Peanut Butter Topped Apple Rings

Easy and with endless options, peanut butter topped apple rings are perfect for breakfast or a late night snack. Here is what you'll need:

One apple
Peanut Butter
Nuts, coconut, chocolate chips/shavings/chunks, oats, and/or whatever else you can think of

 

Slice the apple horizontally. Either core it first or cut the core out of each piece afterwards. Spread peanut butter thick on top of each slice and sprinkle your preferred toppings. This is really all there is to it! As I didn't have nuts today I used shavings of baker's chocolate and coconut and it was delicious. Give it a try and enjoy!

Light Chocolate Peanut Butter Donuts

I've been looking for a donut pan for a while and finally found one the other day. No, donuts are not healthy, but when they're baked instead of fried, they're actually not that bad for you. I will be trying many different recipes but I wanted to experiment the first time.

This is what you'll need:
1 box white cake mix
Other ingredients as directed
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup baking cocoa
Icing sugar

The boxed cake mix called for 3 egg whites (for which I used whole eggs) and 2 tbsp oil (substituted 1/3 cup yogurt). Applesauce works as well as yogurt, but these substitutions just make the cake thicker and moister. To make these even heavier, add 1/2 cup peanut butter instead of 1/3, and 1/2 baking cocoa.

Note: the icing sugar is for later!

 

Mix ingredients as instructed and beat in room temperature peanut butter until fully mixed. Add the baking cocoa and pour into donut pan, just to halfway, so the center isn't covered, otherwise there will be no hole in your donuts! My pan was nonstick but a little non stick cooking spray never hurts. The oven should be preheated as directed on the cake mix; mine was 350 degrees F. Bake, again, as instructed, approx 20 minutes (whatever directions are given for muffins works best). Be careful not to overbake; I left the last batch in about 10-15 minutes too long while taking these pictures. 4 of the 6 were salvageable, but darker and firmer, which didn't make them nearly as tasty.

You can ice to your preference or try a homemade glaze, or even simply sprinkle plain white sugar on top, but sifting a generous amount of icing sugar atop each donut and serving them with a glass of milk was heavenly.

Note: This would have made about 5 batches of donuts but due to a lack of time for baking, I poured the remainder after 3 batches into muffin tins, only 1/3 of the way up. This way they didn't become cupcakes by rising over the sides, but were instead like mini cakes, the perfect serving size so grabbing one (or two) won't give you the same guilt complex as slicing up a piece of cake will. Give this a try and experiment yourself; instead of chocolate and peanut butter, try sugar and cinnamon, diced fruit and nuts, or whatever else you can think of.

Enjoy!

 

Saint Patrick's Day Cake

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I did not wear green or any of that, but actually being part Irish, I think I can get away with it. Instead I made this fabulous green layered cake for the occasion, with help from my mom (who is incredible at icing cakes) and my brother (who helped me make the chocolates for the border around the base of the cake.)

This is what you will need:
2 boxes of white cake
Whatever other ingredients you are directed to use on the cake box
Green food colouring (we used a whole bottle and had to mix yellow and blue for the final layer, so make sure you have enough!)
3 tubs of whipped white frosting

For the chocolates:
Green chocolate wafers
Shamrock chocolate molds

It was actually fairly easy to make, but extremely time consuming. I started making it Sunday afternoon and due to not having enough frosting, finished this morning (Monday). The following method will work with any colours, so if you ever want to try something like one of those beautiful rainbow cakes, which I will be doing this summer, just follow these directions and use whatever colours you want.

Mix the cake with the needed ingredients as directed on the box. Mine required egg whites and oil, but to make it more dense I used whole eggs and instead of 2 tbsp of oil I substituted 1/3 cup of vanilla yogurt. Split the mix into four bowls evenly, and add the food colouring into each bowl to make the first layer one shade, and each next layer darker than the one before it. As I said before this will take a lot of food colouring. The amount in the little bottle you get in a pack of four colours will not be enough; I had a bigger bottle and had to use that, one of the smaller ones, and for the final layer, I still had to mix yellow and blue to make it dark enough.

