Grands! Snowmen Cinnamon Rolls

Transform your favorite refrigerated cinnamon rolls into fun and easy to make edible snowmen with these Grands! Snowmen Cinnamon Rolls...

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by General Mills through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Pillsbury™ Grands! Cinnamon Rolls, all opinions are my own.

For years, Pillsbury™ Grands! Cinnamon Rolls has been a go-to of ours for lazy weekend mornings, snow days from school, and holiday breakfasts. They are so simple to make (the kiddos often help), they get on the breakfast table quick, and my entire family loves them. They have become a family breakfast tradition, and often-times they are the quickest way to get my late riser of a son out of bed earlier on the weekend. ;)

Typically I don't mess too much with a good thing, but we do like to change things up just a little here & there. My youngest (who is now 4 years old) loves to "help" her mama in the kitchen. 

So on one Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, I thought why not turn our favorite Pillsbury™ Grands! Cinnamon Rolls into some fun Grands! Snowmen Cinnamon Rolls that Little Miss could help me decorate once they were done baking? 

The results were not only delicious, but they also totally left my daughter tickled pink! :) She was so proud to present our very well decorated snowmen shaped cinnamon rolls to her sleepy head daddy and brother...

French Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Rolls

These French Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Rolls almost guarantee perfect homemade cinnamon rolls with my fail-safe "secret" ingredient- cake mix!

Lately I have been facing my culinary nemeses head on.  First it was fudge with my Mud Pie MoJoe Fudge.  And now, homemade cinnamon rolls with these delicious French Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Rolls.  

I can't tell you all how many times I have attempted to make homemade cinnamon rolls only to have them come out tough or chewy... or both.  The amount of time and effort I put into them just seemed silly, & I vowed to myself after my last cinnamon roll recipe flop that I would only be using the canned refrigerated cinnamon rolls from here on out. 

No more yeast based cinnamon rolls.  No more messing with punching down dough and letting it rise off and on for 2+ hours just so my family could grin and pretend that they liked my crappy from scratch cinnamon rolls.  ;)

Apple Crisp Sweet Rolls

These Apple Crisp Sweet Rolls are what happens when fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls meets comforting apple crisp...

Okay folks. I may just have done like the best thing ever for your weekend breakfast table. Yes, I combined one of your favorite desserts- a homemade apple crisp with soft & fluffy cinnamon rolls.  When I made these and told my husband what they were, his eyes may have rolled back into his head slightly. ;)  

And let me tell you all- they were amazing.  It was like having dessert for breakfast... and then later on that same day, breakfast for dessert. 

I used my basic fool-proof cake mix cinnamon roll recipe, but rolled up a simple apple filling into the dough and then topped it all with a traditional apple crisp topping.  The baked sweet rolls are then finished off with a super simple glaze that you can whip up in mere minutes...

Chocolate Mint Sweet Rolls

These cake mix Chocolate Mint Sweet Rolls are so rich and decadent that they can double as a breakfast & dessert...

Ever since making my French Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Rolls earlier last year, I have been kind of obsessing over new sweet roll recipes I could make using cake mix.  

My son is pretty much a chocolate-mint fanatic.  Give him a box of Andes chocolates and he is in heaven.

I knew I needed to come up with a sweet rolls recipe that would re-create the flavors in his favorite chocolates.

I have to say that these Chocolate-Mint Sweet Rolls were a resounding success (and teenage son approved!).

Baklava Egg Rolls

My husband adores baklava.  Sometimes it is the only way I can convince him to eat at a Greek restaurant...  but honey, they have baklava!

Recently I had some egg roll wrappers leftover and was trying to get a little creative as what to do with them.  I have never made traditional baklava before in my life, but I thought why not baklava egg rolls?  The egg roll wrapper consistency is fairly close to the that of phyllo dough layers, albeit a little thicker & a tad bit chewier.  I researched a few recipes online to figure out the key ingredients for a traditional baklava filling.  Which surprisingly, isn't very much. :)

What you will need:

For the egg rolls:

2 cups of walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

16 egg roll wrappers

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the honey sauce:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, & cinnamon.  Set aside.  

Starting with 1 egg roll wrapper, lay it out in front of you in a diamond.  Brush the entire wrapper with the melted butter.  Spread about 3 tbsp of the walnut mixture into the center of the wrapper.  

Place another egg roll wrapper over top of the walnut covered one.  Brush it all over with butter.  

