Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Each year for Christmas I let everyone pick one treat they would like me to make for them as a Christmas present. This year my daughter told me she wanted me to make salted caramel cinnamon rolls. She never ever picks an easy thing. Not having a single recipe to refer to, I got busy creating one. 

Salted caramel is easily my daughter's favorite treat. Any time I make anything she says: "oh, imagine this with salted caramel on it!". It is an epidemic. My husband hopped on her bandwagon and next week I will be sharing with you his request which happens to be salted caramel chocolate cups. 

My recipe was a huge success. It is something to dream about. This recipe is perfect for holidays, birthdays, brunch, or any special occasion that you want to splurge. I would say that you will have some left to share with others, but I had trouble prying the pan out of my families hand. If you love salted caramel, get ready for your taste buds to take a trip to mecca. 

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe by Christi Silbaugh

makes 12

for the dough-

3/8 cup warm water

1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 egg

1/8 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

for the filling-

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Salted Caramel:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sea salt flakes

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Once mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in remaining sugar and salt.

In a small bowl, measure buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir 20 seconds in the mixer.

Pour 2 cups of flour into mixer and stir on low until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Once it has reached this stage, turn mixer on and knead for 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl, grease and replace back into same mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Place in a warm place. Rise 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

In a medium size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch together until combined. Set aside. Punch down dough. Flour a large clean table liberally with flour.

Roll dough out to be a 20x30 rectangle, while moving dough around to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface. Spread softened butter over dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough.

Dump brown sugar mixture onto the middle of the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the butter, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. Roll the dough up into a tight log, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together.

Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log. Score log every 2 inches and then slice your rolls using those marks. Place into parchment paper lined, butter greased pan. 

Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. Let rolls rise another 1-2 hours or until they are touching and have risen almost double.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 17 minutes, or until tops start to brown.

Make the salted caramel. Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the “soft ball stage” at around 230 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.

Once rolls have been removed from the oven, Pour the caramel over the rolls. It will take a minute for the caramel to sink into the rolls so they will look like drowned rolls.

 Don't worry, the caramel settles and you end up with this: 

Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve warm.

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Gourmet Cooking for Two

Salted Caramel Cronuts

I think you have to be living in a hole if you have not heard of the cronut. For the few of you that don't know what it is; The Cronut™ is the unique pastry creation by Chef Dominique Ansel that many have described to be a croissant-doughnut hybrid. After its launch on May 10, 2013, Cronut™ fans spanned the world from Berlin to Singapore, making it the most virally talked about dessert item in history. You make your croissant dough, and then proceed by making them into doughnuts. The result is a flaky, buttery, mouth-watering, sweet cronut. Every day people line up around Chef Dominique Ansel's bakery block in New York to get his tasty treats. He limits each customer to only 2 cronuts a piece, and only makes 300 per day. I personally think he is crazy. He sells them for $5.00 a piece and he could make a killing if he increased production. 

Well I don't live in New York. Even if I did, you would not catch me waiting in a line for hours for a treat. I am just not that person. You will however, find me in my kitchen for hours re-creating this delectable treat. They are not hard to make. You just need time. Because there is a chill time in between each fold. I suggest making the dough at least 1 day before you plan to cook them. 

So here you have it. A recipe for America's 2 most popular sweet treats. A cronut combined with salted caramel. Maybe not on your new years diet plan, but you can save it for a splurge day. 

I would not ever recommend just making these for 2 people. So this recipe is not a "for two" recipe. It is a share with your friends recipe. I handed them out to my building staff and to friends and family. 

Salted Caramel Cronuts

Croissant-Donuts

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp sea salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

lots of canola oil for frying - enough to fill your pot 2" deep

3/4 cup sugar (for coating)

Salted Caramel:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sea salt flakes

With 1 1/2 cups butter, make a butter rectangle. Wrap the softened butter loosely in plastic wrap and press into the bottom of an 8”x4” loaf pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat your milk either on the stove top or in a microwave to 105 degrees. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. Stir in the sugar,vanilla and salt.

Add 3 cups of the flour and combine with a large spoon until all of the flour is incorporated into a sticky dough. Then add the last 1 cup of flour and switch to your hands to knead the rest of the flour into the dough. Cover directly with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough rectangle. After the dough has chilled, roll the dough on a well-floured surface into a rectangle, roughly the size of a 9”x12” baking dish. Remove the butter rectangle from the refrigerator, unwrap from the plastic and place it in the middle of the dough, perpendicular to the length.