 

Preheat the oven as directed, my cakes baked at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes each. Grease a round baking dish with butter, not cooking spray, or the cake will stick to the bottom. Fill with the contents of one bowl, while allowing for rising. The cake will be done when you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean. Run a knife along the side of the cake to loosen it, and after allowing the cake to cool, use a spatula to make sure the bottom is not stuck to the pan. Onto a plate lined with wax paper, carefully flip the cake over and out of the pan. Always place wax paper between cake layers.

If baking all cakes at once ensure each pan is the same size! If not, continue baking each different colour cake individually, placing it on top of the last layer on a sheet of wax paper. The order of layers doesn't matter yet. If the cake is becoming unstable just place some of the layers on a different plate. Once baking is completed, wrap the cakes in a plastic bag on the plate, tying the bag off and wrapping this in another bag so the cake doesn't become damaged. Place this in the freezer for at least an hour before frosting.

When the cake is cooled completely, almost frozen, begin with the darkest layer on a large, flat plate or serving tray and ice the top with a generous layer. Repeat with the shades of each layer going from dark to light. Without wrapping this time place in the freezer once more; if you attempt frosting the top and sides now, the cake could fall apart or tip over due to its height. Once frozen you can frost the top and sides!

For the chocolates around the base of the cake I simply melted some green chocolate wafers and filled a shamrock shaped chocolate mold (both given to me by my wonderful brother) using a method I detailed here. I made these the day before, and made nearly a hundred. It would have been exactly one hundred had we not eaten the chocolates as we worked!

It sounds fairly easy and it really is, but as I said before, it will take a long time, especially if like me you only have one baking pan. But it is well worth the effort! This method can be used with any colours, and you could have more or less layers if you prefer. My family has decided to make a Vancouver Canucks cake with three layers; blue, white and green; you really can try anything and a cake like this is sure to impress!

This is the final result:

 

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Years and years ago my uncle made this thing he called baked oatmeal. I've never been able to find a recipe that tastes quite like his, so yesterday I decided to experiment with it myself. I've discovered that all of the recipes I've been able to find online are either too gooey or unhealthy. This one is neither, being both the perfect consistency, and very very healthy. You can substitute the apple and cinnamon for almost anything, including nuts, berries, various fruit, and so many other things!

2 cups oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp applesauce
2 apples, sliced (boil until nearly soft before hand) or diced into tiny cubes
Optional: Up to 1 cup of nuts, berries, chocolate, etc

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and grease a baking pan.

In two separate bowls, mix together the dry and wet ingredients, then whisk together. Add in the apples and pour into the pan. Ensure the apples are evenly spread throughout, and are covered completely by the oatmeal mixture.

Bake for between 35 and 50 minutes; the top must be golden brown, the edges darker, and firm to the touch. About 10 minutes before it's done sprinkle 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon over top. When the baked oatmeal is completely finished, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve in a bowl or a glass with milk if desired. If not quite sweet enough, a little bit more brown sugar wouldn't hurt.

This would be perfect to make the night before and serve for breakfast. Just warm up each piece in the microwave and serve with milk!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies (Vegan and Flourless)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free if you prefer)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup pure pumpkin (room temperature)
1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cup chocolate chips, nuts, or cranberries (not exceeding 2/3 cup); all must be finely chopped. This step is optional

In a bowl, mix together oats, white and brown sugar until there are no lumps. Add in cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir. If adding chopped nuts, cranberries or chocolate, this is where that step comes in. Make sure everything is mixed completely; using my hands after stirring seemed to be the best way for me to do this. Form dough into a simple large ball and cover, refrigerating for about 30 minutes.
Now is the time to preheat the oven while you're waiting, to 350 degrees F.

Form the chilled dough into small balls of about 1 inch diameters, and place on a baking sheet (paper lined or silicone) two inches apart. With a fork flatten each ball down ever so slightly. Bake between 25 and 30 minutes; because they contain pumpkin they take much longer to cook than regular cookies. Before completely cooked sprinkle white sugar on top for added sweetness. The cookies are done when they are firm to the touch, no longer so mushy you could re-form them, and a toothpick comes out clean from the thickest cookie. Cool and serve! I packed a few as a to-go lunch and they were even better cold.