Starting with the corner closest to you, roll the egg roll until you reach the middle.  Fold in the side corners like I have done above.  You may have to brush a little more butter under these corners to keep them "glued" in place.  Continue rolling.  Brush a little more butter under the top corner and press it into the side of the egg roll.  

Place the egg roll seam side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Continue this same process with the other 7 egg rolls.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12- 15 minutes until the egg rolls are golden brown.

While the egg rolls are baking, prepare the honey sauce.  In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, vanilla, and honey.  Heat over medium heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Let the sauce cool slightly.

Once the egg rolls have cooled enough transfer them to an airtight storage container.  Pour the honey sauce all over the tops of the baklava egg rolls. Allow the sauce to soak in for at least an hour before serving them.  They will keep this way for about 4 days.

These were a HUGE hit in my house!  And to be honest, they were best after about 2 days of soaking in the honey sauce.

*This recipe was adapted from THIS RECIPE from allrecipes.com.

Baklava Egg Rolls

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

6040974

Ingredients (8 egg rolls)

For the egg rolls

• 2 cups of walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 16 egg roll wrappers
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the honey sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, & cinnamon. Set aside.

Starting with 1 egg roll wrapper, lay it out in front of you in a diamond. Brush the entire wrapper with the melted butter. Spread about 3 tbsp of the walnut mixture into the center of the wrapper.

Place another egg roll wrapper over top of the walnut covered one. Brush it all over with butter.

Starting with the corner closest to you, roll the egg roll until you reach the middle. Fold in the side corners like I have done above. You may have to brush a little more butter under these corners to keep them "glued" in place. Continue rolling. Brush a little more butter under the top corner and press it into the side of the egg roll.

Place the egg roll seam side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue this same process with the other 7 egg rolls.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12- 15 minutes until the egg rolls are golden brown.

While the egg rolls are baking, prepare the honey sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, vanilla, and honey. Heat over medium heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Let the sauce cool slightly.

Once the egg rolls have cooled enough transfer them to an airtight storage container. Pour the honey sauce all over the tops of the baklava egg rolls. Allow the sauce to soak in for at least an hour before serving them. They will keep this way for about 4 days.

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Cinnamon Roll Topping {For Waffles or Pancakes!}

I am sure many of you have stumbled upon those recipes for cinnamon swirl pancakes and waffles on the internet.  You know the ones where you pour the cinnamon batter into a piping bag and artfully swirl in into your pancake batter before you flip it so that the end product actually mimics it's cinnamon roll counterpart?  

Have any of you all ever tried doing that?

Well I have and while the results were beyond delicious (like in the OMGee realm, you all), the mess that it left my griddle in was less than stellar.  And my cinnamon swirls... well, didn't stay pretty swirls.  They kind of got all muddled in with the pancake batter. 

Again, delicious but not pretty.

So, I thought why not eliminate the huge mess those cinnamon swirls leave on my griddle and my waffle maker and that damn piping bag since my pancakes and waffles didn't stay perfectly cinnamon swirled anyways?

I decided to whip up a cinnamon topping and a cream cheese icing topping for my most recent batch of waffles.  Combined and poured over top of our waffles, it tasted almost like we were digging into freshly baked cinnamon rolls. 

Honestly, it was almost as delicious as the cinnamon swirled ones I had made before, but was much easier and a whole lot less messy. ;)

What you will need for the cinnamon swirl topping:

1/2 stick of butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and then stir until combined.

What you will need for the cream cheese icing topping:

1/2 stick of butter, softened

2 oz of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp of milk

Cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add 2-3 tbsp of milk and whisk until it is a good consistency for drizzling.

I found this made slightly more icing topping than cinnamon topping, but I may have been a little overly generous with the cinnamon topping.  Just maybe... ;)

This should make enough topping for 4 round waffles (or 2 if you like the pour it on like I do).

Just whip up a batch of waffles (or pancakes... maybe even French toast? ;) ) using your favorite boxed mix or homemade recipe.  (Did you happen to catch my recipe for Homemade Belgian Waffle Mix yesterday? :) )  Then pour over the cinnamon topping and then the cream cheese frosting.  There is no need for butter on these waffles- trust me, the toppings are rich enough. 

What is your favorite waffle topping? :)

And pssstttt... Today is the last day to get entered to win a $15 Shop Credit from Simply {Darr}ling!!  That $15 shop credit could buy you this snuggly, soft baby blanket... :)

Cinnamon Roll Topping {For Waffles or Pancakes}

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1-2 minutes

6045471

Ingredients (Enough to top 2-4 waffles/panc)

For the cinnamon swirl topping

• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

For the cream cheese icing topping

• 1/2 stick of butter, softened
• 2 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2-3 tbsp of milk

Instructions

For the cinnamon swirl topping

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and then stir until combined.

