Cherry Almond Amaretto Dessert Rolls

I can not find motivation for today. I'm suppose to be leaving for the airport in 5 hours and I'm not packed, I don't have my daughter packed, still need to finish up some of my house work and for sure the dishes at the very least, but I just don't want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to go on this trip and spend a well needed break on the beach sunbathing, but man I need some caffeine or something to get me going. No doubt I'm probably going to have a panic attack right before I'm suppose to leave and wonder why I put all of it off till the last minute, but for now, I'm going to just relax in my sheer procrastination.

Random question, but have you had gelato? I've had gelato before. Never was really a fan. Yeah it was good. Not amazing but good. Honestly though, if I'm going to have a cold dessert, give me ice cream. Not this weird sorbet stuff.

 

Oh my gosh, I don't feel that way anymore!! I'm just gonna come clean and say it. I am a Frost addict. The problem started about a year ago, and I fear I will never recover. Seriously!! You peeps in Phoenix, Chicago, Tucson, Albuquerque. Make it a priority. Schedule it in your day-planner, and go. But be prepared. Your life will never be the same.

Long story short, that is where I got inspiration for this dessert. They just came out with a new seasonal flavor, Amaretto, and I'm hooked. It's amazing. As I reflected, while eating my creamy goodness, on what I could make using this amazing flavor combination, this popped into my head. I'm actually in love with how it all came together. Hope you like it! And now, I really do need to go pack!! Housework? Not so much. Have an awesome weekend :)

Quick Tip: Make sure to read though this recipe before preparing. I put the Amaretto Cream Cheese Frosting together in 2 separate steps, because you have to let sauce mixture cool to room temperature before adding it to the softened cream cheese.

P.S. I am completely aware that "peeps"and "gonna" is not grammatically correct. Please do not leave me a comment about it. I did it on purpose. Thanks!

Printable Recipe

Amaretto Cream Cheese Frosting
3 tablespoons Amaretto Liquore
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon cherry extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
4 oz cream cheese, (half block) softened

Almond Dessert Rolls Dough
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar, + 2 tablespoons, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 .75 oz fast rise yeast packet
3 cups Flour, + 1/2 cup as needed
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract

For Rolls Center
18oz jar of Cherry Preserve
3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup sliced almonds, + additional for garnish (optional)

Start making frosting by combining Amaretto, butter, water, sugar, and extracts in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir until butter is melted, and mixture comes to a bubble. Let bubble for about a minute.

Add dark chocolate chips and stir until chocolate has completely melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside, and let cool to room temperature, for about an hour while you make dough.

Start on dough by combining butter, 2 tbsp. sugar, milk and water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 second intervals until butter is almost melted completely. Stir mixture to help butter to finish melting and set aside to allow mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.

After mixture has cooled slightly, add yeast and stir to incorporate into butter mixture. Set aside.

In mixer, add 3 cups flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

Seriously, what is it about falling sugar that I love so much?

Stir yeast mixture and add to flour mixture.

Also add beaten eggs and extracts. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed if dough seem too sticky. Just until dough starts to ball up.

Lightly flour flat surface and roll dough onto flour. Lightly flour top of dough and hands. Knead dough for a couple minutes until dough feels evenly textured throughout.

Place dough in a buttered or greased bowl and roll dough to coat surface. Cover loosely with plastic wrap  and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour and a half or until dough has doubled in size.

While dough is rising place cream cheese in mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cooled chocolate frosting mixture and beat until mixture is completely incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until rolls are finished.

After dough has risen, roll out on a floured surface. Roll dough about 12 inches wide by 18 inches long.

Evenly spread cherry preserve onto dough surface.

Sprinkle dark chocolate chunks evenly over cherry preserve layer.

Finish rolls center by sprinkling sliced almonds evenly over cherry and chocolate chunk layer.

Roll dough over cherry layer longways until dough has completely enclosed cherry center. Using unflavored dental floss, cut dough about every 2 1/2 inches to create 7 rolls (discard ends). Place in a 9 inch round cake pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise again for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook rolls for 30 to 35 minutes. Set pan on cooling rack until rolls have cooled slightly and frost with Amaretto Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish as desired and serve.

Printable Recipe

Recipe Yields: 7 Rolls.

Frost Pictures from Google Images.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

So I must confess, I am a recipe blog junky. I try to limit my time on the computer being as I'm on here so much for blogging, but if I'm not editing photos or blogging, I'm most likely stocking my favorite food blogs. If you don't believe me, you should see my Pinterest account. 99.99% of my pins revolve around food, and is where I first saw this amazing recipe. Recipe Girl is one of the blogs that I peek in on from time to time, and secretly aspire to be like. I mean seriously, just the imagination to think up this decadent breakfast is amazing.

And I have to say, these beautiful pancakes are just that, completely amazing!! And they are really much easier then you would think. I was actually surprised by how easy they were. Probably only takes about 5 extra minutes then it would take making normal pancakes.

Not to mention, they do taste almost exactly like a cinnamon roll. I did change the cream cheese glaze just a little. If you see in the pictures of me preparing the frosting, the end product came out kind of brownish looking. So I ended up adding some more powdered sugar and a little milk to bring the color back to a pretty white, but you can also easily avoid having to do this by using imitation vanilla extract which is clear and wont discolor your glaze. That is only if you are as picky as me by how your food appears though.

Just one last picture to portray how amazing these are. Doesn't it just make you want to take a bite!! Seriously, no better way to begin the day ;) Enjoy!!

Printable Recipe

Cinnamon Filling
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil


Prepare the cinnamon filling:

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie and set it aside.

