Breakfast is Served: Easy Crescent Roll Danish

Do you want a delicious cream cheese danish, but can't make yourself wait for yeasted dough to rise? Well, because I am a genius, I have figured out that you don't need to do all that--all you need to do is go to the grocery store and buy some crescent rolls. You know, the kind you buy in the tube, that makes that satisfying "pop!" sound when you open them.

All you need to do, really, is make the high-fat filling.

Coming together in minutes, you fold the crescent rolls around aforementioned high-fat and highly scrumptious cream cheese filling for a crowd-pleasing morning treat. It's a fantastic breakfast that feels like the weekend but is easy enough to make on a weekday. YES!

Crescent Roll Danish

Active time: 5 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Makes 8 pastries

Ingredients

• 1 tube Crescent Rolls (don't waste your time using low-fat)
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (do not use low-fat)
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 8 teaspoons strawberry jelly or preserves (or flavor of your choice)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Unroll the Crescent Rolls dough. Separate the dough into four rectangles with triangle perforations. On each rectangle, gently use your fingers to incorporate the perforations into the dough. Now you have four un-perforated rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half, so that you have two squares. Now, cut each into 4 parts. You will end up with 8 squares.  
3. Transfer them to the baking sheet, evenly spaced, and aligned with a point toward you so that they look like diamonds.
4. In a large bowl, by hand or with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon juice. Mix until thoroughly combined and light and fluffy.
5. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the center of each pastry. Lightly spread it so that it is slightly flatter, but leave about 1 inch on all sides. If desired, spoon a teaspoon of strawberry jelly on top of the cream cheese mixture. 

6. Gently fold the left hand side of the dough on top of the filling, and bring the right side of the dough on top of that, so that the two sides form a seal. Gently press to ensure that they adhere, as they could unravel in the oven if you don’t. So now, it looks like two little arms hugging the filling, with the top and bottom exposed. Or, fold up the sides so that each grasps the filling in a little "bowl". Be sure to pinch the sides to form a seal if you do this.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the pastries are golden. Remove from oven and let cool until warm. Serve warm.

A Fine Breakfast: Easter Candy Toast

Let's be straight: you're going to need some serious energy if you're going to win the Easter egg hunt. And by "win" I mean hustle past all those nimble little kids for all of the best candy and plastic eggs filled with tasty prizes. 

So let's supercharge with a supersweet breakfast for all the power and energy you need, ok? 

That perfect dish is, of course, a little something I call Easter Candy Toast. It basically goes like this: you gently toast thick slices of pound cake in the toaster oven. Then, you melt down some Mom Blakeman's pull candy (it's a Kentucky thing, you'll have to order online; if you're in a rush, you can use vanilla taffy or vanilla tootsie rolls, but it won't be quite the same).

Once it's nice and melty, you pour a generous amount right on top of that toasty poundcake. And since it's Eastertime, you'll want to garnish it with some sprinkles and maybe a Cadbury Mini Egg or two. 

This, my friends, is what sweet victory tastes like. Because no matter what you are facing on any given day, this will give you such a powerful surge of pure sugar-energy that you will not only be able to perform with flying colors, but you might just stop fearing death. 

Just don't come crying to me when the inevitable sugar crash hits. Because I will just tell you to keep the sweetness going by having an Easter Candy taco plate for lunch.

Here's your recipe for destruction--er, perfection.

Easter Candy Toast (printable version here)

"breakfast of champions"

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of pound cake
• about 1 cup Mom Blakeman's pull candy
• a nice amount of cadbury mini eggs and sprinkles, for garnish

1. Toast your pound cake in the toaster oven until it's slightly crispy around the edges. You can do this in the oven too, by setting the oven to 300 and toasting for just a cople minutes, but please don't do it in the toaster. It will stick.
2. Set the toasty pound cake to the side by putting two slices on each plate (then it will be ready to eat later) while you melt down your candy. Simply place the pull candy in a medium saucepan and heat on low-medium, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. It won't seem like it wants to melt, but it eventually will.
3. Pour the melty candy over the "toast" and garnish immediately with candy and sprinkles. Enjoy while still warm.