For the cream cheese icing topping

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add 2-3 tbsp of milk and whisk until it is a good consistency for drizzling.

Just whip up a batch of waffles (or pancakes... maybe even French toast? ;) ) using your favorite boxed mix or homemade recipe. Then pour over the cinnamon topping and then the cream cheese frosting.

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Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread

Good morning, friends! You all are going to love Danielle from Busy Mom's Helper, and I am so happy to have her here on Frugal Foodie Mama today sharing her recipe for this Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread. :) If a cinnamon roll and banana bread had a baby, it would pretty much be this recipe right here...

Hey, Y'all! I'm Danielle from over at Busy Mom's Helper, and I'm so excited to be taking over Carrie's blog today (in the nicest way)! Although I originally was going to share a different recipe, our ripened-faster-than-we-could-blink bananas had their own agenda. And what's the best thing to do with overripe bananas? Bread, of course! But this is a step BEYOND the norm...Swirly Cinnamon Banana Bread!   

Hubby was so excited when I mentioned making this (he was about to throw those dang bananas out...how dare he!). And guess what? The entire loaf didn't even last three hours. Yes, we shared with the kids (a little), but the rest we just downed ourselves. Yup, it's that good!   I mean, just look at that cinnamon swirly! 

Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Butter Pecan Sweet Rolls

These Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Butter Pecan Sweet Rolls start with a box of butter pecan cake mix, are filled with crunchy pecans, and are then topped with a sweet brown sugar glaze and salty bacon...

Father's Day is less than two days away, folks. If you don't have a plan yet, let me help you out with that right about now with these Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Butter Pecan Sweet Rolls.

Yes, I said brown sugar. 

And bacon.

And pecans.

And sweet rolls.... all in the same recipe title. 

I am almost certain that there is no way that you could possibly go wrong making these for dad for Father's Day breakfast or brunch.

I haven't met a man yet who would turn down a homemade sweet roll... or bacon, for that matter. ;)

These Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Butter Pecan Sweet Rolls start with a box of butter pecan cake mix, are filled with crunchy pecans, and are then topped with a sweet brown sugar glaze and salty bacon... It's cool if you just started drooling on your keyboard. I will look away and give you a moment. 

Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls

These soft, pull apart Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls need to make an appearance on your dinner table asap...

I am partnering today with Fleischmann's Yeast & Karo Syrup to bring you all this recipe for my mama's family favorite Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls.

When it comes to the holidays, I think we all have that one recipe or two that when made always bring back memories of our childhood.  For me, that is my mama's clover yeast dinner rolls.

They were made for almost every special occasion, including holiday dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

I remember watching her mix the dough, and then kneading it, and punching it down, and then placing it in a well-oiled big green Tupperware mixing bowl to rest and raise.  And when it was ready, she would roll the dough into little balls and then arrange them 3 to a tin in a muffin pan.

The whole process fascinated me and intimidated me all at the same time.  But there was nothing like pulling apart one of her warm clover yeast dinner rolls and smearing some butter on it, and popping each third in my mouth as the butter melted...

Vanilla Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits {& A #VanillaWeek Giveaway}

A big thank you to Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Bob's Red Mill, Silpat, Quirk Books and Dixie Crystals/Imperial Sugar for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #VanillaWeek. All opinions stated below are my own.

If anyone has a Hardee's nearby or has been to one before, you all probably already know about their amazing cinnamon raisin biscuits. Flaky buttermilk biscuits flecked with raisins, and then drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze.

These biscuits are the only thing you will find me eating from Hardee's (the rest of their menu pretty much grosses me out- sorry Hardee's), and they are also the only baked goodie with raisins in them that I will eat. I am not usually a fan of raisins baked into things. 

Cinnamon raisin biscuits also hold a certain nostalgia for me. When I was little, my mother was a stay-at-home mama until I was about 6 or 7.  One of her first jobs outside of the home was at our local Hardee's in town. She would usually work the early morning shift and would be the one making, rolling, and baking these tender, flaky biscuits. Often she would come home with a few for us. :)

And when I was pregnant with my son over 15 years ago, these biscuits ended being one of the rare times that a "I have to it now!" pregnancy craving hit me. I remember waking up my now ex-husband at 5:00 in the morning to run out and get me some. Of course, our local Hardee's didn't open until 6. But he was out the door by 6:15 and came back home with a dozen for me.