Pumpkin is the perfect flavour for when the leaves begin to turn all shades of red and gold, and the air becomes crisp and cold, so these are fairly early, but that really doesn't change how good they are! I found they had an old fashioned taste to them, very warm and homey, and very very chewy. Try these out now and definitely bookmark this recipe for October!

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (No Flour)

These are super easy, and even better, super healthy. Because they have no flour they're better for you and if you're going gluten free and missing baked goods, which so many people are doing now, you'll be happy to hear that for this recipe you don't need any flour at all.

I found this recipe in different forms all over the internet, each with something different than the last, so I took the basics they all agreed on and gave these a try. Most of the time old fashioned oats were called for but quick oats worked just as well.

2 1/5 cups oats
2 very ripe bananas (another half for topping)
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the oats, yogurt, eggs and sugar. Mash the bananas and stir in. Add the final three ingredients and stir for a few minutes until well mixed. Spray muffin tin with non stick spray and spoon batter into cups, filling to about 3/4 full. Slice another half banana into half inch thick pieces and place on top of batter (sprinkle more cinnamon on top if desired).

These will bake for between about 20 minutes, but begin watching carefully at 15. Muffins are done when the edges begin to turn golden brown and are slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute or two before removing from pan. Butter and serve warm; perfect for breakfast or a quick snack before work! You could easily make the night before and refrigerate if you have a busy morning the next day and need a quick and healthy breakfast to go.

White Chocolate Cameos

This is more a post on how to do any sort of detailed mold, and I bought this one today to add a bit of traditionally delicate flair to my next old fashioned tea party! I love cameos and seeing them in a chocolate mold was too much for me not to buy this one!

Detailed chocolate molds
White chocolate wafers
Small squeeze bottle
Pot and metal bowl

Chocolate making instructions taken from my last post on caramel filled chocolates.

If this is the first time you're using your molds, take a cotton ball and polish the insides of the molds with it; this is how you clean them and will make the chocolates really shiny! Don't put the molds in the microwave or dishwasher, or even wash with hot water, or they'll melt.

Fill the pot halfway with water and set to medium. Pour chocolate wafers into the metal bowl and set over the pot of water (simmering, not boiling). Stir the wafers; when they've begun to melt, turn the heat to low. When fully melted spoon into squeeze bottle using an ice cream scoop. A normal spoon will work as well but is much messier. Make sure the lid is tight and then squeeze enough chocolate into each mold to come nearly to the top.

To level the chocolate tap on the counter or table several times until even. If you overfilled the molds it will spill over but once hardened you can simply break off any excess, and with practise you can avoid this. Stick the trays back into the fridge for about 10 minutes. The chocolates are done when you upturn the tray over a plate and they fall out(sometimes with a bit encouragement, either tapping them, pushing on them or twisting the tray). If they don't come out easily just stick them back in the fridge for a few more minutes.

You can use these same instructions for any chocolate molds you have, and any kind of chocolate! Head to my post on filling chocolates if your molds are deep enough and you want to change things up a bit. There is so much potential for experimenting with chocolate, I will be back soon with some next level chocolate recipes! Give this easy recipe a try; people are easily impressed by homemade chocolates, especially when they're gifted! And more importantly you will impress yourself as well by what you can do.

Caramel Filled Chocolates

Another of my food loves is chocolate. After taking a class last fall, I've made chocolates several times, and today after buying some new molds and caramel I tried filled chocolates for the first time. They're so easy if you have the right tools, and my family (including my brother who helped me) agreed that they're better than store bought!

Here is what you'll need:
Chocolate molds deep enough to add filling to
Squeeze-ums Caramel filling
Small squeeze bottle
Paintbrush that hasn't been used for painting before
Pot and metal bowl
And of course, chocolate wafers for melting!

