African Honeybush Tea - Banana, Vanilla, Pineapple and Cinnamon Sweet Rolls

Gosh - that's a mouthful - the name... and normally I like to do - that less is more when it comes to flavors... but I have been drinking some African Honeybush Tea in this variety and it's really yummy. So, I decided to do something with it in regards to sweet rolls. I was concerned that the flavors would compete each other and cancel each other out but actually they all came together really well and it worked. The "tea" taste was subtle, the pineapple was the most notable but it didn't overpower the other flavors and they all complimented the cinnamon and they were quite yummy.

I was in the sweet rolls mood this afternoon and I was trying to decide which ones to re-make. The Rooibos vanilla was were quite good and so were the Polynesian Pineapple rolls... so I went to the tea cupboard and looked for a new variety to try and that is when I saw that little bag of African Honeybush... and it has pineapple in it and then I just new exactly what to do. It all worked out so wonderfully.

Dough: 
1/2 cup hot "Oat Dream" or water with 1 bag of the above mentioned tea seeped in for 5-10 minutes (longer yields more flavor) [Use about 3/4 cup liquid and then set some aside for the glaze]
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 small ripe banana, pureed smooth (about 100ml)
2 1/4 cups BASIC ROLL MIX

Filling:
+/- 1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 - 2 tablespoon butter, softened

Topping:
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits in syrup, pureed till smooth like apple sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons "Oat Dream" (tea seeped - see above)

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm seeped tea (Oat Dream or water). Add in banana puree and melted butter. Mix in 2 cups of the BASIC ROLL MIX and up to 1/4 cup more until dough is smooth and elastic. Butter bowl, put in the dough and turn to cover all sides. Cover bowl with damp cloth or plastic wrap and put in warm place to double in size. For example, the oven on the lowest temperature is a good place. I usually heat it for a few minutes and then turn off the heat and let it sit in the oven with the door closed for at least an hour to let it double in size. Punch down dough. Let rest a few minutes. 

2. Roll out dough on clean surface dusted with flour and shape into rectangle flat form. Spread softened butter over top and sprinkle with generous amount of sugar - up to 1/2 cup and then with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon - about 1 tablespoon. Roll up jelly-roll style and slice into 8 equal slices. Put into pie dish prepared with parchment paper and let rise a second time 30-45 minutes in warm place as above.

3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and pineapple and whisk until blended, bring to boil over medium heat; cook and stir about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Make an indentation with the back of a spoon or with your thumb into the center of each roll and then place a teaspoon or two of the topping in the center of each roll. Bake at 175-C degrees (350-F) for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

4. For glaze, combine sugar and extract and enough "milk" seeped Oat Dream to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over warmed rolls.

Related Posts:
Rooibos Vanilla Sweet Rolls
Polynesian-inspired Pineapple and Bacon Sweet Rolls
Banana Date Mango Sweet Rolls
Coco-Nana-Nut and Dulce de Leche Sweet Rolls
Pineapple Upside Down Cinnamon Rolls

Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I've been baking a lot lately - again... and baking sweet rolls again. I don't want to just blog about every roll I bake because lets face it - even though they all get eaten, not all of them are so blog worthy as these. Oh yummy. I used a combination of recipes to create this delicious roll. And even though you can throw your nuts into the filling... it's so aesthetically pleasing to see them strewn about over top. Do you agree?

The dough on these is very dense - it's not as airy as other rolls - but that doesn't stop them from being oh so yummy - I tend to repeat myself a bit in the description of these rolls... that's just how I roll ;)

Lately I bake sweet rolls in the amount of 8 total. Most recipes online make 12 - 24 and that is just too much unless you are making  'em for a potluck. Usually I just bake them for dessert just for us so I don't want all the extra rolls. Not that I wouldn't enjoy eating them but my gut can only handle so much sweetness.

Like I said, I use a combination of recipes to make these. One such recipe that I like a lot - is from The Pioneer Woman. She has some of the tastiest frosting ever. I think it's from the combination of coffee and maple extract. I used a bit of both of those here. I was very generous in the amount of sugar used in the filling as well.

These are best served warm. I shared them with my sister-in-law Linda for her birthday... and my taste buds were very happy to share them.

