to a serving plate.

I defy you to eat just one.

 

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Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

4 Sep

Sadly summer is over for another year and at least here in Ottawa, the weather is already starting to cool off. The one good thing is that I didn’t feel bad about turning my oven on to make these very fall-style treats.

These cookies are chewy on the inside (thanks to the apple) and crunchy on the outside (thanks to the cinnamon sugar coating). They make a great after school snack for kiddos and a tasty breakfast for people who like to eat cookies before noon. I’m not naming any names.

Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles | baconavecbacon.com

1/2 cup hard margarine, softened*
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium apple, peeled and grated
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Fold in the grated apple. Sift together all the dry ingredients and gently combine with the wet ingredients.

Use a medium cookie scoop to make 1/2 inch balls of the dough and roll them well in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and gently press down with a fork. If you’d like you can sprinkle a bit more of the cinnamon sugar mix on each cookie.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 14 minutes.

 

* A note on margarine… Hard margarine is not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. As per a previous post, I like to use Imperial brand. Soft margarine contains too much water which will result in flat cookies. You can opt to use butter but I haven’t tested this recipe with it.

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Recipe: Warm Apple Topping & German Oven Pancake

18 Nov

One of my favourite things about fall is fresh apples. I usually buy a 10 pound bag of MacIntoshes from Costco – a great deal at $10 – and gorge myself on apple recipes so I can use them up before they go bad. I buy Macs because they’re a great all-purpose apple. They’re tasty to eat fresh but also fare well in baked and cooked recipes.

Today’s recipe is for a warm apple pie style topping. I had mine on a fluffy German oven pancake (or ‘Dutch Baby’) but but this topping would be equally at home on regular pancakes, waffles, oatmeal or even ice cream.

If you’re looking for a ‘quick’ pancake option, try Krusteaz brand pancake mix. Even though it’s a ‘just add water’ mix, they are literally the best pancakes I’ve ever had outside of a restaurant. In Canada, the mix is only available in a giant bag from Costco but it’s readily available in other formats in the US.

Warm Apple Topping

4 medium MacIntosh apples, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
1 tablespoon butter

In a small pot over medium heat, mix together the cornstarch and the brown sugar. Add all of the ingredients except for the butter and  stir to combine. Bring to a boil and let boil for at least a minute then reduce heat and simmer until apples are tender (about 8 minutes). Add the butter at the very end and stir to combine.

German Oven Pancake (with thanks to my friend Lauren & her wonderful mom!)

3 eggs (room temperature or placed in hot water for a few minutes)
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the butter in the bottom of a glass pie plate and let it get sizzling hot. In the meantime, in a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, flour and salt until smooth. When the butter is sizzling, pour the mix into the pie plate and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until brown. Make sure to keep an eye out as it never seems to take the full 10 minutes.

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