If this is the first time you're using your molds, take a cotton ball and polish the insides of the molds with it; this is how you clean them and will make the chocolates really shiny! Don't put the molds in the microwave or dishwasher, or even wash with hot water, or they'll melt.
Fill the pot halfway with water and set to medium. Pour chocolate wafers into the metal bowl and set over the pot of water (simmering, not boiling). Stir the wafers; when they've begun to melt, turn the heat to low. When fully melted spoon into squeeze bottle using an ice cream scoop. A normal spoon will work as well but is much messier. Make sure the lid is tight and then squeeze enough chocolate into each mold to come about halfway up.

 

Using your paintbrush, brush up the sides of each mold, covering every surface up to the top. If this layer of chocolate is too thin, add more chocolate and brush the sides again. You want the layer to be thick enough that you can't see the plastic. Stick this in the fridge and continue melting chocolate; you'll need about the same amount as before if not more. If you still have chocolate in the bowl add as many wafers as you need and stir to prevent it becoming too hot and hardening.

Once the chocolate in the molds has lost its sheen and it hard to the touch, it's time for the caramel! Mush it around in the bag with your hands to warm it up for a few minutes before use. I used a small cutting board to push the caramel in the bag from the back towards the point, so as to not waste any, but if you have a putty knife that would work too. It has to be something firm and stiff, otherwise you won't be able to squeeze all of the wonderful caramel to the point! Cut the point off on an angle and twist the top of the bag like a piping bag, then you can start adding the caramel to the chocolate molds. You don't want this layer to be too high or there will be no more room for the next layer of chocolate. Using your fingers you can press the caramel down until it's flat and at your desired thickness.

This time you don't have to refrigerate between layers. Spoon some more melted chocolate into your squeeze bottle and fill the molds up to the top. To level the chocolate tap on the counter or table several times until even. If you overfilled the molds it will spill over but once hardened you can simply break off any excess, and with practise you can avoid this. Stick the trays back into the fridge for about 10 minutes. The chocolates are done when you upturn the tray over a plate and they fall out(sometimes with a bit encouragement, either tapping them, pushing on them or twisting the tray). If they don't come out easily just stick them back in the fridge for a few more minutes.

You will have no trouble enjoying these!

To store the caramel, push from the tip of the bag back towards the back, as far as you can, and tie off. Once the chocolate in the squeeze bottle hardens you can squish it a bit until the chocolate cracks, and pour it back into your bag of chocolate wafers. As for any chocolate left over in the metal bowl, that's fit to eat as is! Just don't burn your fingers.

Tomato Basil Chicken

Staying true to my healthy diet, I made this as an experiment for supper last night and it was a huge hit. I love tomato and basil together and this is so easy to make!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons condensed tomato soup
1/2 cube chicken stock
1 cup boiled water

1 1/2 tbsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp salt

Boil the chicken until fully cooked, no longer pink on the inside. While boiling preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and mix the spices in a bowl. Boil 1 cup water and in a bowl add half a cube of chicken stock (the kind I used was 2 cups boiling water per cube, but if amounts differ just adjust to use 1 cup). Let dissolve and stir. Pour into baking pan; this is to keep the chicken moist while cooking. When the chicken is boiled, place it in the baking pan; the stock mix should reach about halfway up. Take 2/3 of the spice mix and spread evenly across the chicken, and gently rub in.

Place pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then take it out and add the condensed tomato soup, 1 tbsp spread evenly on the top of each piece of chicken, not too thin or too thick. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix on top and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Then turn the oven to broil and watch closely to ensure it doesn't burn. This should take between 5-10 minutes. The chicken is done when the tomato just starts to show dark patches but before it actually burns.

Serve hot by itself, or with tomato soup using what's left in the can, or like my brother did, with rice! No matter how you chose to serve it, this is a delicious meal for anyone who loves chicken. Enjoy!

Low-Calorie Omelette

I haven't posted in a while due to a new health food diet I've started, which means no more cupcakes, cinnamon roll pancakes, or cookies for a while! In that light I've decided to add a few healthier recipes to the blog.

An omelette is a really good health food item for lunch, because even though there are only two eggs in it, you feel like you're eating a lot more, and it fills up more of the plate, which tricks your brain into thinking you're more full than you would be if you hard boiled the eggs or scrambled them. This recipe is only 200 calories which is perfect for any healthy diet!

