WOW seems like we just started this journey through BLOGMAS and here we are 3 days until Christmas. Today and tomorrow are my BIG days preparing for Christmas. These are the days that I’m mostly in the kitchen or cleaning the house, wrapping last minute packages or running last minutes errands for ingredients for the BIG DAY. The only thing on my list that I didn’t accomplish was the cleaning so will spend all day tomorrow doing laundry, vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms.
Remember when I told you I was a list girl? Well, these help – A LOT! I couldn’t get very good pictures, but those little presents are battery operated lights that change colors (red, blue and green) that I’m going to include on the plate when I deliver the goodies to the neighbors. The purple list is accomplished and half the green list is done and will be finished up tomorrow and Wednesday.
This is Cinnamon Roll day too – YUMMY! One of my favorite days of the year. The recipe originally came from one of my favorite aunts who taught me a lot about art, cooking and just plain being creative. I have made a few minor updates to suit our tastes, but this recipe was ALL her and a secret that my cousin and I kept until the day she died.
ROLLS OF SHARON aka CINNAMON RAISIN BUNS
ROLLS
2 packages Fleischman’s Rapid Rise Yeast
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup WARM water
1 cup scalded milk (2 minutes in the microwave)
1/2 cup Crisco stick
5 cups flour, divided
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl combine the warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar and both packages of yeast until well blended. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine the scalded milk, Crisco stick, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Blend well.
- Add yeast mixture and blend well.
- Add the well beaten eggs and half the flour. Mix until well blended.
- Add the remaining flour (a little more if too sticky) and mix well until dough leaves the sides of the bowl and is elastic.
- With vegetable oil, wipe the inside of another bowl.
- Place dough in bowl and turn once.
- Cover with wax paper and a towel.
- Let rest in a warm place until double in size.
- Punch down and divide into 2 balls.
- Put one on the pastry board and one back in the bowl.
- Let rest 10 minutes.
- While resting prepare the filling ingredients.
- Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness in a rectangle about 18×24 inches.
- Spread half the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.
- Spread half the raisins over that.
- Roll tightly jelly roll style and cut into 18 rolls.
- Place rolls in greased pans 1/4 to 1/2 inches apart.
- Cover with wax paper and a towel.
- Let rise again until double in size.
- Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
- While baking prepare the icing.
- When rolls come out the oven, put globs of icing on each one. Return to the oven for a minute or two to melt icing all over the rolls.
FILLING
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
1 cup golden raisins
- Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until well blended.
ICING
1 stick butter, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered vanilla
4-6 tablespoons milk
- Mix all together until smooth.
When re-heating rolls, put a pad of butter on top of roll before microwaving.
These freeze really well.
As we get to the end of our countdown I have remembered a few more fun anecdotes.
-
- Every year we received a box of See’s candy and I was ALWAYS on the search for the sprinkle coated ones a.k.a. Milk Bordeauxs YUMMY!
-
- One year my dad got my mom diamond earrings. He wrapped them in their original box and then with my brother’s and my help we proceeded to nest these in other boxes (wrapping each box as we went) culminating with a Dishwasher box full of bricks in the bottom – Boy was she surprised and it made for chaotic family fun on Christmas Eve.
- Another year we built an elaborate scavenger hunt all through the house to lead my dad to his ultimate gift in the garage.