Orange Rolls

I wanted to make something that I've never made for my neighbors and friends this year. On Christmas morning my mom would always make orange rolls. Even though everything was typically homemade from here, these were never homemade. I didn't have a recipe for it, other than my dough recipe and regular cinnamon rolls. Anyway, I decided to make them to try them out and see if they would work as neighbor gifts this year.
I made one batch of dough which equaled out to be 18 rolls. I put them in those circle disposable pans to make it easy. I tried one right away to see how it tasted and put the other two in the freezer. I tried one that was in the freezer this morning and there was no difference! Yum! Can't wait to make them for Christmas.

I plan on making a cute little tag for them. I will post them as soon as I do.

you get the half eaten picture until I make another batch. I just couldn't wait :)


First make the dough:
 2 cups heated milk (heat in the microwave for 2 minutes)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 1/2 -5 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast

If you have a bread maker just put the ingredients in the bread maker in that order on the dough setting. This is what I do and I LOVE it.

 If not just use a mixer. Melt the butter in the milk. Pour milk into mixer. Add sugar and salt. Slowly add half of the flour. Add the yeast and the rest of the flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Dough should be soft. Cover and let raise for about 45 minutes. (at least 10 if you don't have a lot of time)

Filling Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
orange juice concentrate, thawed


Frosting Ingredients:
1 square butter
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed
splash of water
2 teaspoons orange zest

Roll the dough in a rectangle shape. You could also just roll the dough in a pan and use the pan to guide the shape and then cut the rolls. Spread the butter over the dough, covering it all. sprinkle the sugars over the butter. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of the orange juice concentrate over the sugars. Roll from the long side as tight as possible.
Cut into rolls, I usually do about 1.5 inches apart. Place in the greased baking dish you are using.
To cook right away let them raise for about an hour (or more if you have time). Then cook on 350 for 22 minutes. They should be light brown when done. Pipe icing over them while they are warm.

To make the frosting just mix all ingredients until they are nice and fluffy. Add water and/or powdered sugar as needed to get the taste you desire.

To Freeze:
After you place them in the baking dish cover with foil and then the lid. When you are ready to make them, take them out and let them sit out until they are room temperature (that takes about an hour to two hours) Then let them raise another hour. You could also take them out of the freezer the night before you want to serve them and put them in the fridge. Then you can let them raise about an hour and a half outside the fridge.
Once the rolls have doubled in size you will cook them on 350 for about 22 minutes.

And there you go! Easy homemade orange rolls.

14 Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

My mom's favorite cake has always been carrot cake. This is her mother's recipe. I make it every year for my mom's birthday. I have also tried the recipe as cupcakes and they turned out just as good.
The people that eat this tell me that they don't like carrot cake, but love this one. It's moist and tasty! You can't even taste the carrots in it.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups grated carrots (about 4 large carrots)
4 large eggs

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and mix well. Add eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition. Add carrots. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick tests dry.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick margarine (soft)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 8 ox package of cream cheese, softened
pinch of salt (takes away the powdery taste)

Directions:
Mix together. Frost center and sides of the cake. Ad chopped nuts and coconut to icing for cake top, if desired.

The BEST brownies ever

I went to a one of those parties that us ladies host all the time (the ones that our husbands LOVE so much :) ) and there were some of the best brownies I have ever tasted there. They were frosted brownies to make it even better.

The secret: it's a Texas sheet cake recipe baked in a 9x13 inch pan

I got the recipe from my friend and made them for a 4th of July neighborhood party we are having.

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Mix flour and sugar together until blended. In a saucepan, put the margarine, cocoa, and water in and bring to a boil. Pour in the flour and sugar mixture. Add the buttermilk, soda, eggs,. and vanilla. Normally, for this cake you would pour it into a cookie sheet. However, for the brownies you will want to pour into a greased 9x13 dish. Cook on 400 for 25 minutes. Make the frosting while the cake is cooling.

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup cocoa
5 tablespoons mil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Melt the margarine in a saucepan. When melted completely, move away from heat. Add the cocoa. Stir in the ilk and vanilla. Cool for about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar. I just kept folding it until it was blended. Pour over the warm cake.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

I hosted a baby shower for my cousin and had so much fun making things! Today, I made these crazy chocolate cupcakes with a homemade strawberry buttercream frosting. It was my first time making them and they turned out delicious!

