Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

When I saw a recipe on pinterest for cinnamon pull apart bread I was inspired, why had I never thought of cinnamon rolls in bread form? Amazing! I also saw a recipe for apple pie cinnamon rolls, so I put those two together and what resulted is Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread. I had to cook it a lot longer than the cinnamon roll bread recipe called for, possibly due to the liquidity of the apple filling. If I make it again I am going to try and figure out a way to decrease the runnyness of the filling. It was quite messy to cut the apple filled dough into slices, but the messiest part by far was smooshing the rolls together. I imagine this is a cooking project that kids would LOVE!

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

Smooshed together from Top With Cinnamon and Alli n Son

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoon dried active yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cinnamon sugar filling...

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For apple filling...

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup peeled, cored, grated apple (1 to 2 large apples, 3-4 small apples)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of flour. Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until they're just incorporated.

Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup more flour to the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds). On a work surface sprinkled with about 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.

While the dough rises, make the fillings. In one bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch, set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the sugars, flour and spices called for in the second filling.

Mix the grated apples with the lemon juice, then add to the flour and sugar mixture. Mix well, and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough.

Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about 2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough.

Sprinkle 3/4 of the first (cinnamon sugar) filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough.

Top with the apple filling then roll the dough tightly into a log. Be prepared for some oozing.

Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread and place it vertically on your work surface. With the thread still vertical, place log on top of the middle of the thread. Move the thread to the left or right, so it is still under the dough, and is one centimeter in from the end of the log. Take the ends of the thread and hold them above the log. Cross them over each other once and pull them away from each other until the thread has cut through the dough completely. (you are effectively making a loop of thread around the dough and pulling on the ends to make the loop smaller so that it cuts through the dough on all sides with an even force). On a piece of parchment paper, lay the slice down, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cut another slice and place it on top of the first slice, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Continue until you have a stack about five slices high.

Smoosh the stack a bit and place horizontally in a greased 9x13 inch bread pan. Continue in this manner until you have no dough left. Be prepared for lots of leakage, I covered the entire area with a slip pat and clean up wasn't too bad.

When all of your slices are in the pan, cover pan with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for another hour. Fifteen minutes or so before dough is done rising, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the bread for 1 hour, when it should be golden brown on top.

Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and enjoy!

Have a sweet day!

Pink Cookies

Happy February! I am sharing an old family recipe this week that's perfect for Valentine's Day, my grandma's pink cookies. They are light meringue cookies topped with a chocolate drizzle. The cookies are tinted a beautiful pink. The taste is light and airy and they literally melt in your mouth. I chose not to mix in chocolate chips this time as I was topping them with the melted chocolate drizzle. I much prefer the chocolate chips for the texture they give to the cookies. If you prefer you can leave out the food coloring and they are just as delicious, just not as festive :)

Pink Cookies

Author: Grandma Morrison

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 drops red food coloring

Handful or two of chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 225 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or do as my grandma did and cut a brown paper bag to fit the tray, just don't use it for high temp cooking!).

Get out your mixer and beat egg whites with salt until stiff and peaky but not dry.

Slowly add sugar 1/4 cup at a time while beating continuously. The mixture will begin to get a bit stiffer.

Now mix in vanilla and food coloring and gently fold in chocolate chips (if using).

Dough will turn a pretty pink color, if you want a deeper pink or red, add more food coloring.

Place dollops of dough on lined baking sheet (or pipe them on if you want a specific shape).

Bake cookies until firm but not browning, the cookies shouldn't wiggle if you touch them, should take between 5 and 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in there to dry out for six hours or overnight.

After cookies have dried out, drizzle with melted chocolate and top with sprinkles if desired.

Have a sweet day!

Linking up to rook #17, Dollars and Cents

Cubretazas

I used to think that a cup of tea, a good book, and Lola (my chihuahua) curled up on my lap were all the ingredients I needed to weather a rainy spring afternoon. Little did I know that I was missing something, that something being a cookie to go with my tea. And not just any cookie, a "cubretaza" cookie. Cubretaza literally means 'cup cover' in Spanish, and that is exactly what these buttery shortbread cookies do. You set them over your tea cup and the steam from the tea warms them up to the perfect cookie temperature. Dipping the edges in a bit of chocolate and coconut or sprinkles provides the perfect finishing touch. They would be adorable for a tea party, or do what I did and enjoy them with your afternoon tea.