Prepare the glaze:

In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth.

Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancake batter:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle about 4-inches in diameter (I did not have to do this because my batter was thin enough to spread out by itself). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner (you may need to knead the cinnamon filling before clipping the bag, as the filling tends to separate a little).

When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl, just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll (be careful not to get the filling to close to the side. You want to keep it about a 1/4 of an inch away from the edge or it will bleed over). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well.

When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.

Yields: Eight 4-inch pancakes

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Recipe from www.RecipeGirl.com.

S'mores Monkey Bread

Well, Phoenix is officially in the 100's. Monday we were at 106 degrees (F) already. Sheesh!! Which means, it's time to head up to the mountains for some camping and cooler weather. Which got me thinking. Lately, I've been trying to think of new creations to make of my own. Making other peoples recipes is fine and all, but I really want to start creating my own. Combine that thought with the thought of camping and my favorite campfire treat. And voila, S'mores Monkey Bread.

I mean, anything that incorporates this amazing treat has got to be a winner, right!? So, how to put it all together. I came up with doing a Graham Cracker Bread, with Marshmallow Caramel, drizzled with chocolate. A couple of things about this before we go on. First, I'm calling the Marshmallow Caramel, "Caramel",  but I do realize that it might now exactly fall under the definition of caramel. So please, no one message me just to tell me this isn't actually caramel. I just didn't know what else to call it, and in my world, it falls under the specifications. So we're calling it caramel regardless. Second, you HAVE to use Hershey's Chocolate Bars to drizzle over the top. If you don't, and you use just regular chocolate, your monkey bread will not come out tasting like a s'more. Hershey's has a specific taste to it, and trust me, it makes or breaks this treat. Lastly, Make sure you spray your bunt/fluted pan with a generous amount of cooking spray. If you forget to do this, you will never get the bread out. So don't forget!!

I'm super happy with how this turned out though!! It took me a couple times to actually get this recipe right. The first time, my bread would not rise, at all! So the bread came out really tough. Not pleasant. But the second time, I added a little less graham cracker crumbs, and some baking soda and baking powder. As a result...

This bread literally melts in your mouth when served warm. It's light, soft, and so delish. Hope you all like it!! Enjoy :)

Printable Recipe

Graham Cracker Bread
     1/2 cup warm water
     1/4 cup packed brown sugar
     1 packet fast rise yeast
     1 cup graham cracker crumbs
     3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
     1 tsp. baking powder
     1/2 tsp. baking soda
     1/2 cup butter
     1/3 cup milk
     2 eggs
     1 tsp. salt

Marshmallow Caramel
     6 Tbsp. butter
     1/4 cup sugar
     3/4 cup heavy cream
     2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
     1 tsp. vanilla
     2 cups miniature marshmallows

Assembly
     1 cup graham cracker crumbs
     1/4 cup butter, melted
     1 cup miniature marshmallows
     1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
     2 (1.55 oz.) Hershey's milk chocolate candy bars

In a small bowl, combine warm water and brown sugar. Stir together until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add yeast and stir until dissolved.

Let sit for 10 minutes until surface of mixture becomes foamy.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, add 1 sleeve of graham crackers.

Pulse until graham crackers are very fine.

In a medium bowl, add 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 3 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix together well. Set aside.

Add butter and milk to a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until butter is melted. Let cool slightly. Add to a large mixing bowl with eggs and salt. Mix well.

Add yeast mixture and flour mixture.

Beat until just combined.

On a lightly floured surface, knead 2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour into dough. Knead until dough comes together and is equally consistent throughout. About 5 minutes (by hand). Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat entire surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

While bread is rising, make caramel by combining butter, sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, continuously stirring. Boil caramel until sugar has dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn heat down to low. Wait until caramel stops boiling. Add marshmallows.

Cook on low heat, continuously stirring, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Take off heat and let cool slightly before assembly.

Prepare to assemble by taking 1 sleeve of graham crackers and placing in a large zip lock bag. Using a rolling pin, crush crackers into small pieces. Place in a small bowl and set aside.

After dough has risen, pour 2/3 cup marshmallow caramel into a greased 10-inch fluted pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup marshmallows and 1/4 cup chocolate chips over caramel. Set aside.

Punch down dough and shape into 40 balls (about 1-inch diameter). Place melted butter in a small bowl and retrieve graham cracker crumbs. Roll balls in butter, then roll in crumbs. Place 20 balls in the pan over caramel/marshmallow and chocolate chips.

Drizzle 1/4 cup marshmallow caramel over dough balls, and top with other half of marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Pour 1/2 cup caramel over marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Roll remaining balls in butter and crumbs and place over caramel in tubed pan. Sprinkle some of the left over crumbs to fill in any holes between the dough balls to cover exposed marshmallow or chocolate areas. Cover and set in a warm place to let rise for another 30 minutes.

Place fluted pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Cool bread in the pan until edges are touchable, about 3 minutes. Invert pan onto a serving plate. Do not remove pan until bread is just warm!! About another 5 minutes. (you don't want to take pan off while bread is still hot or else it will fall apart) Slowly remove pan and set bread aside.

In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave 2 Hershey's bars (broken up) for 30 seconds.

Stir chocolate until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a small zip lock bag. When chocolate is cool enough to handle, clip the corner of the bag and pipe chocolate over monkey bread. Repeat the same process by putting leftover caramel into a zip lock bag and piping over chocolate/monkey bread. (You may have to warm up caramel just a little.) If there is left over caramel, serve on the side for dipping. Bread is best when warm.

A Food Snots Original Recipe

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