Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Off the bat, nothing compares to Preston Rolls (original and vegan.) But, if you need something a little easier to make - like so much easier and less pressing, these fit the bill. They are also a different type of cinnamon roll. 

These should be served warm and as fresh out of the oven as possible. You can do most of the prep the night before and finish putting the rolls together and baking the next day - or a couple days down the road if you have a lot of baking/cooking ahead of you. It is okay to freeze these as well. 

Ingredients:

1 quart almond milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

additional flour

1/2 lbs (2 sticks) Earth Balance

1.5 - 2 cups sugar

cinnamon

Maple Frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maple Extract

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup brewed coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Heat until steaming heavily. Turn off heat and leave to cool to lukewarm, 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Once mixture is lukewarm, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add both packages of Active Dry Yeast across the top. (Not a single pile.) Let this sit for a minute. 
3. Add 8 cups of all-purpose flour, slowly. Stir mixture together.  For first 4-5 cups, use regular mixing arm. Use dough hook once dough starts for form. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
4. After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and refrigerate until you need it. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
5. To prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. 
6. Take half the dough and place on floured surface. Roll the dough in a rectangular shape (longer side nearest you) and thinning the dough. 
7. Drizzle 1 stick or so melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar over the Earth Balance followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
8. Roll the dough lengthwise on the long side of the rectangle (so you have a long roll of buns rather than a short and very fat stick.)
9. Use cooking spray or extra Earth Balance to grease pans. Cut the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and place in the buttered pans.
10. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check often.
11. For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. Viscosity will vary. Thicker is better, as long as it pours. Taste and adjust as needed. Pour over the rolls.

Notes:

• You can also add other fillings, such as chocolate chunks or caramel. 
• You could also line your baking pans with foil, and turn them upside down after the frosting has soaked in. This creates more of a sticky bun feel.

Scotch Oat Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping (vegan)

Where to put this? It's cake, so that implies dessert. But, it's like a coffee cake in that you would serve this crumbly confection with coffee. Does that mean it's breakfast or bread? I'll keep it as a dessert. 

I based this off a cake I made several years ago. I made the recipe vegan, and I altered some of the ratios. Very tasty. I brought it to work so that I would not eat the entire thing myself. Nearly every person I gave a piece to said how good it is. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or bulgur wheat
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
3 tablespoons vegan stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil, then add the oats or bulgur. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool, uncovered. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix lemon juice with almond milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9-inch square baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. 
5. In the medium bowl add oil, vanilla, and oat mixture to the milk mixture. 
6. Mix into the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. 
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the cake bakes, make the topping. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, salt, and walnuts. When the cake is done, place it on a cooling rack. 
9. Turn the oven to broil, and put a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Drop spoonfuls of the brown sugar topping over the cake, spreading it gently and leaving 1/2 inch bare around the edges. 
10. Broil with the door open, watching closely, just a minute. When the topping is bubbling and melted, take it out to cool. 
11. Serve warm, after the topping has set.

Other details:

• Serves 8 

Dessert: IKEA Chocolate Balls

When we had a visiting Japanese exchange student, I wanted to make a dessert that was easy and we had everything on hand for. This fit the bill. They were so good, they only last a few hours. I got the original recipe while shopping at IKEA.

Ingredients:
7 tbsp butter
7 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
3 tbsp cold strong coffee
crushed sanding sugar or shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Mix butter, sugar, cocoa powder, oats and coffee. Form into small balls, about 3/4-1” in diameter. Roll them in either sanding sugar or shredded coconut (mostly kids prefer sugar, while many adults prefer coconut).
2. Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Other Notes: 

• Makes 15-20 chocolate balls
• Substitute milk-free margarine for butter; replace oats with gluten-free muesli.

Dessert: Toffee Crunch Squares

I don't have the original recipe on this one, and I wasn't expecting it to make it to the Codex, but it was really enjoyed by the family. As we head into spring, here's an ice cream treat.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup graham crackers crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 half gallon chocolate ice cream
1 bag (6 ounces) chocolate covered toffee chips, divided (I cut up mini Heath bars)
whipped cream for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350º (325º if using glass pan) for 8-10 minutes. Cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine coffee and hot water, stir to dissolve coffee; add vanilla and corn syrup and stir to mix. Pour into a large bowl. Fold in ice cream and 1 cup toffee chips. Spoon onto crust. Freeze several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and remaining toffee chips.

Other details:

• Makes 16 servings. 
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