For the dough, combine 1/2 cup warm milk, 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast, 1/4 cup melted butter and 2 cups BASIC ROLL MIX. Mix until it makes a nice together dough - not sticky at all. It will be dense. Butter or oil bowl and put inside, covered to double in size in warm place - about 60-90 minutes. Punch down dough. Wait 10 minutes. Roll out on lightly floured surface in the shape of a rectangle about 1-2 centimeters thick. Spread 1-2 tablespoons melted butter over top. Spread generous amount of sugar over top - about 1/2 cup fine white sugar and then about 1 tablespoon dusting of ground cinnamon over that. Roll up and press seams together. Cut into 8 equal slices and place cut side up into pie dish lined with baking parchment paper. Let rise a second time in warm place 30-60 minutes. Bake at 175-C (350-F) degrees for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and frost while still warm with glaze. Recipe follows: in bowl combine 1 heaping tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon coffee granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/16 teaspoon (1-2 drops) Mapleine extract, and about 1/2 cup powdered sugar till smooth. Add 1-2 teaspoons milk to thin if needed. Spread over rolls and strew 1/4 cup chopped pecans over all.

Related Posts:
Honey-nut Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
The Best Cinnamon Rolls with Shiny Sweet Glaze
Maple Cinnamon Honey Butter

Lovely Cake Batter Sweet Rolls

Anyone ever heard of How Sweet it Is? 


It's a very well known blog - from a girl, Jessica who bakes all kind of glorious treats... she's really creative with food because she loves it... a lot, like A lot - A LOT! Seriously, there isn't anything she hasn't thought of. 


A while back she was baking all kinds of yummy things with cake batter - apparently that was very popular in baking-blogdom for a while, I never really joined the band wagon because we don't have yellow cake batter here in the Netherlands... at least, it's not the same as the yellow cake batter that you can get in the U.S.A.


I vaguely remember contacting her and asking her to make cinnamon rolls with cake batter... seriously I did. Cuz, like I said, I can't bake 'em I don't have the supplies... and finally one day right there in my Google reader I see she did it! She made cinnamon rolls with cake batter - oh my!


Then, finally, after waiting months and months, I and my family made a trip to the old country as I like to call it and I bought myself a box of Funfetti cake mix. Can you believe it only cost $1.00 at good old Wal*mart? Cake mix is cheaper than a loaf of bread!


Crazy, I know. I also got some of that Funfetti frosting to go along with the cake mix... and of course, I never intended on baking cake with it... I always wanted to make these inspirational Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls from Jessica.


She makes her's using the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll dough recipe... but I used my BASIC ROLL recipe and I used the store bought Funfetti frosting... very easy!

Before baking - overflowing in melted butter...

After! So colorful - playful - yummyful?!

They were really very good - and an easy way to do up plain cinnamon rolls... Just sprinkle some cake batter in with your cinnamon filling and top off with the Funfetti frosting... I think it's from Betty Crocker?


I'd much rather have this than regular birthday cake... anyday!


(Also, shared in April's Sweet Roll Linky Party, Blogger of Melissa's Cuisine linked her version of these Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls)

Toblerone-filled Honey and Almond Sweet Rolls

Coarsely chop one Toblerone bar - and try not to eat too much of it - you'll want it on for the rolls.

I've been going through a fun little cookbook called My Best Friend Named Chocolate. It's inspired me to use chocolate more freely in other areas as well. And not just baking chocolate or cocoa - but Toblerone as well. The other day I whipped up a batch of these:

Check out those melted pieces of Toblerone bursting out... now comes the good part... the glaze!

 I used my simple BASIC ROLL MIX. Filled the dough with a slightly spicy yet sweet honey spread. Then I divided the chopped Toblerone evenly over and rolled it up, sliced... and baked 'em. Next came a second helping of more yummy goodness: 

One wicked sweet roll exploding with goodness!

A shiny sweet glaze and toasted almond pieces make this one awesome taste experience. I'm sure to enjoy them again and again.




