baking

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I’ve searched for the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe forever. Perfectly fluffy and slathered with a buttery cream cheese frosting, this is it.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe has been my mission for more years than I can count on two hands.

Strike that.

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe and actually making it, now THAT is what has been my mission for that number of years.

I’ve Pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest, and liked all of them on Facebook. I’ve torn out every recipe from every magazine that’s shared cinnamon rolls deemed fit to bake. And it seems that just about every week of Friday Faves has one more recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll included in it.

Not that I’ve ever made any of them.

For some reason, the notion of baking homemade cinnamon rolls has always intimidated me. I blame it on my childhood. That’s when my early cinnamon roll baking adventures relied on using the pre-made dough from the can that came out of the oven tasting like they’d been baked 3 days before and then quickly turned into 5-day-old rolls as soon as they cooled.

It ruined the notion of cinnamon rolls for me until I had a REAL cinnamon roll from a true blue bakery and realized just how many light and fluffy pillows from cinnamon and brown sugar slathered with glaze bundles of heaven I’d been missing out on all those years.

Now THOSE rolls are the ones I want to bake. The homemade cinnamon rolls I want to be known for. The rolls that when family and friends take one bite they blissfully roll their eyes in satisfaction as they slowly absorb each sweet, flaky bite, and then look to one another in agreement and say, “Heidi makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls.”

And now, I have that recipe.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

The Berry Best Four Berry Pie Recipe

This mixed berry pie is made with four kinds of berries and a buttery homemade pie crust. It’s the ultimate summer pie recipe!

If you live in the great state of Utah, you know that today, the 24th of July, carries nearly the same celebratory weight as the king of patriot days, July 4th. It’s the day Utahns celebrate statehood with parades, fireworks and a nod to the pioneers who walked thousands of miles until they stopped in our little valley and declared, “This is the place!”

Happy Pioneer Day! Or as us heathens who prefer to center all holidays around food prefer to call it, Happy Pie & Beer Day!

I’ll take a slice and a swill of both, please.

After posting my round up of 20 Classic Summer Pies to Love, I got the pie bug. I had the homemade pie fever. I had the lust to bake. So I set myself to task. I armed myself with a summertime selection of fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Then I turned to my favorite pie crust recipe, which I have come to realize is nearly as soft, sweet and supple as sugar cookie dough. Cookie as a crust? Not officially, but it strikes a resemblance.

There may have been a little inspiration for the cutaway crust thanks to the cover of this magazine. They used a cookie cutter. I used a big mouth straw, and ate the little roundie cutouts as I went.

A double crust pie loaded with fresh berries is nearly as patriotic as parades, firecrackers, and a side of beer with your pie.

continue to the recipe…

German Chocolate Cake

This homemade German chocolate cake with its easy, sweet, and gooey coconut and pecan frosting is my all-time favorite. It’s an easy recipe to make from scratch, and my whole family goes crazy for it.

There’s nothing more traditional in my long-legged life than the cake I have every year for my birthday. It may be made by someone who loves me, or purchased from a bakery to add to the celebration.

And because I love it so much, I am totally a-okay if I make this coconuty, nutty, frosted cake myself because this homemade German chocolate cake is one amazing cake. Just like me :)

January is birthday month for me. Time to take a look, evaluate, and see who and what I am and what challenge I see in my future. Sometimes I love what I see, sometimes, not so much.

But if I don’t take a look at myself and cross check my perception versus reality, then where is the next challenge to conquer, the next mountain to climb? Or even a reason to get out of bed?

Are you happy? Are you yearning? Are you challenged? Are you bored? Are you still searching?

My birthday challenge to you is the same one I’ve given to myself. Take a look at where you are, right now. Today. While you’re surfing the internet because you’re bored or hungry or a friendly follower (thank you!)

Today, choose one thing you want to change and make one goal, one statement, to make it happen.

