Cinna-Bun Cookies

What are your

family's favorite recipe

for Santa Cookies?

There's Chocolate Chip...

Frosted Sugar...

maybe Gingerbread?

I've been trying 

a few NEW recipes

to really stop Santa in his tracks!!

I may have stumbled across a keeper:

Ingredients
{Recipe compiled from several recipes including Baker's Royale and Official Cinnabon Recipe}
Cookie:
2 cups Flour, all purpose
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 stick Butter, softened
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg, yoke only
1/4 cup Apple Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Cinna-bon Smear:
{for inside of cookies}
3 tbsp. Butter, softened
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt

Cinna-bon Cream Cheese Frosting:
{to drizzle over cookies}
3 oz. Cream Cheese, cold
2 tbsp. Butter, softened
1/2 cup Powder Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp. Salt

Method
In a medium size bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Cream butter and brown sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment - add in egg yoke, apple butter and vanilla. Slowly mix in flour mixture until batter is completely combined. Divide batter in two balls and wrap each in plastic wrap or wax paper, rolling up to be as air tight as possible. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the batter is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees and make cinnamon smear by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.

When batter has chilled, remove from plastic wrap and place on a floured cutting board. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and evenly spread smear from edge to edge of dough. Starting with one end, roll dough onto itself until a log is formed. {Repeat with second ball of dough.} Cut the very end of each log off, so that you will have an even starting point. Cut the logs in 1 inch pieces and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Cool completely before frosting cookies.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare frosting by creaming the cheese and butter together in a kitchen mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Slowly add in powder sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat until frosting is fluffy and all powder sugar lumps are gone. Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and serve with ice cold milk!

These cookies are

soft, chewy and loaded 

with cinnamon bun flavor!

And, the creamy frosting

tops them off

perfectly ...

just as the greatest cinnamon bun should be!

Santa will be  pleasently surprised

with a plate of these

come Christmas Eve!

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

Oh, yeah! I partied this week! ->

Check out my sidebar to find out where! 

Gingerbread Christmas Cookies

If Christmas had a scent, gingerbread would be it!! There's nothing better in this world than walking into a home with warm spices, orange essence and molasses floating in the air! Baking cookies on Christmas Eve has been a long family tradition that I plan to carry on with my new family...and the perfect recipe follows: (Makes about 6 dozen.)

• 1 1/2 sticks lightly salted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 orange, zested
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup additional for rolling, if needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground dry ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, add the butter, sugar and orange zest and beat until smooth, 5 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, dry ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses and lemon juice.

When the butter and sugar are integrated, lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Add the egg mixture and when blended, remove the bowl from the machine. Divide the cookie dough in half. Press the first half of the dough in between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second half. This step will make it easier to finish rolling out the dough when it has chilled. It will also mean you only have half of the dough getting warm as you roll it.

Lightly flour a flat surface. Use a floured rolling pin to gently roll the first half of the dough about 1/2-inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutter(s) and cut the shapes, making as few scraps as possible. Use a metal spatula to gently transfer them, cookie by cookie, (the cookies should be similar size) to a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough and transfer them to another baking sheet. Bake until brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Now you are ready to decorate using just about anything your heart desires...from royal icing to fondant...from sprinkles and edible pearls to just about every candy! The fun part is making a unique cookie even Santa himself would enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has! Orders may also be placed up until December 22nd for homemade cookies delivered to your door!

Jade Cahoon

Sweet Street Designer Cakes and Cupcakes

Place orders at sweetstreetsc@aol.com