2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Green Onions

Spray a pan with cooking spray (for a less healthy version butter is ok but I prefer non stick cooking spray) and turn on low heat. While the pan is heating beat two eggs in a bowl, add a sprinkle each of salt, pepper, and seasoning salt and beat again. Pour into pan and turn the heat up to medium/high. Chop up half of the green leaf of the onion and sprinkle evenly on top of the eggs once cooked on the bottom and the top is still raw. When ready flip the omelette, until just browned on the bottom. Serve hot and sprinkled with salt.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Apples
1 apple, diced
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar

Cream Cheese Icing
6 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a small bowl mix the yogurt with water until it's a smooth consistency. Whisk together the dry ingredients for the Cupcake Batter first, then add the wet ingredients (including the yogurt and water mixture) slowly with a wooden spoon, stirring constantly until smooth. Place the finely chopped apple into a bowl with melted butter, stir until fully coated. Add the cinnamon and sugar, stir again, and mix in with the batter mixture. Spoon the batter evenly into greased or paper lined cups, about 3/4 full, and bake. Cupcakes will be done when slightly firm to the touch, approx 18 minutes.

For the cream cheese icing, mix together butter and cream cheese, both softened, until smooth. Would probably work best with an electric mixer but I was able to do it fine with a whisk; a wooden spoon would work as well. Then add the vanilla and stir. Just a half cup at a time add the powdered sugar and whisk together slowly until all the powdered sugar is mixed in, then stir briskly until smooth. Continue adding half cups of powdered sugar until it reaches your desired sweetness; 2 full cups worked for me, if you want it a bit tangier, then only use 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Once mixed smoothly you can either spread on the cupcakes straight away or, if you want the icing a bit firmer, place in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Baked Chicken Bites

Perfect for game day or a party, these chicken bites are easy to make and easier to eat!

3 large chicken breasts
2 eggs
1/2 sleeve (approx) of plain salted crackers
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Boil the chicken on high until maximum temperature is reached, then lower it to medium to boil until cooked. Once the chicken is no longer pink inside, it's fully cooked; remove it from the pot and onto a plate or cutting board. Cut into pieces about 1-2 inches cubed roughly. Beat two eggs in a bowl, and in another, crush the crackers into crumbs; large pieces are fine but make sure they're not too big.

Coat one piece of chicken in the egg, transfer to cracker crumbs and cover completely before placing on a baking sheet. Repeat with each piece of chicken until finished and dispose of any extra egg or cracker crumbs. Sprinkle salt over the chicken to preference, then the pepper and garlic salt, about half the amount you used for the salt. Then melt the butter, add in the lemon juice, and pour evenly over each chicken bite, about a teaspoon each. This was the perfect amount for what I had but if you need more, adjust measures of butter and lemon juice. Then stick them in the oven for between 15 and 20 minutes, until golden brown. Because the chicken was already boiled until ready to eat there's no need to worry about making sure that it's done inside, because it already is.

Serve hot with ketchup, mustard, honey mustard, mayo, or whatever your preference for dipping sauce is!

This would be the perfect recipe to liven up any leftover boiled chicken, or simply boil the chicken before your event and refrigerate until needed, as after boiling it takes under 10 minutes to prepare! Enjoy!

Valentine's Vanilla Cupcakes with Creamy Fudge Icing

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Whether you're spending it with a special someone or not, baking is extra fun because you get to cover everything in hearts! And on the 15th you'll be able to go out and buy chocolates at crazy low prices, which I think is always a bonus no matter what holiday it is.

For these cupcakes I had planned to make my own chocolate icing, but for the sake of time/money/number of dishes I went with some delicious store bought icing instead. Even though I took it out of the fridge a long time before to let it warm to room temperature it wasn't quite soft enough to spread, so I melted it in a bowl over a pot of boiling water just enough for it to be spreadable without tearing the cupcakes.

The cupcakes themselves were very basic. This is all you need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened (not melted) butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir together the dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ingredients slowly, stirring constantly. This works best if mixing with a whisk. Stir until smooth; you can use a mixer if you prefer but it was easy enough for me to do by hand. Spoon the mixture (I used a 1/3 cup measure to do this as it was the perfect amount) into muffin cups, either greased or paper-lined, about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, between 15 and 20 minutes. Cupcakes will feel slightly firm to the touch. Let cool completely before icing; I placed them in the freezer for 5 minutes while warming the icing. Once frosted you can continue to decorate however you want.