And then just do it. Love yourself. Be yourself. And keep on being you.continue to the recipe… about German Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookie Pops with Nutella®

These chocolate chip cookies are made into cookie sandwich cookie pops filled with creamy Nutella® hazelnut spread for a totally different take on Christmas cookies.

This recipe is brought to you by Nutella®. All opinions are my own.

The holidays have never tasted so good. And these cookies are one reason why.

Every year I gear up to make something unique to share at my holiday cookie exchange. Coconut Snowball Cookies, My Mom’s Famous Homemade Fudge, and even White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn and Cashews have all made the cut.

This year I decided to take everyone’s favorite standard cookie (chocolate chip), dress them up, and add a little fun to the cookie exchange game.

This recipe for chocolate chip cookies marries two unique ways to show off your mad cookie making skills by bridging the gap between a cookie sandwich and a cookie lollipop bound together as one with a slathering swirl of creamy Nutella® hazelnut spread spread.

You can either bite ’em from the cookie outside or lick em’ from the Nutella® creamy center, there’s just one thing you HAVE to do. Make ’em.

continue to the recipe… about Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookie Pops with Nutella®

German Chocolate Banana Bread

My favorite banana bread recipe gets a nutty chocolate chunk upgrade, making this quick bread a dessert lovers dream.

To say I have a fetish with German Chocolate anything and everything is a severe understatement. Proof in the chocolate pudding is right here.

I could try and blame it on my German heritage, but let’s just say it like it is: I am a load-it-up-with-all-the-nuts-chocolate lover and I have no willpower when this flavor-bomb combo is in sight. I mean, have you ever had Baskin Robbins German Chocolate Cake ice cream?

Has chocolate ever been considered a part of our DNA? Apparently so! Who-da thunk that someone (not me) was likely to investigate?

My favorite part of this banana bread is all the additional fixins, but the secret is what lies under the toppings, and proof that beauty is more than skin deep.

continue to the recipe… about German Chocolate Banana Bread

Cherry and Almond Quick Bread

Dark, sweet cherries are added to an almond flavored batter for an easy quick bread recipe that’s a sweet treat to eat and share with friends.

Good is easy if you just start small. A little can change it all. Learn more from Land O Lakes®

As a food blogger, I make a lot of food. With the amount of recipe testing and random menu combinations I create on any given day, in today’s society I am beyond lucky to say that sometimes it becomes just too plentiful to consume for my small family of three. We are very fortunate, and we know it. We are thankful. That’s why today’s post sponsored by Land O’ Lakes highlights one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen: Spread the food love!

Cooking, baking and creating is my job. And one of the best parts about it is sharing the results with friends and family. Let’s just that say if you’re my neighbor, you very well could receive a text that says to check your front porch (and if we’re really good friends, your fridge or counter) because there’s going to be something good waiting for you when you come home from work that day. Or better yet, stop by my house and let’s share it together.

It’s my way of saying thank you for being there. And for putting up with all those times I took your photo as a reluctant hand model when all you really wanted to do was dig into dinner or dessert on the table.

See how well that works out for everyone?

Today I’m sharing this Cherry and Almond Quick Bread. It’s perfect for sharing any time of year. Plus, I’m giving my 3 tips to help you share your own bounty with family and friends, and add a little good to their day.

Perfection Is Not the Point

Do you know how awesome it is to receive a warm plate of cookies delivered to your door…just because? I would love that. I mean, what could possibly be better? Unless there was a jug of super cold milk sent along with it? Oh shoot. But do I have enough milk to share? What if they don’t like chocolate chips and prefer snickerdoodles? Oh, man! These cookies look a little flat, misshapen and now after all this fretting they’re not even warm anymore.

Really? Are you going to do that to yourself? Don’t. Don’t overthink it. Don’t over analyze. The point is not perfection. It’s about showing you care by sharing. Your recipient will get it. And love the gesture in all it’s imperfect intention.

Just Enough is Just Right

I often determine who my food-loving recipient is going to be depending on how much food I have to give.