For 12 rolls use BASIC ROLL MIX or other hot roll mix for your basic dough. So, I do this:

• Combine in a mixing bowl 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 3/4 cup warm water - let sit to become foamy. Then add 1 egg, beaten and 1/4 cup melted margarine or vegetable oil. Mix in 3 cups BASIC ROLL MIX and extra flour if needed to make a soft, not too sticky elastic ball of dough. Put into a bowl buttered with oil and turn to coat. Place someplace warm like the oven on it's lowest setting for at least an hour to rise, covered with plastic wrap.
• Then prepare filling. Stir together in a small bowl 2 Tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder, 2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine and 1/2 cup agave syrup or honey (I like honey).
• After dough has doubled in size, punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Then roll out on floured surface to good size rectangle shape - about 1 centimeter thick. Spread with filling and coarsely chopped Toblerone. Roll up and slice into 12 equal pieces and place on prepared baking sheets to rise again (about 30 minutes in oven on the lowest setting).
• Prepare frosting and toast almonds, if using. For frosting combine in a mixer 1/4 cup butter or margarine at room temperature, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon almond extract and 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar. Mix well, continue mixing and adding in powdered sugar up to 2 cups total and 2 tablespoons water or milk to thin as desired. Keep beating up to 10 minutes. This makes the frosting nice and fluffy. Great for topping your rolls if you like your frosting piled high - then wait till they cool a little while before you do that otherwise the frosting turns to glaze as it melts all over the place on hot rolls (but I like it this way, too).
• After rolls have doubled a second time, bake in oven at 175-C degrees for 15 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. All ovens are different so really - keep your eye on them. If it needs to go longer - go ahead but I noticed if I tap the top of the bun or lift it a little with the spatula you can see if it's cooked well enough on top and underneath.
• Top with frosting/glaze and toasted almonds. They are very sweet so I suggest serving them with a nice tall and cold glass of milk :)

Shamrock Sweet Rolls

Happy St. Patty's Day!


I really loved this combination of chocolate filled sweet rolls with minty frosting. The dough was moist and not too dry. It was excellent.


I used the BASIC ROLL MIX and then filled it with chocolate mousse filling from Wilton.com and then used up some left over minty frosting we had from a Birthday party at the beginning of the month and just had those sprinkles in the cupboard as well.


Baking sweet rolls just comes naturally to me :)


Simply put four sweet rolls together in the shape of a shamrock or 4-leaf clover and then frost as desired. Serve warm!




Linked to:

Honey-nut Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Last time I made pumpkin sweet rolls I combined it with orange and spice (cinnamon and ginger) and I’m not sure the orange complimented the pumpkin as nicely as I had hoped. We still ate them up - and I was thinking that the ginger overpowered the other flavors as well. The orange glaze was so totally yum and I’d definitely do something with that again - I was thinking just a vanilla-orange-creamsicle type roll.... oh well, another day for that one.
So, I’ve been thinking about this totally amazing frosting that I like using Paturain cream cheese - walnut variety. The French really do know their cheeses - especially soft creamy cheeses. I love the walnut Paturain blend. It goes great into frosting - and I’ve used it before many times. I was thinking it would go great on top pumpkin sweet rolls. So, might as well throw some honey and walnuts into the center of the rolls as well.

This combination turned out really REALLY rich and sweet. And I thought it was just right on. I really do love that Paturain walnut cream cheese - would go great with many other varities of cinnamon rolls.

And I've been thinking - a sweet roll isn't really done until it is glazed, frosted or iced. I need that extra helping of sweetness on top. I love it.


Dough:
1 T Active dry Yeast
1- ½ C Luke warm water
¾ C Pureed pumpkin
¼ C Oil or melted margarine
5 to 6 C BASIC ROLL MIX
1 t Ground cinnamon
1 t coffee granules

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in pumpkin puree, melted margarine or oil and BASIC ROLL MIX as well as cinnamon and coffee granules. Knead about 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth. Lighty butter bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn to butter top. Cover dough with damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until doubled in size - about 1 hour. Meanwhile prepare Honey Filling and baking sheets (use baking paper for easy clean-up).

