This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays treat is Sticky Buns. There was also an alternative in the recipe to make cinnamon rolls; since I found it insanely difficult to decide between those two enticing options, I made both with one whole recipe of the dough. I had never made “real” cinnamon rolls before, just lots of cheater versions such as cinnamon roll muffins and non-yeast ones and this was the push I needed to make one of our favorite breakfast goodies. The last time the Sweet Melissa group made yeast buns, Bee Stings, I had a heck of a time with the dough, both in terms of stickiness and reluctance to rise. I am pleased to say this time, with the exception of the second rising period, I did not have nearly so much trouble. The recipe called for two and a half to two and three quarter cups flour, so I started out with the higher amount, figuring I could add even more if necessary, and my dough actually did not end up needing it. Thanks to the Sweet Melissa Problems & Questions section, I also remembered to warm the milk before making the dough. 
After rising for a couple hours, the dough was very smooth and malleable, easily shaped into its rectangle, and rolled up nicely. The recipe calls for putting an egg wash on before the cinnamon sugar mixture, and it was very helpful in getting the cinnamon to stick. I made cinnamon bread a few weeks ago and I think I lost about half the cinnamon/sugar mixture when rolling, so it’s nice to find a way for it to stick. I was very impatient during the second rise this morning, but the soft buns drenched in the sweet buttery sauce were well worth the wait. The cinnamon rolls with almond-flavored cream cheese icing were delicious too. (I really consumed more than my fair share of carbs today.)
The sticky buns received a 9.5 for Deliciousness and the cinnamon rolls received an 8. I would give this recipe about a 4 for Effort, so it’s an EDR of 2.37/2. Many thanks to Jen of Not Microwave Safe for finally getting me to make cinnamon rolls. Jen is a student at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, which is where my dad went to grad school in the seventies. My parents have shared many fond memories of food and friends from their time there, so it’s nice to know it’s still a good place to live and cook. You can find the recipe HERE on Jen’s site and see what the other bakers thought of the recipe by visiting the SMS blogroll.
This week’s Sweet Melissa Sunday treat was Snickerdoodles. I recall snickerdoodles being in the cookie jar rotation when I was growing up, but I don’t think I’d ever actually made them myself until this weekend. (Definitely an oversight on my part, given how much we like cinnamon treats around here.) Luckily, I now have a good recipe for them! Much like the other treats in the “After School Snack” section of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book, these were easy to make and quite yummy. The cookies are buttery and tender, with a nice crunch from the cinnamon/sugar mixture they’re rolled in (I also snuck a little cinnamon in the dough to guarantee extra cinnamon goodness). I made a half recipe, which yielded twenty-eight cookies with my two-teaspoon cookie scoop. The small cookie scoop is one of my very favorite kitchen gadgets; I actually had to purchase a new one this weekend, as my first scoop died. I don’t think it was a bad product; I just use it so much!
This recipe rates a 7.7 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.85. Many thanks to Spike of Spike Bakes for selecting this terrific cookie. You can find the recipe HERE on Spike’s great site and see what the rest of the bakers thought via the SMS blogroll. And if you like cinnamon, I highly recommend the Cinnamon Roll Muffin pictured below. I found the recipe HERE on Joy the Baker, and like everything I’ve tried from that site, it’s fabulous. I like the idea of making cinnamon rolls on weekend mornings, but I am never organized enough to actually plan ahead to make real ones (seriously, we’d have cinnamon rolls around 1:30 PM at best if I tried). Previously I had been making some non-yeast cinnamon rolls from The New Best Recipes, which are also tasty, but these muffins have instant rise yeast, so you get the more authentic cinnamon roll flavor, and you don’t have to even roll!
This week’s Tuesday With Dorie recipe was Cinnamon Squares. Was I the only one who pictured more of a cinnamon shortbread when they saw the name of the recipe? Every month when the new list of recipes appears on the site, I put sticky tabs on the pages of the book with the date written on them; you know, so I can plan ahead. I have all these grand ideas at the beginning of the month about getting ahead of schedule, and then I inevitably end up making the dessert the weekend before, often late on Sunday night. Or occasionally Monday, though I do try to avoid that as much as possible. Anyway, this month Mr. Penpen saw me tabbing up the book and when he saw the Cinnamon Squares, he asked, hopefully, “full batch?” And I did intend to make a whole batch since I knew this would be a recipe he would really like, but then we got a little bit backed up on treats, so I ended up making a quarter of a recipe. If this recipe didn’t have so much chocolate in it, I think I could have easily pretended it was a breakfast cake and made the whole recipe. I suppose I could have omitted the chocolate (initially I wasn’t so sure about the combination), but the more I looked at the photo of the swirly frosting on the cake, the more appealing it sounded.
And wow! Am I ever glad I made it with chocolate: this cake is absolutely delectable. I think the espresso powder really brings the cinnamon and chocolate flavors together, and you get wonderful hints of all three. I was mildly concerned that I had overbaked my little cake, but the texture ended up being perfect too. I am a little sorry I didn’t make an entire cake, but now that I know how delicious (and easy!) it is, I will definitely make it again.
I gave this cake a 9 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 4.5. Many thanks to Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures for picking such a winner. You can find the recipe on Tracey’s fabulous site, plus much more. I began reading her blog regularly a couple months ago, and am continually impressed with how many great recipes she puts up there! You can also see what the other TWD bakers thought of this cake via the TWD blogroll.