If it’s a big batch of my favorite Lemon Chicken Stew or a party of Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks, I know it’s going to go to one of Smudge’s friends’ families with plenty of hungry mouths to feed. If I’ve photographed and thus picked apart something like my favorite Tomato, Zucchini and Caramelized Onion with Feta Tart so that now my portions have dwindled, the untouched remains are going to be claimed by my vegetarian neighbors, who are a party of two if you don’t include the cats.

With this Cherry and Almond Quick Bread, I made it a few times to get the recipe right. My last two loaves were divided and delivered to a couple of different families who could enjoy one slice per person. Smudge claimed a whole half to herself. I couldn’t blame her for it.

Spreading the love. That’s how we do. You should too.

Made to Deliver

It used to be that I’d be ready to share my food treats with others, standing by to plate them up for delivery, and BAM! I was suddenly yanked from the stage with the hook like a bad comedian because I had nothing to put them in.

Not anymore. Now, I’m prepared.

I’ve found there are a few easy vessels to keep on hand for take home/to go/and food delivery. They’re not fancy, but they do the job.

For soups, pastas, salads and mains, I keep a small number various sizes of inexpensive store-bought plastic containers with lids around. I also recycle my cottage cheese and sour cream tubs on hand for packing food in. I’ll fill a large canning jar with a screw top lid if it’s a larger portion of soup or pasta or even just load it into a gallon freezer bag if it fits the bill. The best part of using these containers is I don’t ever worry about getting them back.

Give and keep giving is my motto.

For cookies, cakes and brownies or bars I keep a stack of heavy duty paper plates on hand and simply wrap the with aluminum foil. At holiday times, I’ll keep an eye out for sales on nondescript cheap plastic platters or plates to use all through the year.

For quick breads like this one, paper lined trays are readily available at most supermarkets. I debated on using one or two for today’s blog post, but I just went with my good old bread pan. It’s dependable. And bakes a really good bread.

Let’s get to this bread!

About the Recipe

I was gifted a whole box of these dark, sweet cherries and knew I wanted to pay it forward. A simple quick bread was the perfect showcase to share them in.

This bread has an almond flavoring that goes oh-SO-well with cherries. Rather than go the simple route of adding almond extract to the batter, I created a deeper, more intense flavor by using almond paste blended into Land O’ Lakes Super Premium European Style Butter. The European style butter is super creamy and rich thanks to a higher fat content that makes it perfect for baking. I usually use unsalted butter for baking so I can control the amount of salt myself.

The result is a bread that rises well yet isn’t too dense or heavy, with just the right crumb. My husband’s favorite part is the crispy crust. It’s the result of the almond paste butter mixture that creates a crisper shell as almond paste will do.

Of course you can enjoy a piece of this quick bread hot from the oven and slathered with butter. It’s so good that way. But don’t rule it out as the base of an ice cream dessert like Smudge created 3 nights in a row.

She even gave me a bite. It looks like sharing is in her genes.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.

3.13 from 8 votes

Cherry and Almond Quick Bread

Dark, sweet cherries are added to an almond flavored batter for a quick bread that's a sweet treat to eat and share with friends.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup LAND O LAKES® Super Premium European Style unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces almond paste
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sweet cherries pitted and sliced or quartered

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a bread pan with baking spray.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and the almond paste until well blended. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the sugar mixture alternating with the milk. Gently fold in the cherries.
Pour the batter into the bread pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until the bread has pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here’s to getting into the kitchen and cook something fresh and seasonal now.

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

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Strawberry Cheesecake Cream Puffs With Barbara Bakes

A no-bake cheesecake filling tops strawberry jam in these light and airy cream puffs that are a surprisingly easy dessert to make at home.

There are a handful of baking recipes I excel at. Like my German Chocolate Cake and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re my basic classics, recipes handed down to me from my mama and grandma.

Luckily, there are also a handful of baking sites I refer to time and time again, sites that move the needle past my comfort zone. When I go to these sites I KNOW I am going to get a rock star result.