Sweet Morning Carbohydrates at Tecolote Cafe, Santa Fe NM

At Tecolote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, they serve "great breakfast, no toast".

Now, I know. You're thinking...what's wrong with toast? Certainly it's a likeable foodstuff.

But as I found out on a recent visit, after taking a bite or two of what they do offer here, you won't even care why they don't serve toast, because you won't miss it.

First off, the "bakery basket". When you order an egg breakfast, you get a choice of tortillas or "bakery basket" as a side when you order. I want to urge you to NOT BE A FOOL. Because while tortillas are undeniably tasty, the bakery basket is the way to go here. This is what you can expect (and this is for one person):

The sweetest basket, with muffins and biscuits! On the day of my visit, it was blueberry, corn-jalapeno, and pumpkin muffins, and a biscuit. This could change on the day of your visit, but I promise it will be tasty.

But on to breakfast. If there is even a small part of you that has an interest in pancakes, you must order a pancake here. They are delicious. They are huge--salad plate sized--so one is perfect, especially if you add fruit or an egg or something on the side. Yes, if you look at the top picture you will see I ordered an egg. I know this is a big deal because it proves that I ate something other than sweets. Don't worry, I didn't eat anything else that wasn't sugar-coated all day.

I got the Atolé Piñon pancake. To translate, this is a blue cornmeal pine nut pancake. And was it ever good. The slight grit of the cornmeal gave the pancake an interesting texture and wonderful natural sweetness, and the mellow, rich pockets of toasted pine nut gave it a nice crunch every now and again. Topped with (warmed!) syrup and butter, this was a thing of sweet beauty to behold and to then store in my stomach. It was a warming and hearty and pretty much perfect pancake. 

They also had "Tollhouse" pancakes -- with chocolate chips and nuts. 

Now. Tecolote has sweet French Toast offerings too (I didn't ask why it was ok to have "no toast" but French Toast was OK): on the day of my visit, there were various fruit and chocolate and nut options. Tasty town!

Basically what I am saying here is that if you do not go to Tecolote Cafe as soon as possible, you are doing yourself a great disservice. 

Tecolote Cafe, 1203 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. Online here.

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins Recipe

Frequently, when publicists send me recipes, I just delete them. I am not trying to be a jerk, but a lot of them are kind of boring. And sometimes, even without trying, I am kind of a jerk.

But I didn't delete this one, so that is saying a lot. After all, even though it's technically for muffins, they are veering deliciously close to cake territory what with their raisinets (AKA: acceptable raisins) and glaze topping. Well, you know how I feel about glaze, so why not triple the recipe? I bet they'd be even better with buttercream frosting, though. 

These aren't your ordinary muffins. What sets these apart are the addition of smooth buttermilk, the fresh juice and peel of oranges and chocolate covered raisins all topped with a citrus glaze. Pop one in a work or school lunchbox for an unexpected treat!

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins

12 muffins for your time.

• Nonstick cooking spray or paper baking liners
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup NESTLÉ RAISINETS Dark or Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins

ORANGE GLAZE

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Procedure

1. FOR MUFFINS: PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. COMBINE granulated sugar and orange peel in small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk together flour, orange sugar mixture, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract in medium bowl until well blended. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Pour liquid mixture into the well; gently stir until combined. Fold in Raisinets. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. BAKE for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in muffins comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, make the orange glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
4. FOR ORANGE GLAZE: COMBINE orange juice, powdered sugar and orange peel in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary until desired consistency.

Morning Sweets: Mini Banana-Maple Pancake Muffins Recipe

Um. Did I tell you that my bloggy BFF Bakerella (I love alliteration, what can I say?) contributed a recipe to the fantastic new book Home Baked Comfort, released by Williams-Sonoma and including fantastic recipes from bakers across the country?