Honey Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts)

In a small bowl, combine sugar, honey, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Mix thoroughly. Set aside. Punch down dough. Let stand 10 minutes. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out dough to large rectangle 12”x24” or divide in half and roll out two smaller rectangles about 8”x12”. Spread with Honey filling. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over top. Roll up jelly-roll style and cute into 1-inch slices. Place on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375-F or 190-C (Hot air oven - just about 175-C). Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Prepare frosting and drizzle on warm buns. Garnish with extra chopped nuts if desired. Makes about 24 rolls.

*Paturain Cream Cheese Frosting: (Option 1)
1/4 cup (55 grams) butter, softened
1/4 pound (115 grams) Paturain walnut cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 to 2 cups (about 250 grams) powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons pureed pumpkin

Beat together butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add in powdered sugar and pumpkin puree until desired spreading consistency.

*If Paturain cream cheese is not available where you live, try Option 2:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon honey

Melt butter and allow to cool. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, brown sugar and almond extract. Beat with an electric mixer. When mixture starts to stiffen, stop mixer and add honey. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. Do not over mix, or it will collapse.

Or if you really don’t like cream cheese, like some picky people I know, try Option 3:

White Chocolate Pumpkin-Cinnamon Frosting:
¼ cup pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
2 tablespoons white chocolate pieces, melted
1 teaspoon liquid cinnamon extract
1 3/4 to 2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk to thin, if desired

Beat pumpkin, margarine or butter, and melted white chocolate together till creamy. Mix in cinnamon extract and powdered sugar. Add milk to thin if required for spreading consistency.

Use any option of frosting/glaze and you won’t be sorry... but my personal favorite is option 1.

Peanut Butter & Smuckers Concord Grape Jelly... Rocks!

Using peanut butter and jelly in baked goods is not unheard of. This is the trend in cupcakes and other baked goods... so why not I try it out, too?

extreme close up - yummy

I love Smuckers Concord Grape Jelly. I loved it as a kid and I still love it now. The only difference being that it's very difficult to find in the Netherlands. Almost unheard of actually... unless you know someone that can shop at a Base Exchange (people in the military). Fortunately for me, I do!

I remember when I first moved here and that was one of the commodities that I looked for every where... but it was not to be found. Surprising to me, too - especially since Dutch folks seem to eat nothing but bread - it's a major staple to their diet. My husband grew up eating nothing but sandwiches everyday for years. To this day, he still takes 10-12 sandwiches to work everyday (I know that's a lot right?! - He's skinny and has to eat that much to survive his daily 35 minute bike ride commute... of course, he could probably get by on less if he ate cheese and meat on that bread... that's another story!)

So, after years of being here I had actually forgotten about Smuckers Grape Jelly and I have gotten quite use to my second favorite jam - raspberry!

Then, I met this military - Air Force family who offered to get me a treat now and again if I'd like - which made me request - Smuckers Grape Jelly - what a huge jar... and it's so cheap compared to raspberry preserves. Yummy yummy... now I can make these rolls :)

Also a side note... my in-laws - specifically my father-in-law is way traditional and does not vary from that much - well, he's tried the American grape jelly and he loves it. So... I think Smuckers should definitely consider foreign trade here in Europe... money to be made! If I had the means, actually, I'd open up a mini American market right here in Eindhoven... I know so many people that would love to buy and eat American junk food - like all those cereals... oh how I miss them... okay - this tangent is long enough....

Here are my Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly Sweet Rolls...

Using Basic Dough Mix, combine in a bowl 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 3/4 cup warm water - let sit to become foamy. Then add 1 egg, beaten and 1/4 cup melted margarine or vegetable oil. Mix in 3 cups BASIC ROLL MIX and extra flour if needed to make a soft, not too sticky elastic ball of dough. Put into a bowl buttered with oil and turn to coat. Place someplace warm for at least an hour to rise, covered with plastic wrap or a wet towel.  Spread dough out into rectangular form about 1 centimeter thick and cover one side with 2 tablespoons melted peanut butter. Cover the other side with about 1/4 cup Smuckers Concord Grape Jelly. Like this:

Fold in half. Then melt another 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter and spread again over dough. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Like this:

Roll up the opposite direction and pinch seems to close. Like this:

Cut into 12-14 rolls about 3/4" to 1" thick. Put on prepared baking sheets and let rise again. Like this:

yummy that looks good... can't wait to eat them...

