Fall Smells Like Cinnamon and Vanilla

It's no secret that I love to bake. It is extremely cathartic for me to make sweets and nibbles, so I wanted to share a couple of the staple nibbles we have in our house this time of year. Each one smells so good when you walk in the door that it instantly reminds you of fall. Enjoy!




Crunchy Spiced Nuts
Yield: 5 cups

(You can use any variety of unsalted raw nuts. To double the recipe, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and bake the nuts on 2 baking sheets, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.)

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound unsalted raw nuts
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander

1. COAT NUTS Adjust oven rack to upper-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Whisk egg white, water, and salt in large bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat. Drain in colander thoroughly, 4-5 minutes
2. SEASON NUTS Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger and coriander in large bowl. Add drained nuts and toss to coat. Spread nuts evenly on prepared bakind sheet and bake until dry and crisp, 40-45 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking time. Cool completely. Break nuts apart and serve. (Nuts can be stored in airtight container for 3 weeks.)





Gooey Chex Snack Mix

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups light karo syrup
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 box rice chex
2-3 cups fancy mixed nuts
1 cup chocolate pretzels or holiday chocolate chips

In large heavy pan, melt butter. Add sugar and karo syrup. Stir and bring to boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Take off heat. Add vanilla. In a large bowl, mix cereal and nuts. Pour hot syrup over mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated. Pour onto 2 jelly roll sheets lined with parchment paper. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Add pretzels or other chocolate. (Leave out on cookie sheets until candy coating hardens, or it will all stick together and be impossible to pull pieces off.) Store in an air tight container.

********These are the best Cinnamon Rolls that I have ever had in my entire life. Seriously.



Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 40 rolls

3 cups whole milk (or evaporated milk 1 ½ cup and 1 ½ cup water)
½ cup butter
¼ cup shortening
1 cup instant potato flakes
¾ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
4 eggs
1 ½ Tablespoons yeast
7-9 cups flour


Cinnamon Roll Filling

¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup softened butter

Frosting

1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese
½ cup softened butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 pounds powdered sugar


1. Heat milk 125-130 degrees. Add butter and shortening. Stir to melt in hot milk. Add the potato flakes, sugar and salt and let sit.
2. Beat eggs and add slowly to the milk mixture, stirring the whole time. Make sure the mixture is not too hot. Add yeast. Mix milk and eggs on low speed and slowly add flour. (Add just enough flour for dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Sides of bowl will be clean). Mix about 5 minutes.
3. Let rise for one hour. While dough is rising, in a small bowl mix: brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
4. Divide the dough in half. Roll out a large rectangle fairly thin (about ¼ inch). Spread ½ the softened butter on surface. Sprinkle ½ of the cinnamon mixture on the rectangle. Beginning with the front long edge of dough, roll it away from you into a jelly roll. Using string or floss cut the roll into twenty equal pieces. Place on a jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray. (These will grow huge so make sure you use a jelly roll pan.) Repeat process for the other half of the dough. Cover rolls with a cloth and let rise until doubled. Bake 350 degrees for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.
5. Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar, adding milk a teaspoon at a time to thin. Frost rolls while still hot.

Half Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 20 rolls

1 1/2 cups whole milk (or evaporated milk ¾ cup and ¾ cup water)
¼ cup butter
1/8 cup shortening
½ cup instant potato flakes
¼ + 1/8 cup sugar
½ Tablespoon salt
2 eggs
¾ Tablespoon yeast
3 ½ -5 ½ cup flour


Cinnamon Roll Filling

¼ + 1/8 cup brown sugar
¼ + 1/8 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup softened butter

Frosting

1/2 - 8 oz package of cream cheese
¼ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar