Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from my mom years ago. She got it from a friend that owned a small diner in Louisiana. I remember them being good, but apparently I forgot just how good they are! After years of this recipe sitting in my files, I finally made them for my family and they are so incredibly good! They are moist and full of flavor. These are my new go to cinnamon roll recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

2 ½ c water

2 pkgs. Yeast

1 yellow cake mix 

6+ cups flour, (add to reach the right texture,  dough will be sticky)

Oil and eggs that cake mix calls for

Filling:

Softened Butter

Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

(raisins & nuts optional)

Mix first 5 ingredients and let rise like other cinnamon roll recipes. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough out on floured surface into a rectangle. 

Brush softened butter over dough.  Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over dough. Roll up dough and pinch edge together to seal.

Cut the roll into slices.

Arrange in greased baking pans and let rise again. Bake 15 – 20 minutes at 350*. Let cool and drizzle with frosting. (I used home made cream cheese frosting)

You can also make these into orange rolls by filling them with butter, sugar and orange zest, then frosting them with an orange glaze frosting! GO here for the instructions on orange rolls and for a recipe on butter cream glaze.

Perfectly Wonderful Cinnamon Rolls (& Orange Rolls)

We made four batches of these on Christmas Eve and delivered them to friends and let me tell you, they were delicous! I got the recipe from The Sister's Cafe and it's a keeper! The key is to not over bake them. They are just barely golden when they are done. So, don't let them get too browned. The recipe comes with a buttercream glaze but I made mine with a homemade cream cheese frosting. I also made an orange roll variation which I will post at the bottom. These were a great treat to have Christmas morning!

Cinnamon Rolls - from The Sister's Cafe
2 c. milk
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
2 pkg yeast (4 ½ tsp)
1/3 c. warm water
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
4 beaten large eggs
8 c. flour
Filling: 1 square softened butter & cinnamon(lots) & sugar

Heat milk and 2 cubes of butter together until butter is melted. Cool and set aside. Mix yeast and warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Add cooled milk, 1 1/3 c. sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 beaten eggs. Add 4 c. flour and mix and gradually add 4 additional cups flour. Dough should be firm but sticky. Cover with cloth and put in a warm place, and raise 1 ½ to 2 hours. Dough should nearly be doubled in size. Divide dough in half and empty onto floured surface and knead a little. Roll dough into rectangle, about ½ inch thick. To this half of dough, spread on ½ cube of softened butter, completely covering dough. Then sprinkle a coating of sugar over entire piece of dough. Then a layer of cinnamon. Be generous with the cinnamon; this is what makes it tasty. Roll into long roll, pinch edges together and slice with dental floss. Place on a cookie sheet covered with a silpt or parchment paper. Do same thing to second half of dough. Cover with a clean dishtowel (or saran wrap sprayed with cooking spray) and put in warm place, free of drafts, for 2 to 5 hours to raise--just depends-but the should be double in size. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until barely browned. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Drizzle with glaze while still warm. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Butter Cream Glaze:
1 cube softened butter (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
dash of cream of tarter
1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar
scalded milk or cream

Add all together...adding milk a little at a time, alternately with the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. For cinnamon rolls, it needs to be a little thinner than regular icing.

We also made the orange rolls with the same dough recipe. Be generous with the orange glaze when rolls are done.

Orange Rolls

Also from the Sister's Cafe

Make dough recipe above as for cinnamon rolls but instead of the cinnamon/brown sugar filling use this orange filling.

Filling:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind from two large oranges

Mix together and spread on dough as you would the brown sugar and cinnamon for cinnamon rolls. Roll up and make like the cinnamon rolls.

Orange Glaze:
Mix together;
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
½ tsp. grated orange rind.

Spread over cooled orange rolls

Baked French Toast

This has become a favorite breakfast treat at our house. My mom first made it for us when we were visiting and my son asks for it when ever Grandma is in town. the recipe says to make it with a loaf of french bread but we have also made it with a loaf of homemade white bread with great results. I like to eat it with a little milk poured over the top!

Baked French Toast

In a saucepan, heat together the following ingredients until it bubbles, and then set aside;

1 c up brown sugar

1 stick ( 1/2 c) butter or margarine

2 Tbs white corn syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

In a bowl mix together;

5 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp sugar

Generously grease or spray a 9x13 pan

Layer bottom with 1 diced loaf of french bread. (or homemade bread)

Drizzle brown sugar mixture over the top

Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Pour egg mixture over the top

Press bread pieces into the egg mixture. You can refrigerate over night or bake right away.

Bake at 350* for 35 min. or til golden brown.

No need for syrup as it is already baked right in!

Sweedish Pancakes

These puppies are a favorite breakfast in our home. They are like a crepe but thicker. I like to drizzle them with syrup, the kids like to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them and roll them up. There are many ways to top them. So delish!

Swedish Pancakes
4 eggs
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
¼ c oil
2 c milk

Milk together and cook as for crepes but a little thicker. Top with syrup, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, jam or syrup.

Cornmeal Waffles

If you like cornbread, you'll love these waffles! I came across the recipe some time ago and my family loves them. We hope you will too.

Cornmeal Waffles

2 large eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1 cup cormeal

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar ( optional)

1 Tablespoon baing powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

Beat eggs and milk together. Sift dry ingredients and stir into egg-milk mixture. Gradually add melted butter. *(Batter will be runny.) Bake in a regular waffle iron. Great with regular syrup or your favorite fruit syrup. Also freezes well.

Apple Puff Pancake

Wow, I have been busy playing this summer. Sorry it has been so long since my last post! The kids and I tried a new recipe this morning and they loved it. I also was happy that it was a healthy breakfast with all those apples. You can adjust how sweet you want it with how much sugar you add to the apples. I kept it simple since I knew the kids would be topping it with sugar or syrup. With school starting and apple season around the corner here in Michigan I thought this would be a great recipe to share. We hope you enjoy!


Apple Puff Pancake

3 apples
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
sprinkle of cinnamon to taste

1 cup milk
6 eggs
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Powdered sugar & cinnamon for garnish

Directions:
Peel, core and slice up apples thin and small, toss with sugar and cinnamon and place in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Mix together; milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, flour and salt to make a batter. Pour batter over apples in baking pan and bake in 350* oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm with powdered sugar & cinnamon or drizzle with pancake syrup.

Baked Oatmeal

This was served at a family breakfast the day after my Grandma Miller's funeral. It is delicious and flavorful and one of our favorites. We like to have it for breakfast but you could hot over ice cream too. Either way it is yummy! My mom has a recipe that is similar but this one was a little more moist so I am sharing this version.

Baked Oatmeal
(serves 6-8)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats (uncooked)

Optional:
1/2 cup nuts
1 cup (plus) fruit- (I used fresh raspberries and one peach cut up - My mom has uses a dried fruit mix, blueberries or apples would be great too)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Mixture will be runny.
Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, don't let it brown.

Serve alone, or pour milk over the top and enjoy!