Cinnamon Cream Cheese Rollups

I have made these for a few years now and thought that I would share with you. This has only a few ingredients, easy to put together, but takes just a little prep time. And just for the record, I don't think that you could make it healthy. I did use low fat cream cheese, but honestly, I don't think that really made a difference in these...once you read the recipe you will understand why.
Oh, and I really don't have complete measurements..you just kind of go with it.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Rollups

1 loaf of white bread
block of cream cheese, at room temperature
melted butter
cinnamon/sugar mix..I just dumped some of both until I thought it looked good

Cut the crust off of the slices of bread and flatten with a rolling pin. Spread with a thin layer of cream cheese and roll up. Cut this roll into 3 pieces. Dip the rolls into the melted butter and then coat them with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for 15-17 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!!

Babka

Over the weekend I had a second bake along with Laurie. A while back we made croissants and Friday she mentioned baking Babka. Now, let me start off by saying...I had never heard of this, let alone know what it should look like or even taste like. So, of course, I was in. It wasn't hard at all, just time consuming. You have 3 different 2 hour rises, it is pretty much, mix and wait...3 times..then you can bake it. I decided on the basic cinnamon raisin filling, but really the filling possibilities are endless. Will I make this again...probably.

Cinnamon-Raisin Babka

Adapted from “The Art of the Dessert,” by Ann Amernick ( John Wiley, 2007)
Time: About 2 hours plus at least 5 to 6 hours’ rising

FOR THE DOUGH:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 ounce or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1 cake (0.6 ounces) fresh yeast
1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/2 cup eggs (whole eggs or just yolks)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, preferably high fat, at room temperature, plus
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Flour for dusting

For the filling:
1 cup sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 cups large dark raisins

For the streusel topping:
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled.

1. To make dough, combine flours, salt and all but 1 tablespoon sugar in mixer fitted with dough attachment and mix on medium speed. In a small bowl, stir yeast with one tablespoon warm water and reserved tablespoon sugar just until sugar and yeast have dissolved. Reduce mixer speed to low, add yeast mixture, milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat until dough is shiny and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add one stick butter by spoonfuls until thoroughly incorporated, then beat on low speed for about 5 minutes. When finished, dough should be silken and rich like very thick ice cream. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. When dough has doubled in size, after 2 hours, flour a cutting board and your hands. Then push dough down on board, cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

3. To make streusel topping, in a small bowl mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add cold butter and using your fingers, mix together until crumbly. Set aside.

4. To assemble, line one Bundt pan or two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans with parchment paper, not letting paper come more than 1 inch above top of pans. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide it in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.

5. In a small bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Place raisins in another bowl and plump with 1/2 cup just- boiled water for a few minutes, and drain.
Sprinkle half the cinnamon-sugar mixture on one piece of rolled out dough and then half the raisins. Repeat with remaining dough. Beginning with long side, roll dough up tightly and fold in ends. Twist babka lengthwise to create a spiral, holding one end of babka in each hand. Place twisted babka in half the prepared Bundt pan or in a loaf pan, pressing dough firmly into pan. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Brush babka top with melted butter and sprinkle with half the streusel. Repeat with second half of babka dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let loaves rise at room temperature until they reach top of pan or about doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

6. Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Allow babka to cool for 30 minutes before cutting. Slice babka and serve.

Yield: 1 large Bundt babka or 2 loaf babkas.

Cinnamon Bun Scones

I am a firm believer in homemade scones. The ones that you buy out at the store or coffee shops, that are dry and crumbly and make you choke, are just not for me. Now, the hubby on the other hand, isn't really a fan at all of scones. He calls them fu-fu food. Let me rephrase that..until now, he was not a fan. I think that he ate half of them, and my boys ate them for breakfast this morning. I am positive that they will be requested again and again. :)

I found this recipe from the book A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. I have made a few things from this book and so far so good. If you haven't seen it, you really should. It is full of yummy, yummy things! I didn't follow the directions exactly, though...but they still came out great. The directions say to mix the dry ingredients in the food processor, dump them out and make a well in the center, then put the wet ingredients and combine. I bypassed all of this and mixed everything in my mixer with a paddle attachment. It mixed up perfectly! :) You also scoop these out with an ice cream scoop, so I am thinking mini's would be great too!

Cinnamon bun Scones

By: Marcy Goldman

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

3/4 to 1 cup whipping cream

Cinnamon Dip

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

Whipping cream or milk, as required

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stack two baking sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper. Arrange oven rack to upper third position.

In a food processor, add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and blend briefly. Add butter and pulse to make a coarse, grainy mixture.

Turn out mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in center and stir in vanilla, eggs, and whipping cream to make a soft dough. If it is stiff, add more cream.

Using an ice cream scoop, deposit 15 to 20 scones on prepared baking sheets,or use a smaller 2 Tbsp cookie scoop and deposit 3 dozen baby scones.

Bake until scones are puffy and golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, for Cinnamon Dip, whisk together all ingredients until you have a thick but drippy glaze. Add more confectioner's sugar or cream as required.

Cool scones to warm and then dip into Cinnamon Dip. Dip scones again once topping is set.