Well. Miss Bakerella's contribution is rather delicious: Mini Banana-Maple Pancake Muffins. Really, just uttering the title of the recipe ought to have you running to Williams-Sonoma to purchase the book...but in case it doesn't, here's the actual recipe.

Like little pancakes in muffin form, these are a snap to make and unbelievably easy to eat. How did you just eat ten? Huh?

The book is full of plenty of other awesome stuff. Go buy it.

Mini Banana-Maple Pancake Muffins

Makes 2 dozen

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for dipping
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 very ripe large banana, mashed

Procedure

1. Position a rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously grease 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or butter it up.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and butter until just combined. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the mashed banana until evenly distributed.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 10-12 minutes. Let hte muffins cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack, then unmold onto the rack. Serve while still warm with extra syrup for dipping.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chocolate-Cherry Stuffed French Toast

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

 Now, this sounds tasty: "crusty French loaf slices hide the surprise creamy chocolate chip pocket in French toast, topped with a warm, tart cherry sauce. Mmm."

And who do we have to thank for this sweet contribution to society? Beverly Weaver Rossell of Morgantown, Indiana, that's who: her recipe for Chocolate-Cherry Stuffed French Toast is a finalist in this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off! Now, I should note: it wasn't strictly necessary for me to add googly eyes to the picture, but it was awfully fun to do.

Here's the recipe.

Chocolate-Cherry Stuffed French Toast

• 1can Pillsbury® refrigerated crusty French loaf
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (from 13.66-oz can)
• 1 LAND O LAKES® Egg
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips (from 11.5-oz bag)
• 1/2 cup Fisher® Roasted and Salted Almonds, chopped
• 1 jar (12 oz) Cherry Preserves
• 3 tablespoons Butter

Garnish, if desired

• Flaked coconut
• Fresh mint leaves

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with Crisco® Butter Flavor No-Stick Cooking Spray. Place dough, seam side down, on cookie sheet. Using sharp knife, cut 5 diagonal 1/2-inch-deep slashes on top of dough. In small bowl, beat together coconut milk and egg. Lightly brush top and sides of loaf with egg mixture; refrigerate remaining egg mixture.
2. Bake 24 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer loaf to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Stir in coconut, chocolate chips and almonds; set aside.
4. Using sharp bread knife, cut thin slice off each end of loaf; discard. Cut loaf into 8 thick slices. Cut each bread slice crosswise down center to within 1/4 inch of bottom to form pocket. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoons cream cheese mixture into each pocket. Press gently to close.
5. Dip stuffed slices in reserved egg mixture. Spray 12-inch skillet generously with Crisco® Butter Flavor Cooking Spray. Cook slices over medium-high heat about 4 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, in small saucepan over medium heat, stir together cherry preserves and butter until mixture is warm and butter is melted. Serve French toast slices topped with warm cherry mixture. Garnish with coconut and mint.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Butternut Squash Brunch Braid

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

I'll confess: I was on the fence about whether or not to include this one in the "sweets" category--but then again, like so many brunch dishes, it straddles that border of sugar-meet-savory, and ultimately the excess of the dish made me want to include it. Butternut squash soaked in sugar and bacon and wrapped in decadent pastry? Yes, please.

As inventor Natalie Edwards of Boxborough, MA says, "You're invited to a fabulous brunch! Braid and bake an easy crescent dish with a savory onion, squash and Parmesan filling." Invitation accepted!

Butternut Squash Brunch Braid

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 1/2cups cubed (1/2 inch) seeded peeled butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon Crisco® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Black Pepper
• 4 slices bacon, chopped (about 4 oz)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 1 can Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg white, beaten

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, combine squash, olive oil, brown sugar and pepper; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into ungreased 15x10-inch pan with sides.
2. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until squash is light brown on edges and tender when pierced with fork. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
3. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon pieces to paper towels. Add onion and thyme to bacon drippings in skillet. Cook and stir onion over medium heat until onion is brown and softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in bacon.
4. Spray large cookie sheet with  No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press to 12x8-inch rectangle. Spoon onion mixture in 4-inch-wide strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top onion with butternut squash; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips over filling; press ends to seal. Brush with egg white.
6. Bake at 375°F 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into 6 slices.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Key Lime Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Image: Pillsbury Bake-OffCakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

Key. Lime. Pie. Cinnamon. Rolls. 