My favorite cake has always been the crazy chocolate cake from the family recipe cookbook. This goes back in my family for years. I have never made them as cupcakes though. I gave them a shot.

Cake Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons of sugar
6 Tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup oil or melted shortening
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 1/2 cups cold water
2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
In a mixer, blend the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients one at a time. Blend together just long enough so that the flour is incorporated. Probably like two minutes on a medium low setting. Don't over mix. When you do, your cake becomes crumbly. The batter can either be runny, or slightly thick. Either way, the cake will turn out every single time.
If you are making a 9x13 cake, cook for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserting it into the center. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the cupcakes, pour the batter so that it's 3/4 of the way full in a cupcake liner. Bake for 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. This batch will make about 24 cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.

For the yummy strawberry buttercream frosting:
I used Martha Stewart's Recipe and then added the flavoring I wanted. I just used the candy flavoring from the cake decorating aisle.

Ingredients:
4 sticks of butter, softened
6 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt (takes away the powdery flavor)
2 small drops of strawberry candy flavoring
pink food coloring

Directions:
Put butter in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce to medium and add sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until well combined, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, salt, flavoring, and food coloring and mix for about a minute until well combined.

This frosting recipe seriously makes the best frosting for cupcakes!

Caramel Apple Snicker Salad

I had this at a BBQ before and I had no idea what it was. It was one of the best dessert recipes I have ever had! It would also be good for a dessert to serve for a girls night or bunco group! So easy to make ahead. I know many people make it, but not everyone has the recipe. I found this one on pinterest HERE and loved it!

 

Ingredients:
5 oz box of dry vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
1 tub of cool whip
4 snickers bars, chopped
4 green apples, chopped
Caramel Ice Cream Sauce

Directions:
Mix pudding mix, milk, and cool whip together. Add the snickers and apples. Top with caramel sauce. Refrigerate for an hour or so.

Pink Lemonade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box of pink lemonade cake mix (you can use strawberry as well and it would be just as good).
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil and mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a scooper, or spoon to make dough balls. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes transfer to a cooling rack.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

For Valentine's Day I wanted to make a yummy treat. My friend Sandy and I made some yummy cookies. I went home and wanted more, but didn't have all of the ingredients we used at her house. She uses a Devil's Food Cake mix. I googled recipes for homemade ones and found THIS recipe. I loved how these turned out even more! I stacked them up and put them in a package and passed them out for Valentine's Day. Instead of the frosting recipe used on the site, I used Sandy's cream cheese frosting recipe.

Cookie Ingredients:
 1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) of room temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, softended
8 oz cream cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl use an electric mixer to mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter on a low speed, then add the egg. Mix until dough comes together in one big mass.
Use your hands to roll about one inch balls of dough. Place on a greased baking sheet about two inches apart. Slightly flatten the top. Bake for 9 minutes. Take out and let cool for five minutes. Then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

To make the filling, mix the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add more powdered sugar as needed to make it creamy.  Put in the refrigerator until chilled.

Once the cookies are cooled and the frosting is chilled you can assemble the cookies. Place about 1-2 teaspoons of frosting in the middle of one cookie. Use a knife to slightly spread the frosting out. Place another cookie on top to press the rest of the frosting around the cookie and they will be perfectly spread.

Chocolate Mousse Cake-Olive Garden Style

This is my all time favorite dessert! I was so happy when I found a recipe for it. It is quite the process, but sooo worth it. There are 5 layers and then the frosting. We will start with the bottom and work our way up. Thanks to my friendy Sandy for taking the picture!She's an awesome photographer!

Chocolate Layer Cake
9 tablespoons sugar               1/2 cup flour
1 egg                          3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract        1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil         1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon shortening              1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Make chocolate cake layer by combining the sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl and mix it with an electric mixer on high for one minute. Add the oil and shortening and mix well. Then add the water, mix until smooth.
Combine the rest of dry ingredients in another bowl. Add this to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a well greased 10-inch SPRINGFORM pan (this is important, you have to be able to open the sides of the cake while keeping it on the pan).
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool.