Granola Breakfast Bread

This is the time of year when I want to make bread the most. Any type of bread will do, as long as I am making it. I found this recipe in Dorie's book BFMHTY and it is originally called Oatmeal Breakfast Bread, but I have some left over granola from Bear Naked, btw, if you haven't tried their granola, you should, it is fantastic! But, as I was saying, I had this leftover granola that is vanilla flavored with some almonds and thought it would work just fine...it did! I also left out the dried fruit, just because I didn't have any, but the next time this is made, I am going to add it. I know it will make it even better! I made 4 mini loaves from this one batch, which means that I can get 4 neighbor gifts out of it. That is if I can keep the hubby and kids out of it...or myself!!



Oatmeal Breakfast Bread
By: BFMHTY

For the topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the bread:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
1/4 cup buttermilk or whole milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup diced dried figs, apples or apricots or moist, plump raisins
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or a mini loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the topping: In a small bowl, using your fingers, toss together the sugar, nuts and cinnamon until evenly mixed, set aside.

To make the bread: Whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil and buttermilk until well blended.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Remove 1/2 tsp of the mix and toss it with the fruit, just to coat; set aside. Stir the oats into the bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a large rubber spatula, stir just until everything is evenly moistened-this is a case where less is more, so don't overdo the mixing. Scatter the dried fruit over the batter and stir to blend. Scrape the batter into the pan and sprinkle over the topping, tamping it down very lightly with your fingers so it sticks.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is beautifully browned and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

**Since I made my loaves in a mini loaf pan, it baked in about 30-35 minutes.

Snickerdoodle Blossoms

I first saw Denise make these,then Ingrid twisted my arm to make these, so I really had no choice but to make them. I am glad that I did! Who doesn't love snickerdoodle cookies and who doesn't love chocolate? You add them together and you have one to die for cookie!!

These little blossoms are a little work, but not anything that will make you just hate to make them. Mix the dough and let it chill for a good 30 minutes. Don't skip this step, it is a little sticky if you don't. Roll into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar and bake them. I used my handy little cookie scoop and got 4 short of 4 dozen cookies, I could have gotten 4 dozen if I watched my scooping..some of them were a little on the chunky side.

I'm thinking that these will make it on my cookie platters this year!

Snickerdoodle Blossoms

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed, brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
48 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Heat oven to 375.
Combine 1/2 cup white sugar,brown sugar and butter in large mixing bowl.

Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and salt; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; and add flour and baking soda. Beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 1/2 hour. I recommend doing that, makes it easier to handle. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll dough balls into cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place balls in mini muffin tins. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate kiss in center of each cookie and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over them while they are still warm. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Crisps-Week 1

I know this is crazy, but do you realize that there is only 12 weeks until Christmas? When you look at it that way, it seems like it is so close, I guess it really isn't that far away. This brings me to this...12 weeks of Christmas cookies. I do alot of baking at Christmas and always wait until the last minute to try to get it all in, and then I am left with no time to try new recipes. So this should fix that problem. A batch of cookies a week, I think I should be able to keep up. :) Megan is baking along each week as well, so I am hoping to get some new ones from her too! If you have a cookie/bar that you want to share feel free!!

Every year I look forward to the new Better Homes and Garden Christmas Cookies magazine. It is out by the first of October every year and it is loaded with cookie recipes. Any where from drop cookies, to cut outs, to bars...to layered cookies. I have them from the past 12 years. I love them and can't make myself part with them.

These cookies are really good. Crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, even when they have cooled completely. The picture of these in the magazine, showed them rolled in pearl sugar. I love the look of this, but can't find it here...it is on my "look for and buy" list. Instead of the pearl sugar, I rolled these little babies in granulated sugar and I liked the extra sweetness and glisten that it gave. The addition of molasses in this mixture reminded me of gingerbread, only you don't add any ginger, cinnamon is the only spice in these. So here we have it, cookie #1 in the 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies challenge.

Cinnamon Crisps

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup light molasses
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
pearl sugar or granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.

Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until well combined. Add egg; beat until blended, then beat in molasses. On low speed, beat in flour until just blended.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are light brown around edges and tops crackle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Daring Bakers go French!

I am back from a 3 month hiatus from the Daring Bakers. If you haven't heard of them, you really should check them out. It is a great way to learn new things, such as this month....puff pastry!!! I really didn't expect it to turn out, but it did, and I am a giddy little girl!

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

I was surprised at how easy this really was. A few basic ingredients and a little bit of time and there you go. I did break mine up into 2 days. The first day, I mixed the dough, beat the butter, rolled and folded the dough a total of 6 turns, while tweeting with Megan and Barbara. These 2 girlies were a blast to bake along with. Then, I let the dough chill over night. The next day, gave it a good roll out, cut into shapes and baked.
The next step was to decide on a filling. This was the hardest part! I decided that I would go with a cinnamon pastry cream with sauteed apples. Fall is finally here and thought this is a great way to celebrate! Well, I had a little issue with the pastry cream...it clumped,but it still stated good. So, I let it chill overnight and when I came back the next day, it was hard as a rock!!! I probably cooked it too long and didn't temper the eggs good enough...so...plan B. Cinnamon whipped cream with sauteed apples, just as good!