Cubretazas

Adapted from Gabriela Clavo y Canela Blog

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 tablespoons cold butter

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons milk

Pinch of salt

To Decorate:

Chocolate for melting

Sprinkles or shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and vanilla.

Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Work the mix with your hands until well mixed with lumps no bigger than the size of a pea.

Add the egg yolks and milk.

Mix until you have a smooth dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. When dough is chilled, remove from refrigerator and place between two pieces of wax paper. Get out your rolling pin, roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Using a circle cutter slightly bigger than the size of the mug you like to use, cut dough into circles.

Use the leftover scraps of dough to make little rolls to use as the cookie "handle", stick the handle to the circle of dough using a bit of water. To keep the them from collapsing while cooking, place a little roll of parchment paper or aluminum under each handle for support. Be sure not to roll the paper tight, or the pressure will unravel it and your handles will fly off! Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Dip edges in melted chocolate and cover with sprinkles or coconut.

Coconut or sprinkles?

Decisions, decisions.....

Hope you're having a fabulous week!

Linking to Something Swanky, It's A Keeper Thursday, Weekend Wrap Up, Under the Table and Dreaming, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, and Full Plate Thursday.

Raspberry Filled Buttermilk Scones

This recipe is just perfect for brunch. The scone is familiar and comforting and the fruity filling makes for a lovely little surprise in the middle. You can use almost any jam or filling you have on hand, and the recipe can be doubled for larger crowds. The recipe originally calls for a food processor, which I don't have, so I included food-processor free directions as well. Just be sure not to over mix the scone dough as the texture can quickly go from light and tender to tough and dry when mixed with too much vigor. But if you keep your mixing and kneading to a minimum, in very little time you will have a steaming batch of buttery, flaky, fruit filled scones. Impressive and delicious!

Jam Filled Scones

Adapted from Country Living

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 cup jam (raspberry was my choice)

3 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the flours, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and zest and pulse until the dough is just combined.****

For people who don't have a food processor, place flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Using two knifes or a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal (no bigger than pea size clumps of butter). Add buttermilk and zest and mix until just combined (use a wooden spoon or your hands).

Shape the scones: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place an 18-inch sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Transfer the dough to the paper and, with floured hands, gently press the dough into a 12- by 12-inch square; the dough should be about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut out two 6-inch circles, reshape the remaining dough into a 3/4-inch-thick square, and cut out one more 6-inch circle. Gather the remaining scraps and form into one final 6-inch circle. (basically you will end up with four equally sized circles).

Place 1/4 cup of jam on two of the circles. Top each with the remaining dough rounds and pinch the sides shut.

Using a knife, score the top of each scone with a large cross marking 4 quadrants. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Transfer scones to the prepared pan and bake until golden -- 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Split or cut on the scores. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yum!

Have a lovely weekend! Linking up

Linking up at Tater Tots and Jello, Something Swanky, Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Under the Table and Dreaming By Stephanie Lynn

Chocolate Strawberries and Cream Pie

After Easter candy sales depress me. Chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks look down from their discount shelves, never to fulfill their Easter dreams. I always end up buying a few (of the bunnies, sorry chicks but I'm not a fan) and then they sit on my shelf waiting for some higher purpose. And I imagine that being used in this pie would be a chocolate bunny's dream. Well, actually maybe not since they get melted down and spread over a pie crust then topped with fluffy cream and fresh juicy strawberries. But hey, at least they made it out of the store, right?!

*Disclaimer, yes I realize that the bunnies are made of chocolate and probably don't have "feelings"

Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Pie

From Taste of Home

3 ounces chocolate, divided or one big Easter bunny broken into pieces

1/2 tablespoon butter (can be omitted if using a high quality Easter Bunny) `

1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked (use your favorite recipe)

2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

1/3 cup strawberry jam, melted

In a large saucepan, melt 2 oz. chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Note -try to use a good quality bunny or the chocolate will be harder to spread when melted. Spread or brush over the bottom and up the sides of pastry shell.

Chill.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Spread over chocolate layer; cover and chill for 2 hours.

Arrange strawberries over the filling.

Brush with jam. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top. Yield: 6-8 servings.

So good!