So when it comes to baking desserts and breads like Samoa Macarons, the best crunch rolls, the flakiest crescent rolls, or a sugar-spun, towering Croquembouche, I know exactly where to turn. I head to one of my favorite bloggers, Barbara Schieving of the food blog Barbara Bakes, and the creator of these Strawberry Cheesecake Cream Puffs from her new book Simply Sweet Dream Puffs, with the recipe at the end of this post.

continue to the recipe… about Strawberry Cheesecake Cream Puffs With Barbara Bakes

Pear and Plum Puff Pastry Tart with Blue Cheese

So much for the peaches I’ve been hoarding in my crisper. Those babies sadly saw the heave-ho, because while they looked blushed and perfectly ripe on the outside, the inside told a very different story. So much for saving the best for last.

But they made way for another farmer’s market fall favorite. Four F’s in one sentence, that must be a sign. A very good sign.

This phyllo recipe with baked pears and stone fruit has multiple personalities. One day it thinks it’s a dessert, the next it shows off as an appetizer. And watch out Nelly, because it also has the chops for breakfast, lunch or dinner (+ pancetta or bacon perhaps?)

While my sister-in-law Ginni has the very sad condition of not being able to stand the mere mention of baked fruit, let alone eat it, I’ve pick up her slack, and have always been a fan.

Fresh fruit baked on a bed of puffed crust is a favorite dessert for entertaining. Most likely because when I’ve finally gotten to the end of planning my entertaining menu, I’ve lost my mojo and need something simple and fast to pull together.

Honey sweet fruit with blue cheese fits the bill in all the right ways.

continue to the recipe… about Pear and Plum Puff Pastry Tart with Blue Cheese

Currant Cookies and a Cookie Cravings eCookbook Flash Sale

Friendship is a funny thing.

You can be the best of friends. Totally inseparable for weeks, months, even years. Then life changes. New friends come into your life, old friends drift away. Often it’s not even a conscious decision, thought or action. It just happens.

I was first introduced to these Currant Cookies thanks to a friendship I’ve known all of my life, a friendship of my mother’s that has been passed down to the next generation. Life comes full circle and somehow these cookies have become a part of it.

Back a few more years than I’d care to have on my calendar, my mom was set to deliver my little sister when she met her best friend Pam. My mom and Pam were both in the same hospital about to give birth to daughters. For years they had run in similar circles, in the same city, but hadn’t met one another. Yet people would always mistake them for one another. Similar mannerisms, style, beauty and height. It was a wonder they hadn’t met before. I guess bringing their daughters into the world at the same time made it their time.

They both named their daughters Holly. Well, my mom didn’t initially. I did that. My mom and dad named her Heather, but I refused to call her anything but Holly. My mom said she never did look like a Heather. She said Heather’s are wispy. Holly was a tub. So at 4 months old, Holly had a name change.

I’ve always been a bossy older sister. I blame it on this first act of self righteousness.

continue to the recipe… about Currant Cookies and a Cookie Cravings eCookbook Flash Sale

Apple and Cherry Strudel Plus Friday Faves

My secret to an easy dessert? I start in my grocery store freezer for an Apple and Cherry Strudel that’s every bit as easy to pull together as a traditional homemade pie.

Hey, look at that. It’s November 1 and the entertaining season has officially begun!

But that doesn’t mean it has to be haaaarrrd. Easy entertaining should be just that, EASY, and our guests don’t need to be filled in on all of our little secrets. Us home cooks need to have a few tricks up our sleeves, right?

It seems like everyone does pie for holiday entertaining, but once in a while I want to buck the system and go left instead of right which means delivering a dessert strudel worthy of my German D.N.A.

Did I say dessert? Heck, in my book, this recipe works for breakfast too, and that’s the real sign of a great treat.

continue to the recipe… about Apple and Cherry Strudel Plus Friday Faves

Frosted Berry Hand Pies and Friday Faves

This is how my daughter puts her stamp on her after school treat: with simple and sweet Frosted Berry Hand Pies straight from her hand to her mouth.

