Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas breakfast at my house will more than likely consist of fudge, cookies, and eggnog cinnamon rolls. The best eggnog cinnamon rolls, ever, to be exact. The perfect way to start your Christmas morning after spending the previous days running around like a chicken with it's head cut off...

Sweet, soft, gooey, cinnamon-y, eggnog cinnamon rolls with a warm, gooey eggnog icing. Mm, mm.

Even if you aren't the biggest fan of the taste of eggnog, you'll love these!

Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Author: Herbivore Haven, Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Makes: 16 rolls

Ingredients:
Cinnamon Rolls:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 small packet)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup room temperature eggnog
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 egg
• 4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1/2- 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (separated)

Icing:

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons eggnog
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, place the yeast and brown sugar. Add the warm water and gently stir. Let the mixture sit until the yeast is foamy on top, about 10 minutes.
2. To the bowl, add the melted butter, warm eggnog, vanilla yogurt and eggs, mix until combined. Add in the flour, salt and vanilla extract. Knead the dough until the dough is smooth and forms a ball, about 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl spray the bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. (I preheated the oven to 150 degrees, shut it off, and put the dough in the oven to rise).
3. Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with 3 tablespoons of butter.
4. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 9x24 inches). Spread about 6 tablespoons of the melted butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon filling evenly over the butter and lightly push the mixture into the butter. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you roll. When you reach the end of the dough, pinch along the edge to seal. Cut slices with a knife, or place the dental floss under the roll about an inch away from the very end of the roll. Take the ends of the floss in each hand and wrap them around the roll. Keeping the ends of the floss in each hand, don’t let go and then tighten the floss so it starts to cut through the roll. Again, don’t change hands. Tighten until the floss comes out and the individual roll is separated. Cut the roll about every inch.
5. Place the rolls in the buttered pan about 1/2 an inch apart. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining butter on top of each roll. Bake the rolls at 350 for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
7. In the meantime, make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Whisk until it's creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Add the eggnog and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the frosting on each warm roll. Enjoy!

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Apple Butter Breakfast Bars

Today I'm sharing part 3 of my apple theme week, which includes one of my favorite foods: apple butter. Apple butter has been one of my favorites since I was little, I remember my grandmother giving us cottage cheese with a huge dollop of apple butter on top for a snack, so good.

These apple butter breakfast bars give me that warm fuzzy feeling the same way the apple cinnamon muffins do. They're sweet with a bit of a streusel-like crunch and a layer of warm apple butter in the middle.

I under-baked my bars a bit because I wanted them to be a little gooey from the apple butter on the inside, with just a slight crunch from the oats on top.

Apple Butter Breakfast Bars
Author: Herbivore Haven
Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup apple butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the softened butter and beat the mixture with an electric mixer on low until mixture is crumbly.
4. Spread about 2 cups of the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
5. Spread the apple butter evenly over the oat mixture.
6. Spread the remaining oat mixture evenly over the apple butter layer and gently press the mixture down into the pan with your hands.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
8. Keeping the bars on the foil, remove the bars from the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Cut into bars. You should get about 16 bars. Enjoy!

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Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I've been craving cinnamon swirl bread since about, well, August. But I'm not a bread maker, at all. The thought of dealing with yeast for the first time in years actually almost intimidated me. But this bread? Those ooey, gooey cinnamon-y layers? The soft, warm, yummy-ness of the bread? It's so good I'm using made-up words just to describe it.

Just the smell of this bread is enough to turn anyone into a bread maker. It's definitely worth the effort and way more delicious than store bought.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Author: Herbivore Haven, Recipe from Pinch of Yum
Makes: 2 small loaves

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (2 small packets)
• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the warm water in a large bowl. Add the 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast and do not stir. Let it sit until it's creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, oil and flour. Mix by hand, adding more flour as necessary until the dough forms a large, soft ball. Flour a work surface and knead the bread for 5-10 minutes.
2. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and brush the top with a little extra oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It should be very puffy. Divide the dough in half and punch it down.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll each half into a large rectangle. For more tight rolls in the bread, roll the dough thinner. For thicker softer rolls in the bread, roll thicker. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over each rectangle of dough, generously. Roll up the loaves tightly and let rest for a few minutes before putting in the oven.
4. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes, or until it sounds hollow. When in doubt, over-bake the bread. Even if the outside of the bread is brown, if it does not sound hollow, give it a few more minutes in the oven. The inside really needs to bake all the way to get the layers filled out. And it’s really really helpful to let the bread cool before cutting into it, otherwise it may sink down where you cut it. Cut diagonally and enjoy!

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