Now, you can do this a quick way by putting them in the oven at a low temperature - like say 50 degrees Celcius - this is if you are in a hurry to eat them. Then after 20 minutes or so, raise the temperature to 175 to 190 degrees Celcius (I have a hot air oven and 175 is sufficient for my needs). Then they are done baking in a little under 20 minutes - keep your eye on them because it really depends on the oven. While baking, prepare sweet glaze. Combine 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons grape juice and about 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or an 8g package of vanilla sugar. Mix well. Drizzle over warm rolls and sprinkle with 1/8 cup chopped peanuts if desired. I liked the chopped peanuts - my 4 year old did not.

These tasted so yummy warm from the oven. Then I waited a while till Ella woke from her nap to give her one. I didn't rewarm it or anything - just ate it as is at room temperature and I liked it even better! This might be a problem for me because my hubby doesn't like peanut butter so I may have to eat these myself - which is not so good for my waistline...

And though I love Smuckers Concord Grape Jelly... I'm wondering about trying these with my favorite brand raspberry jam - from Hero and then drizzled with a sweet raspberry glaze - oh yummy... the variations to try just totally excite my taste buds!

Banana-Date-Mango Sweet Rolls - Trial 1

I've had this combination in mind for several weeks. I have thought about it a lot. How to make them - where to use the mango, banana and dates and how to bring it all together. Thinking a lot about something really helps - I was able to write down the recipe before I even started the project and then as I started baking today I only had to make adjustments as I went. One ingredient I used to bring it together was lemon. I put lemon peel in the dough and used honey with a lemon flavoring. There is also a bit of lemon in the icing. It's not overpowering but it blends all the ingredients together.

The thing I like about sweet rolls is the waiting. It takes a few hours but when you finally sink your teeth into that sweet roll - warm and fresh from the oven - it's just an awesome experience especially when you go "Ahhhh" these rolls have turned out the best so far. Seriously, these are my most favorite rolls so far. I loved them. I ate two and really had to stop myself from going further because I'm attending a church picnic tomorrow and I want to take something with me. Also, it's best for my waistline not to consume so much. Kailea was lucky enough to be with me when it was taste time. She likes them, too. She's kind of a picky eater - but she always likes my sweet rolls... she's got a sweet tooth just like Mommy :)

BANANA-DATE-MANGO

SWEET ROLLS

Makes about 12-14 rolls

Banana Dough:
1- ½ teaspoons Active dry Yeast
3/4 cup Luke warm water
1- 2 (about 150ml) Small ripe banana(s), pureed
3 tablespoons Oil or melted margarine, divided
2 heaping tablespoons Lemon zest
4 to 4 ½ cups BASIC ROLL MIX
2-3 tablespoons flour if needed

ingredients

Date Filling:
3 tablespoons Honey (Lemon variety)
½ teaspoon Ground cardamom
15 Dates, pitted and finely chopped*

dates

Mango-Butter Icing:
1/3 cup Pureed mango
1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice
1/3 cup Butter or Margarine, melted
2 cups (260g) Powdered sugar
1- 4 teaspoons Mango nectar or lemon juice to thin, if desired

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine yeast, warm water and banana puree. Let sit a few minutes for yeast to bubble. Then blend in 2 tablespoons oil or margarine and lemon zest. Add in BASIC ROLL MIX ½ cup at a time until dough ball reaches elastic and smooth stage. Knead 5 to 10 minutes adding additional flour if necessary. Oil another bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and put the dough into that bowl, turn to oil top and cover with plastic wrap or hot damp towel and let rise in warm place for 1 – 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare Date Filling:

*Tip: After pitting dates, finely chop dates in food processor fitted with metal blade. This makes it much easier because dates are sticky and hard to work with otherwise.

In a small bowl, combine honey, cardamom and finely chopped dates. Set aside.