Smudge is a big helper in the kitchen and she’s the first one to don my apron, and then ask me why I’m not wearing mine and laughs hysterically as if she’s watching an episode of The Three Stooges with her daddy. She definitely has his sense of humor. Personally, I think they could both use a comic relief lesson with Curly. Nyuk, nyuk.

While I’ll be away for a girl’s trip weekend with my 15 of my college besties—a trip we’ve taken every single year since we graduated and of which the number is embarrassingly higher than the age of which we left our undergrad status with diploma in hand—my husb G Dawg will be picking up our Smudge from a week at Girl Scout camp in the mountains above Park City, UT.

This was them at drop-off. Do Girl Scouts have an America’s Next Top Model badge?

Given it’s Girl Scout camp, I’m assuming she’ll have picked up a few more clues or two on how to win a showdown with a moose in the wilderness or how to tie a half hitch knot. And more importantly how to untie it.

continue to the recipe… about Frosted Berry Hand Pies and Friday Faves

Shortcut Pie Dough Sugar Cookies

You may be a mom. Maybe you’re not. But I’m guessing you had a mom, right? I’m a mom. And what’s generally known about moms is that we have to be prepared for unexpected situations.

From simply carrying extra tissues and ‘gently” reminding to wipe noses, to anticipating and quickly reacting to cars in front of us that abruptly put on their brakes, we throw our protective arm across the chest of our unsuspecting passenger (do you really think it would work?) ensuring our cubs will be protected from foe.

My mom was, and still is, the queen of both of these situations. Just yesterday she reminded me to get my flu shot and update my passport. That’s why I love her. She’s my mom.

But there are some situations we can’t always prepared for. Those sneak attacks our kids purposely disclose at the tipping hour just to keep us on our toes. To let us know we’re not as all-knowing or as on-top-of-our-game as we think we are.continue to the recipe… about Shortcut Pie Dough Sugar Cookies

White Chocolate and Peppermint Christmas Wreath Cookies

Sensory overload and I love every minute of it.

Freshly cut pine boughs as you brush by the tree. Cinnamon and cloves gently lollying in a saucepan of hot apple cider. The overwhelming wall of perfume spritzers as you enter the department store. And hot deliciousness baking in the oven.

They’re the smells of Christmas.

Between creating homemade gifts for the neighbors and keeping up with Smudge’s cookie cutter creation requests, I’ll be baking up a storm this month.continue to the recipe… about White Chocolate and Peppermint Christmas Wreath Cookies

Caramel Apple Brownies Recipe

If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a crush on fall and all the bounty it delivers. Squash, root veggies, all of it. Don’t leave anything out. Please.

Especially apples.

October weather in Utah is meant to shock us natives straight out of any hopes that fall might last forever. Last week on one of my early a.m. walks, one that was in the super chilly low-30’s, I was stumbling through the darkened streets when I found myself playing kick the can with a bunch of fallen apples.

But where’d they all come from? And more importantly, were there more?

continue to the recipe… about Caramel Apple Brownies Recipe

Announcing > Cookie Cravings Cookbook and Nutella No-Bake Cookies

Yep, it’s been one of those weeks. As in: Awesome.

It started off with a fantastic weekend when we surprised Smudge and her 7 y.o. bestie with a trip to Vegas for the Tour Concert Debut of her fave Nickelodeon band Big Time Rush. I think I liked the concert as much as she did—hello boy crush? It was hilarious when she put two and two together and figured out—and was SHOCKED—to learn that her “teen idols” were all of 23 years old. Oh, show bizness.

Our visit to the Neon Boneyard was beyond our expectations and a weekend stay at the incredible Loews Lake Las Vegas was followed by an amazing food buffet—and I mean GOOOD as in crab legs, shrimp and champagne galore—at M Las Vegas—a Best-Of suggestion from one of my L.V. resident besties. Thanks Chan!