Clearly, Andrea Yacyk of Sebastian, Florida, who invented this Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist recipe, is my sister from another mister. Says she, "Cinnamon rolls just got rolled up with white chocolate and lime for a tasty citrus breakfast treat."

Say I, "make way for a minefield of magic."

Here's the recipe. It yields 5 rolls.

Key Lime Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 can Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Supreme refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
• 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated Key lime peel
• 1/2 cup white baking chips
• 1 tablespoon Key lime juice
• 1 Key lime, sliced, if desired

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or lightly spray with Crisco® Original No-Stick cooking spray.
2. Remove dough from can; do not separate dough into rolls. Reserve icing. Unroll cinnamon roll dough on waxed paper. Sprinkle dough evenly with 1/4 cup of the graham cracker crumbs, lime peel and white chips; lightly press chips into dough. Reroll dough; using perforations, separate into 5 rolls. Place, cut side up, two inches apart on cookie sheet.
3. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine reserved icing and lime juice; stir until well blended. Drizzle icing over warm rolls. Sprinkle tops with remaining graham cracker crumbs. Garnish with lime slices. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pull-Aparts Recipe

I don't have a bread machine. But if you do, have I ever got a good use to suggest for it: Pumpkin Pull-Aparts. Especially now that it is post-Labor Day and it's time to put away your white shoes and flavor EVERYTHING with pumpkin.

This recipe was shared with my by the fine folks at Robert Rose publishing, who recently released The Artisan Bread Machine: 250 Recipes for Breads, Rolls, Flatbreads and Pizzas. Here's the recipe:

 Pumpkin Pull-Aparts

adapted from The Artisan Bread Machine: 250 Recipes for Breads, Rolls, Flatbreads and Pizzas by Judith Fertig

Equipment: bread machine with a 1 1/2 lb capacity, Rolling pin

9-inch square pan, greased

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup lukewarm buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast

Filling

• 1/2 pumpkin or apple butter
• Topping 
• 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure

1. Add sugar, salt, egg, pumpkin, buttermilk and butter to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yest.
2. Select dough cycle and press start.
3. When the cycle is finished, transfer to a floured surface and punch down gently. Lightly dust with flour and roll out onto a 12 by 10 inch rectangle, with the long side closest to you.
4. Prepare the filling. Spread the pumpkin or apple butter over the dough, leaving a half-inch perimeter along both long sides. Lightly brush the long edge further from you with water. Starting with the opposite long side, roll dough into a tight cylinder and pinch seam to seal. Using dental floss or a sharp knife, cut cylinder into 9 slices.
5. Dip both spiral sides of the rolls in cinnamon sugar. Place spiral side up in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. Side remaining cinnamon sugar to the side. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F.
6. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar over rolls. Bake for about 30 minutes or until risen and lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer reads 190F. Cool in pan on a wire rack; serve while still warm.

Biscuit Time: Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls Recipe for Serious Eats

What happens when you combine biscuits with cinnamon rolls?

A few things, as I discovered when I recently came across something called the Biscuit Cinnamon Roll at the Denver Biscuit Company. On a technical level, the combination yields a biscuity, dense and substantial roll with a deliciously crisped edge and gooey, sweet interior. But if you want to get poetic about it (and you just might), by melding these two twin titans of carbohydrate awesomeness, you've got a decadently delicious and addictive tour de force that just might change the way you look at morning sweets forever.

Here's my homemade re-creation of this Denver delicacy.

Note: The biscuit portion of the recipe is adapted from The New York Times.

Find the full entry and recipe on Serious Eats!