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make this layer when the cake is almost cooled. Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla to a bowl and mix on high until the cream form stiff peaks. Mix in the cream cheese until smooth. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass bowl on high for 30 seconds. Stir and then heat the chips for another 15 to 30 seconds. Stir until smooth then mix them into the cream mixture. Spoon the mixture over the chocolate cake layer. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Fluffy Cheesecake Layer
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Make this layer just like the last one, but without the chocolate chips. Mix the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until the cream forms stiff peaks. Add the cream cheese in until smooth. Spread over the chocolate cheesecake layer and chill for another hour.

Chocolate Custard Mousse Layer
1 egg 
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using a metal bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and sugar. Set the bowl over water that is simmering in a saucepan over medium-low heat (if you have a double boiler you can use that instead). Whisk for 6 minutes or until thick. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla with a spoon until smooth. Spread over the fluffy cream cheese layer.

White Swirl
2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients and heat in a glass dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir. Heat in 15 second increments until smooth. Drizzle over the chocolate custard layer and use a knife to make the swirl into the custard. Chill until firm. About an hour.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar                                                    
3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder                                                                                               
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream

6 ounces of mini chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients using an electric mixer until smooth. Load the frosting into a pastry bag. Use the large star tip.

Remove the  cake from the springform pan and pipe the frosting around the edge of the cake.
Press the mini chocolate chips around the sides of cake. Press firmly to make the chips stick. Chill the cake for at least another hour. Use a serrated knife to cut pieces.

Enjoy!

Seriously sooo good.

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
3 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 container whipped vanilla frosting
3/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions: 
Heat oven to 375.
Mix mix, oil, water, 1 teaspoon rum extract, pineapple and eggs with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Divide batter among 24 muffin cups.
Bake 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pan to wire rack then cool completely for 30 minutes.
Stir coconut extract and 1 teaspoon rum extract into frosting. Spread frosting onto cupcakes. Dip tops of frosted cupcakes in coconut.

 I will post a picture as soon as they are done, they are just in the oven now.

My Grandma’s Banana Bread

Ingredients:

5 large bananas

4 well beaten eggs

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Beat bananas until liquid. Add eggs and mix thoroughly; set aside. Cream together shortening and sugar, then add banana and egg mixture and beat thoroughly. Add flour that has been sifted with baking soda and salt, and then fold in nuts. Bake in well greased loaf pans at 300 degrees for 2 hours, or until done.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:2 squares Semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups thawed chocolate whipped topping
1 Oreo Pie Crust
1 ½ cups strawberries, or other desired berry
Directions:
Microwave chocolate in small bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add chocolate; mix well. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.
Refrigerate 3 hours until set. Top with strawberries just before serving.



Almost Thin Mint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package of Ritz crackers

Semi-sweet baking chocolate

¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:

Melt chocolate according to package. Mix the peppermint extract until well incorporated.

Dip the Ritz crackers into the chocolate mix until entire cracker is covered. Place on baking sheet with wax paper. Top with crushed candy cane for decoration. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Oreo Balls

Ingredients:

1 package of Oreos

1 bar (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

Baking chocolate, milk and white chocolate

Toppings: crushed candy canes, crushed nuts, coconut

Directions:

Crush entire package of oreos into fine crumbs. Mix with softened cream cheese until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Roll mix into small balls. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Melt chocolate according to package. Dip rolled balls into chocolate mixture. Place on baking sheet with wax paper. Quickly top with desired topping. Drizzle white and milk chocolate over balls to desired look.

My Grandma’s Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 square butter or margarine softened

4 eggs

½ cup cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. No longer. Cool and frost.



Cold Raspberry Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed

¼ cup white grape juice

½ cup to ¾ cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

In blender or food processor, combine the first three ingredients; cover and process until pureed. Strain seeds if desired. Transfer to large bowl, whisk in sour cream until blended. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Simply but Delicious Cheesecake

This cheesecake is a favorite of all my family members. My dad loves cherry on top and my husband likes raspberry. I LOVE strawberry. I make it anytime I need a simple dessert. However, the taste is delicious!

 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened                  1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup powdered sugar                                         1-9’’ graham cracker crust

1 teaspoon vanilla                                               1 can (1lb 5 oz) pie filling

                                                                               

Directions:

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat whipping cream on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into pie shell. Put pie filling on top. Chill for at least an hour.

This can be used with any pie filling you like. I use about 3/4 of the can.