Date Filling

When dough is ready, punch down and roll out into large rectangle – (approximately 1-2 centimeters thick). Spread Date Filling evenly over dough. Do this with your fingers – it's a sticky mess but well worth it. Roll up dough – jelly roll style and cut into about 12 - 14 equal slices. Place sweet rolls right-side up on prepared baking pans and let rise about 30-40 minutes in warm place. Bake in pre-heated oven, 190-C degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Roll out dough

Spread with Date Filling

Roll up - jelly roll style

Cut into 12-14 slices - about 1 inch thick

While rolls bake, cream together mango, lemon and butter, then slowly beat in powdered sugar. Taste and adjust texture or flavor according to desire. Use a bit of mango nectar or lemon juice to thin it if you like. May also add a few drops of lemon or banana extract if desired.

Do not let rolls cool before frosting, take out of oven and quickly spread generous amount of thick Mango-Butter Icing over top of each roll. We want the mango flavor to melt into the sweet roll and flavors to blend accordingly. Let cool before eating... about 5-10 minutes is sufficient – if you still want to enjoy it warm and fresh from the oven :) yum yum.

White Chocolate *Raspberry* Cream Cheese Rolls - Trial 1

Believe it or not, but once upon a time, I did not like cheesecake - or so I thought. I thought that cheesecake sounded very strange. I always liked cheese and cake but the thought of cheesecake - well, it sounded pretty gross to me. I even tried it to give it a chance and I didn't like it. That's because I've since discovered that there are different ways to make cheesecake. I think the version I tried had a lot of eggs and some kind of ricotta or cottage cheese mixture to it. And it had cherries and at some point in my past - in my childhood I didn't care for cherries either.

Fast forward several years and the summer before my first year of college I was visiting Baltimore, Maryland and my Mom really wanted to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, the restaurant. The wait was very long so we ended up going to Pizzeria Uno. I was okay with that - I was more than okay with that. It was a few years later until I actually did eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I think I had a burrito. It was good. And I opted for a strawberry smoothie because I believed at the time that I did not like cheesecake. Everyone else ordered their dessert - cheesecakes - different kinds and they oohed and ahhed, but I didn't care and I was happy with my smoothie. Even at one point my best friend worked at The Cheesecake Factory. She worked in the dessert section. It was her job to put whip cream on slices of cheesecake. So I had plenty of opportunities to try the cake - but I never did.

Then one time, about two years after college, I was at an art opening of sorts, and they had chocolate and caramel cheesecake and it looked really good to me. It didn't look at all like cheesecake - it just looked like a silky chocolate pie. I had slice. It was delicious. Someone said to me, do you like the cheesecake? But I was confused. Cheesecake? I didn't see any. Only that chocolate pie. And they said, that's chocolate cheesecake! And I said, oh - well, it's good.

Then another two years later, I was at a family camp out, it was my brother's birthday and he bought an assortment of cheesecake from Costco but the cheesecakes where packaged from The Cheesecake Factory. And again, I said, cheesecake - I'll pass. But then someone said - oh, just try a slice - we have White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Again with the chocolate - I halted - I thought about it - white chocolate and raspberries... okay - I'll give it try. And the rest is history... I have loved cheesecake ever since.

Now see, that's because there are two kinds of cheesecake - maybe even more than that. Some cheesecakes are made with cream cheese - and I like that. Others are made with some other kind of cheese and I don't think I care for that variety - but I could be wrong - I've been wrong before. My taste buds have changed over the years.

After that experience at the camp out, I set out in search for a similar recipe online. I found one at Allrecipes.com and I've made it several times. It is yum yum... very rich, decadent and let's just say, I'm in love with it. It has been that cake that has inspired me to make these rolls. I hope you like them as much as I do. Of course, I love sweet rolls and I love that cake - so the two combined sounds perfect to me - it's true though - it's not the same as cake - but let's just say you are cutting back on your cream intake - then perhaps these rolls are for you!

The recipe uses my BASIC ROLL MIX - adapted from Make-A-Mix Cookery. Very good book. If you happen upon one - or order on amazon - do try their other recipes that use the basic HOT ROLL MIX. All are very good. You can make donuts, bread, pretzels, etc. with that basic mix.