The Hardee's in town has long since closed. There is still one open across town, but why hop in the car to pick some up when you can bake your own at home in the same amount of time? ;)

This homemade version of cinnamon raisin biscuits comes pretty darn close to their Hardee's counterpart. Fluffy and sweet with a hint of cinnamon and just the right amount of raisins, and then topped with a delicious vanilla glaze...

12 Festive Holiday Morning Breakfast Recipes

From simple & easy to impressive & well worth the extra effort, you are sure to find the perfect Christmas morning breakfast idea for your family in this collection of 12 Festive Holiday Morning Breakfast Recipes...

In case you all didn't get the memo yet, Christmas is less than one week away! And surprisingly, I am not in panic mode right now. For once, I was on top of it all this month. 








The gift shopping & cookie baking are all squared away. The Christmas cards were sent out over a week ago (pssssttt... usually I don't get around to getting cards sent out at all, so this is truly a Christmas miracle!). I have even met all of my holiday deadlines for the blog. 








In fact, this *might* be my last blog post of 2018. But I may end up churning out at least one more post for you all before we say hello to 2019. ;) Stay tuned, folks...








Today's post is about a little something that I hold dear & near to my heart every holiday season- Christmas morning breakfast. 

Once the chaos & excitement of the gift unwrapping is done & over with and we are on our second viewing of A Christmas Story on TNT, I like to whip up a special breakfast for the family. Like these 12 Festive Holiday Morning Breakfast Recipes I am sharing with you all today.







From pancakes to french toast casseroles to cinnamon rolls, you are sure to find the perfect holiday morning breakfast idea for your family in this collection of festive recipes...

Peanut Butter Stuffed Crescent Rolls with Caramelized Bananas

Flaky crescent rolls are stuffed with creamy peanut butter, baked golden brown, & then topped with perfectly caramelized bananas in this decadent breakfast treat...

This content was created in partnership with Kroger Family Stores using free products provided by Kroger.

Every once in a while when I am out & about traveling, I will order a dish at a restaurant or inn that is so delicious that I know I will have to find a way to recreate it as best I can as soon as I get home. The peanut butter stuffed croissant French toast I had at the Redbook Restaurant at Hillbrook Inn & Spa during our blogger retreat last month was one such dish. 

The chef stuffed a flaky croissant with natural peanut butter and then topped it with perfectly caramelized bananas, whipped cream, & fresh blueberries. (Wanna see a pic of it? ;) Then be sure to check out my review of our stay at the Hillbrook Inn for the Sip, Dine, & Shine 2016 blogger retreat.)

For my at-home version, I went simple & easy by using a roll of my favorite refrigerator crescent rolls. While not exactly a croissant, crescent rolls are light and flaky mimicking the texture of a fresh baked croissant. I stuffed each crescent roll with a dollop of natural peanut butter before baking them up golden brown and then topping them with ooey, gooey caramelized bananas...

Apple Pie Cream Cheese Waffle Pockets

These quick and easy to make Apple Pie Cream Cheese Waffle Pockets are stuffed with cream cheese & your favorite apple pie filling...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. 

 The opinions and text are all mine.

Who else is excited that turkey day is almost here?? I have to say I really look forward to Thanksgiving each and every year- especially since I started hosting our family's Thanksgiving dinner almost 4 years ago. 

Now, it isn't a huge production. 

Usually I am only hosting about 8 total for the big dinner, but this year our Thanksgiving dinner table is going to be even more intimate. It will just be my husband and I and the two kiddos since my parents and my sister and her husband are heading to my sister's in-laws for the day. 

At first, I was a little bummed. I mean, I really love hosting this big dinner each November. But then the thought of a smaller dinner with just the husband and the kids grew on me. 

Less pressure (who cares if the house isn't 100% spotless?), more flexible (dinner doesn't have to be ready right at 1:00), and it even leaves a little more time to enjoy a little tradition I started last Thanksgiving with my daughter- making an easy yet special breakfast together for everyone to enjoy while watching the Thanksgiving parade on television.

Last year, my daughter and I made these Turkey Shaped Cinnamon Rolls. Except I cheated a little and used our favorite refrigerated Pillsbury Sweet Rolls® instead of the cinnamon roll dough from scratch. 

With a turkey in the oven and four side dishes waiting to made, there was no way I was making homemade cinnamon rolls that morning too! ;)