Tuck the butter into bed. Fold the right and left dough flaps over the butter rectangle like a letter. 

Transfer to a well-floured surface and roll dough back out to a 9”x12” rectangle (roughly).

Repeat the fold and roll steps 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic and let chill in the refrigerator overnight.

After the dough has chilled for at least 8 hours, remove it from the refrigerator, roll to 1/2” thickness and cut a 3” outer ring and a 1” inner ring.

Heat the oil. Fill a large stockpot with canola oil, 2-3” deep. Place over medium heat and monitor the temperature until it reaches 375° F.

As soon as the oil reaches 375° F, use a flat spatula to carefully transfer the doughnuts into the oil. You may be able to fit 3-4 doughnuts in the pot at a time, but be careful that they are not overcrowded. Fry for about 45 seconds on each side.

Remove from oil directly into a bowl of sugar. Roll doughnut in sugar to coat the outside and let cool on wire rack.

Make the salted caramel. Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the “soft ball stage” at around 230 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.

Dip the tops of your cronut's into the hot caramel and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. 

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Gourmet Cooking for Two

Chocolate Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Is everyone getting ready for Christmas? How are those sweet treats treating you? 

Tis' the season for all things naughty. Shortbread has been running rampant in this loft of mine. Needless to say everyone from my doorman, my husbands office, the local homeless, to my yoga instructor has been given goodies. I can't eat them all or I would look like a blimp. These are my second favorite cookie. My first being the Salted Caramel Shortbread Cups I gave you earlier this week. 

When my husbands co-workers tasted these, one said: "Your wife is evil and she must be stopped". That is right. They are sinful. I dare you to take a bite! 
This recipe will yield about 1 dozen cookies. Perfect for you, your love, and a few friends.

Chocolate Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

adapted from Cherished Bliss

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

for frosting:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 heaping cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cream the butter and the sugar until smooth. 

Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 

Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. 

Roll into balls 

and make an indent with your thumb in the center of the ball. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until dry looking and lightly cracked on the surface but still very soft.

When they come out of the oven, press the centers down again to make a more defined well for the frosting. Allow to cool.

Whisk the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla. Spoon the frosting into the centers of the cookies and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set before storing in tins.

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cups

My man LOVES caramel. I like it, but he loves it. I know that if I want to let him know he is special to me, all I have to do is cook him up something new with caramel. Add a little sea salt, and he gets all sorts of excited! 

These little cups of salted caramel are heaven. 

You can always use a cutter and make them look perfect, but I like the rustic look. I love giving cookies and treats that look like they came from home, because they did! Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cups

by Christi Silbaugh

for the shortbread:

10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

1 2/3 cups flour

for the caramel:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sea salt flakes

Line a baking stone or baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing until it has a damp sand consistency.

Add the flour and use your hands to combine the dough until you can start to form shapes with it. 

Form cups with your hands. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a fork to make little holes in the bottom of the chilled shortbread cups. This will help keep it from breaking and flaking apart. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the caramel, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the “soft ball stage” at around 230 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour caramel in the shortbread cups. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve!

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Love, Romance, and Chocolate go together. Nowadays, scientists ascribe the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate,to two chemicals it contains. One, tryptophan, is a building block of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal. The other, phenylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine, is released in the brain when people fall in love. The darker the chocolate, the more of these magic chemicals it contains. 

So when I set out to make some crunchy chocolate chip cookies for my man. I used enjoy life foods dark chocolate chips. 

Their Dark Chocolate Morsels are dairy, soy and gluten-free, but you would never know it. So rich, creamy, and scrumptious! Just because they are good for you, doesn't mean they are lacking in taste. I highly recommend them. They made these cookies irresistible. 

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 1 dozen

8 1/2 ounces organic unbleached white flour (about 1 1/2 cups)

1//2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon s sea salt

1/2 cup (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (5 ounces) light brown sugar

1/2 cup  (4 ounces) granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 9 ounce package enjoy life foods dark chocolate chips

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

Press plastic wrap against the dough and roll it up. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 72 hours. If you are in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 1 hour. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Slice the dough into cookie shape and place on your baking sheet or stone leaving plenty of space in between each cookie. 

Bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 18 minutes. 

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack for 10 minutes,  until just warm or at room temperature. Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time). Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.