I thought these rolls turned out very yummy. My 4-year-old especially liked them. I found another treat she likes to eat :) My husband thought that the dough was too dry. I don't know what that means though, other than that the previous rolls we made - the Lemony-Lime Sweet Rolls had lots of gooeyness - so I think he was expecting that again... Might have to try out one of the variations and see if he likes them better... next time. But for me, it was a real special treat and they did not last long at our house.

To make the dough, you will need:

1 -1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup oil (sunflower, salad, vegetable, canola) or melted margarine
2 1/2 to 3 cups BASIC ROLL MIX

To make dough, in a mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend in egg and oil. Add 2 1/2 cups BASIC ROLL MIX and stir well. Add additional BASIC ROLL MIX up to 1/2 cup more to make a soft dough - not too sticky. Knead a few minutes until smooth. Lightly butter or oil a glass bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn to butter/oil top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place till doubled in size - about 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile - prepare raspberry filling and cream cheese filling.

To make Raspberry Filling you will need:

125 grams frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

In a saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, continue to boil 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. Makes about 2/3 cup. Set aside.

To make Cream Cheese Filling you will need:

100 grams plain cream cheese
50 grams plain white chocolate, of a good quality
1 egg yolk
1 package (8 grams) vanilla sugar

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate. It takes 30-45 seconds in 15 second intervals, stirring after each interval until completely melted. Add cream cheese and blend thoroughly with a spoon till smooth. Blend in egg yolk and vanilla sugar. Set aside.

To make White Chocolate Glaze you will need:

25 grams white chocolate, melted
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoon milk to thin

In a bowl, combine melted white chocolate and powdered sugar. Mix until crumbly. Add in vanilla and milk mixing constantly to thin. Set aside until needed.

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After dough has risen, turn out onto lightly floured surface and punch down. Roll out into a good size rectangle - about 1/4-inch thick (2 cm). Spread with 1/2 the raspberry filling. Roll up dough - jelly roll style and cut into 12 equal slices. Put on prepared baking sheets. (Prepared with baking paper - for easier clean up!) And place each slice on baking sheet a few inches apart. Let rise again another 30-60 minutes in warm place. Preheat oven to 190-C degrees (375-F). With a tablespoon, press a deep indentation in the center of each roll. Fill the indentation with one heaping soup spoon of Cream Cheese Filling until all the filling is used - divide the remainder evenly among the rolls. Bake in oven 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Prepare White Chocolate Glaze and drizzle warm on rolls. Then drizzle rolls with remaining Raspberry Filling.  Makes about 12 rolls.

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Variations:
 
1)  Use raspberry preserves in place of raspberry filling - it's a shortcut - might contain seeds but that's okay. When you want to drizzle it on top of rolls - add a little water to thin and microwave a few seconds, stirring until desired consistency.
 
2) Reverse the order of fillings. Use all of the Cream Cheese Filling in the middle jelly roll stage. And then use Raspberry Filling or raspberry preserves in the indentation-filling stage. Proceed with White Chocolate Glaze and use same dough recipe.

BASIC ROLL MIX

This is my BASIC ROLL MIX used for several recipes now and in the future. It saves time... and it's adapted from Make-A-Mix Cookery's HOT ROLL MIX.


To make it you will need 1 large container to store it in. I use a large round clear plastic bin - I bought it at Wal*mart in Germany - back when they still had Wal*mart in Germany. Then label it - very important!


20 cups (5 lbs. or 2 kilos) all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (240 grams) white sugar
4 teaspoons (20 grams) salt
1 cup (116 grams) dry milk powder


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or in the large plastic container you plan to store it in. Stir together to distribute evenly. I use a large wire whisk for this. Store in cool, dry place. Use within 6 to 8 months. Makes about 22 cups of BASIC ROLL MIX.




To make BASIC DOUGH (enough for 12 sweet rolls):

Combine in a mixing bowl 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 3/4 cup warm water - let sit to become foamy. Then add 1 egg, beaten and 1/4 cup melted margarine or vegetable oil. Mix in 3 cups BASIC ROLL MIX and extra flour if needed to make a soft, not too sticky elastic ball of dough. Put into a bowl buttered with oil and turn to coat. Place someplace warm like the oven on it's lowest setting for at least an hour to rise, covered with plastic wrap.