Here it is...Vols-Au-Vent with Cinnamon Whipped Cream topped with Sauteed Apples!

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour

1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)

1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water

1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Cinnamon whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

3 TBSP sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Whip the whipping cream on medium speed, gradually add in the sugar and then add in the cinnamon. Whip until stiff peaks form.

Sauteed Apples (I could eat these by themselves!)

1/4 cup butter

4 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add apples and cook stirring constantly until apples are almost tender, 6-7 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in water, add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

School here starts next week, and I can honestly say that I am ready for it. I like the routine of everyday, just being structured. And that also means that I have more time in the kitchen. I have slacked this summer, but hey, you have "life" that has to be lived.

I have seen these blondies floating around the blogosphere. Ingrid made them, and then Donna made them, you see, they both twisted my arm to make these. I am really glad that they did! These are perfect for an after school snack, for the lunch boxes, or really just any time of the day!

Snickerdoodle Blondies
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

Coffee Cake Muffins

I have done it again, staying away for too long! This summer is just flying by, and that doesn't leave a lot of time for being in the kitchen, and I am missing it! I need my therapy sessions! These muffins are easy to put together and very, very good! They are moist, dense, and you have a swirl of cinnamon in the middle, well, I say the middle...but some of my swirls were more near the bottom of the muffin than the middle, but that didn't change the taste at all. Spread the warm muffin with a pat of butter and you have total comfort!

Coffee Cake Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine first 3 ingredients; set aside.

Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together the egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Place paper cups in muffin pans, and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into each of 12 cups; sprinkle evenly with half of brown sugar mixture. Top evenly with remaining batter, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Doughnut Muffins

First off, I really hope that blogger decides to separate my paragraphs, it is really starting to bug me!

Ok, now that I have that off of my chest, let's get to these muffins. Saturday mornings are normally pretty lazy mornings for me and the kids. I try to make muffins, pancakes, or cinnamon toast. Sometimes we stick to the normal bowl of cereal, but for the most part, I try to make something. I had seen these muffins make their way around the blogosphere and really wanted to try them. This was the perfect Saturday morning to try them. These muffins are really good. Nice and fluffy, with the cinnamon sugar topping. They were exactly what we needed on this rainy morning!


Doughnut Muffins
3 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar, plus 1/8 cup of sugar
1/2 tbs. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream

For Topping
1/4 cup butter, more if needed
1 cups sugar
1 tbs. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine the vanilla, milk and heavy cream, in a different bowl.

3. With a spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't over mix.

4. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes.

5. To finish, Melt the butter for the dipping mixture in a small bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Snickerdoodles for the Cookie Carnival

If you like snickerdoodles, this is the one to try! This cookie is my husbands number 1 favorite cookie, so he was excited when this one was chosen. This recipe was simple and quick to put together, roll into balls and then coat with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 10 minutes, with a quick spin after 5 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes and move them to a cooling rack. But, if you are like my family, eat them warm, with a glass of milk!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients
Makes 4 dozen.
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
* 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
* 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
* 2 large eggs

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

2. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.

3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes.

Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Dark Chocolate Soup with Cinnamon-Toasted Poundcake Croutons

(Yes, I know...bad lighting!!!)

This recipe comes from Jill O'Connor's book, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. This has got to be the cutest book that I have seen. I have had it for a while and have only made these. Flipping through the pages on a rainy day, this recipe just called me out and said...yes, you know you want me....well, I have to admit that I did. Except, I was thinking, by the look of the picture, that it was like a chocolate pudding, and that you would eat it warm. It is not like that at all. Now, don't get me wrong, it was very good, very chocolaty, what do you expect with 24 ounces of chocolate and 6 cups of half and half. But, it was exactly what it said...soup. Slurping from a spoon, soup. I am pretty positive that I don't like chocolate soup. I will probably make this again, but will use it as a hot chocolate drink.

On the other hand, the croutons. How can you go wrong with pound cake, butter, cinnamon and sugar? These were great just to snack on!

For the soup:

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup water

pinch of salt

6 Cups half and half

2 tsp instant espresso powder

24 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semisweet)

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and starts to change color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the salt and half and half. Use a long handled wooded spoon to carefully stir in the half and half, as the caramel has a tendency to hiss and splash as the cold cream hits it. Bring the mixture just to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the caramel into the half and half, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder and chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Divide the soup into 8 shallow bowls and top with croutons.

For the crouton:

1 loaf of your favorite pound cake

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the broiler. Cut a razor thin slice from both ends of the pound cake to reveal the interior. Cut the trimmed loaf of pound cake crosswise into 8 equal slices. Trim each slice to form perfect, uniform, squares. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Brush both sides of the pound cake slices with the melted butter and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar. Place the slices on a large baking sheet and broil until the sugar on top stars to bubble and turn brown, 1-2 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the slices over, and broil the second sides in the same way. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool. use a serrated knife to carefully cut each slice into 4 equal squares.