For the cute little red hearts, I used a candy writer that tastes like chocolate, which I found at a cake supplies store around Christmas to make candy cane chocolate. I drew the hearts on a sheet of wax paper and left them to harden on the counter while the cupcakes were in the oven. Make sure the icing is at least as cool as room temperature before putting the hearts on top, though, otherwise they'll melt!

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Like most anyone else, I love sugar cookies. And I love cinnamon. So with these cookies you have the best of both worlds!

I started with a simple recipe for sugar cookies after looking up a few different ones, all pretty much the same. I halved the recipe because of limited supplies but if you have enough, I'd highly suggest making the full amount; these won't last long!

2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/4 cups of margarine

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed for decoration

After preheating the oven to 350 degrees F, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Then in another bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Bit by bit, stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Notes:

-It's very important that you make the cookies small and place them far apart; mine ended up huge and baked into each other.

-To make them into perfect circles I used a glass as a cookie cutter as soon as I pulled them out of the oven, and then let them cool fully. You could do this with any shape if you desire; I'll be making heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day!

-If you want you could also add some cinnamon into the actual cookie mixture, but it's such a strong flavour that I didn't want it to overpower the taste of sugar and vanilla. It came out very well just rolling the cookies in it but again, it depends on your personal taste.

 

To place the cookie on the edge of the glass I cut a narrow slit not quite halfway up the cookie, having seen the idea on Pinterest. This would be a great way to serve cookies either at a party, for breakfast, or like I did, just for yourself to enjoy!

 

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze

Disclaimer: This is not my recipe, I found it on Pinterest at first and after some searching found the original here! All credit goes to Recipe Girl, I claim to rights to the genius of this creation! I've pasted the recipe in to make it easier for you, and easier for me to find it again; I think this will be a weekly Sunday morning brunch at my house!

Note: I also doubled this recipe, I like my pancakes bigger than a 4 inch diameter. I used a half cup of batter for each pancake and they came to about 6 inches in diameter each, but you can do it however you want! Also MAKE SURE YOU DON'T LET THE CINNAMON FILLING SPILL OUT ONTO THE PAN WHEN YOU SWIRL IT ONTO THE PANCAKES. I did that one too many times and, well, sugar burns. I had to cook them with the window open (and it's February...and I'm in Canada...) and wash the pan halfway through cooking the pancakes to get the burnt sugar off. After flipping it you're bound to get the cinnamon filling on the pan and that's fine, but if any spills over before flipping it'll burn really fast. They still tasted amazing and had a nice caramelised flavour and texture but for the sake of trying not to let your smoke alarm go off it's best to do it as the recipe says and don't get too much cinnamon filling spilling off the sides!

_____________________________________________

Yield: Eight 4-inch pancakes

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 10 min

An absolutely decadent morning treat...
*NOTE: This recipe has been revised (2/18/12) from its original publication. I've tried the current version many times with great success. Just follow all the tips and you'll get it right!

Ingredients:

CINNAMON FILLING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie and set it aside (see *Tips below).

Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.

Tips:

*Quick and easy tip: Use a boxed pancake mix as the base for this recipe.
*Tips for the cinnamon filling: Before swirling, open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated from the sugar. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of a tube of toothpaste, which will happen if you leave it at room temperature for several minutes. Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny to make a solid swirl.
*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*I wrote a very detailed post on how to get the cinnamon filling *just right* on my Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Post. Check it out before you attempt these!
*If you're trying to justify your intake of decadent cinnamon rolls, you can make this a tad bit healthier by using half whole-wheat flour and low fat cream cheese, or enjoy the pancakes without glaze.
 

Source: RecipeGirl.com

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Though the recipe is not mine, the pictures are, to show you that the incredibleness of the original recipe is possible in your own kitchen! I'd say enjoy, but I really don't think you'll have a problem with that here :)