Java-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe: Java Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
Originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com

Wow! This photo is mouth watering and impressive to say the least. I'm forever buying refrigerated cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese icing so this recipe is right up my alley. I love chopped pecans and with the white baking chips added to that, this recipe is exceptional. I'm looking forward to adding a touch of instant coffee granules in this recipe too. Just look at all that goodness mounded on top of that cinnamon roll. Wow!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can (17.5 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing (5 rolls)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules or crystals
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s® premier white baking chips
• 1/2 cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Place cinnamon rolls in pan; reserve icing. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 tablespoon of the milk uncovered on High about 20 seconds or until hot; stir in coffee granules until completely dissolved. Stir in reserved icing. Microwave uncovered on High 25 seconds. Stir in baking chips and remaining 1 tablespoon milk. Microwave 25 seconds longer; stir until chips are completely melted. (Microwave in additional 10-second increments, if necessary, until chips are melted.)
3. Stir pecans into icing mixture. Pour over rolls. Serve warm.

RECIPE: White Chocolate-Ginger Cookies

I have a real love for chunks of white chocolate in cookies. Well.... white chocolate chunks in anything really. That's one reason why I like this recipe so. This recipe is full of chopped pecans and ginger too. Three things that I think go fantastic together. 

RECIPE: White Chocolate-Ginger Cookies 
Originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com

I found this recipe at pillsbury.com a couple of years ago and every time I get a craving for white chocolate I have to make it. This cookie reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It must be because of the spices. I like to hold back a bit on the spices in most recipes. Not to heavy on the ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon. But I still have to have it in my cookies. :)


Thanks to one of my readers asking for the recipe- I was reminded about this lovely cookie recipe. It really is lovely. And the glaze that you see on top.... well it has a touch of orange juice in it that makes it ever so special. Anything I've ever ate with orange juice in it has been memorable. I'm sure you'll add this recipe to your cookie list too.

INGREDIENTS
Cookies

• 1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1 package (6 oz) white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger*

Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 to 3 1/2 teaspoons orange juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, the ginger, nutmeg and orange peel until well blended. Stir in white chocolate baking bars, pecans and crystallized ginger. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart.
2. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
3. In small bowl, mix powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and enough orange juice for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let stand until glaze is set.

*To easily chop crystallized ginger, cut with kitchen scissors into small pieces.

Peach-Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

Here's a fantastic looking cookie for you to try in honor of National Cookie Day -which is celebrated every December 4th. This cookie looks so beautiful & made with sugar cookie dough! I've never baked this one so those of you who have... tell us how you liked it. Remember it for National Cookie Month in October too.

Peach-Pecan Thumbprint Cookies 
Originally uploaded by Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1/2 cup Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 EGGLAND’S BEST eggs
3 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups Fisher® Chef’s Naturals® Chopped Pecans, finely chopped
1/3 cup Smucker’s® Peach Preserves
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon or water

DIRECTIONS
1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper or spray with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Mix in flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and ginger with wooden spoon until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
3. In shallow dish, beat eggs and water until well blended. In another shallow dish, place pecans. Roll dough balls in egg mixture, then coat with pecans (press pecans into dough if necessary). Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Make small indentation in each cookie, using handle of wooden spoon. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon preserves.
4. Bake 11 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix powdered sugar and bourbon until smooth. If necessary, stir in small amount of water for desired drizzling consistency.
5. Remove cookies from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool 3 minutes. Drizzle bourbon mixture over warm cookies.

National Pecan Month

Hey yall it's me Pam. The month of April is National Pecan month and do you know what today is??? Well the calendar says it's National Pecan Day. The calendar also says there a Pecan Day on March 25th as well. Could there be 2 of them?

Pecan Pies are really big in my family especially at Christmas. In fact my research shows that pecan pie is the pie of choice for Thanksgiving and Christmas for most people. Wow..... I would of thought it would of been pumpkin pie or potato pie for Thanksgiving. Which do you choose?

Most all my family has pecan trees growing in their yard so they never have to buy any during the holidays. Maybe that's why we ate pecan pie so much as a child and continue to eat it all year round. The family gathers up the pecans and freezes them until they need them. (National Pecan Pie Day is July 12th.)We also ate a lot of peach cobblers since we had peach trees too. In case you didn't know, yesterday was National Peach Cobbler Day.

Nutrition

Pecans Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 690 kcal 2890 kJ
Carbohydrates 14 g - Dietary fiber 10 g Fat 72 g - saturated 6 g - monounsaturated 41 g - polyunsaturated 22 g Protein 9 g

Wikipedia says Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstones in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.

Read more about National Pecan Month

April 14, 2008 / Fun Holiday Fact

It's Black Day in South Korea when single people come together and eat noodles with black bean sauce.

Crocodile Sophism

A slim crocodile living in the Nile took a child. His mother begged to have him back. The crocodile could not only talk, but was also a great sophist and stated, "If you guess correctly what I will do with him, I will return him. However, if you don't guess his fate, I'll eat him." What statement should the mother make to save her child?

Discuss this sophism