And then it was straight hone to the big project that’s been filling my weekends and night-times with even more love, more food—definitely not the diet kind—and more laughter.

I’m so excited to announce that I’ve partnered with Maria and Josh of Two Peas and Their Pod to photograph, design and co-publish their first e-Cookbook, Cookie Cravings.

Maria, who the Pioneer Woman herself affectionately calls “The Cookie Queen”, and I met over three years ago and we’ve done several fun projects together, including Maria’s contributing editor duties for Foodie Crush magazine. And I can verify first-hand that the girl can bake cookies.

Maria and Josh have been asked to do cookbooks before but for some reason or another it just didn’t work out. But now they’re sharing their very favorite cookie recipes as well as some delicious, never before published cookie creations.

And lucky me! Maria curated her favorite cookie recipes, and then created some amazing, brand new recipes, and I got to take pics of all of them, design the e-Cookbook and lend my years of publishing expertise to get the project rolling.

We’re so excited to share Cookie Cravings with you. And of course, Maria’s first cookbook is all about cookies, SHE IS THE COOKIE QUEEN, RIGHT?

continue to the recipe… about Announcing > Cookie Cravings Cookbook and Nutella No-Bake Cookies

Sweet on Sugar Cookies Plus Valentine’s Day Hearts

When I was in 7th grade I was OBSESSED with hearts. Anything hearts. Everything hearts. Hearts, hearts, hearts. I’d draw fat bubble hearts over and over, making my mark on just about everything my magic markers could get close to. Oh and rainbows and juicy red lips.

So its no surprise that my Smudge is now equally obsessed with the red pulsating symbols of happiness. She hasn’t quite hit the “love” obsession yet—she still has penguins and puppies inside of hearts on the brain—so in the voice of ex-NFL QB Kurt Warner, “Thank you Jesus!” that we have a few more years before teenage love=angst hits our doorstep.

So Smudge’s request for sugar cookies was no surprise. Of course she had to choose the ittiest, bittiest cookie cutter to create her love cookies and we broke out ALL of the decorating fixins. We made minis, maxis, and cookies on sticks. And then we ate. A lot. And then we made more cookies that may or may not make it into our valentine’s hands featuring these adorbs downloadable tags in one of my fave Foodie Crush fonts from Emily at Tar-Tryin.

This recipe is seriously the bomb and like my other childhood fave—my mom’s fudge—is the one Miss P (my mom) broke out anytime a cookie cutter and rolling pin were involved.

Way more flavorful than other doughs I’ve tried, this is one that you’re lucky if you have any left to actually bake cookies with. Hello beaters! Thanks to a dose of almond flavoring they’re a bit more unique and subbing granular white sugar with powdered sugar gives these cookies a more delicate bite that is far from cakelike that so many other sugar cookies recipes hold dear.

continue to the recipe… about Sweet on Sugar Cookies Plus Valentine’s Day Hearts

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

The Berry Best Four Berry Pie Recipe

German Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookie Pops with Nutella®

German Chocolate Banana Bread

Cherry and Almond Quick Bread

Perfection Is Not the Point

Just Enough is Just Right

Made to Deliver

About the Recipe

Cherry and Almond Quick Bread

Ingredients

Instructions

Strawberry Cheesecake Cream Puffs With Barbara Bakes

Pear and Plum Puff Pastry Tart with Blue Cheese

Currant Cookies and a Cookie Cravings eCookbook Flash Sale

Apple and Cherry Strudel Plus Friday Faves

Frosted Berry Hand Pies and Friday Faves

White Chocolate and Peppermint Christmas Wreath Cookies

Caramel Apple Brownies Recipe

How to Make the Best Potato Salad

How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad

How to Make the Best Grilled Salmon

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

baking

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Perfection Is Not the Point

Just Enough is Just Right

Made to Deliver

About the Recipe

Cherry and Almond Quick Bread

Ingredients

Instructions

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