Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

 
I do most, if not all, of my baking during the holidays. I actually love to bake, but rarely do it. So as the holiday baking season begins, I can't let Thanksgiving go by with out a pumpkin spiced baked good. These Pumpkin Crumb Muffins are to die for. The muffin itself is just sweet enough. Sometimes pumpkin muffins are too sweet for this girl. This muffin is perfect because the cake itself is sweet, but not too sweet, and super moist with the most deliciously buttery, sweet, pie-spiced, streusel topping. Great as a dessert or with your morning coffee. Confession...I ate these every day for a week with my morning coffee. So good but completely not low calorie. Now I remember why I don't bake too much, I end up eating it all myself. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

Recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine
Makes 12

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk (I used cream)
1/3 cup melted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Crumb topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 T sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
7 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray muffin pan or line with cupcake liners. Combine flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and pie spice in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine pumpkin puree, cream, melted bitter, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well.  Make a well in the flour and add the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the flour disappears.

For the crumb topping, combine, flour, sugars, pie spice and salt and mix well. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until large crumbs form.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop mixture into muffin liners or prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle generously over muffin batter.

Place muffins in your preheated 400 degree oven and then immediately turn down the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake another 5-7 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Other recipes to try:

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream

Shakshuka

It's been a while since I've cooked, let alone blogged. I've been too busy giving my time away to others to take the time for myself. But my kiddos are on Spring break this week and I've finally had some time to "Chillax" as my 8-year old Jackson says. And I'm thankful for the time off.

Basically, I've done next to nothing..I've read 4 books since last Saturday. It's been heaven being able to sink so deeply into these fictional worlds, an escape from reality. But I'll admit, I've felt a wee bit guilty because I've allowed my kids to play video games all day with the occasional break to play catch or take a bike ride...I'm sure the mom-critics (including my husband a few times these last few days) would say, that I'm being a bad mother by allowing it. But to be honest, I've needed the break. 

Allowing endless video games and my submersion into fictional worlds aside, I realized I really need the break away from the kiddos. 
I need to be just me, not a mom with a thousand responsibilities. I broke down to my husband and cried,..."I need a vacation!"

In fact...We both do. The last time we had any time off together was probably 2 or 3 years ago for our anniversary...sigh* 

Back when we both worked full-time, vacations were easy to take because we had money to do it, whether it was a weekend trip or just a quick date night with a sitter. Back when we both worked, we had money to pay for someone to clean our house each week and we were able to go out to dinner if I got home late or if I hadn't made it to the grocery store. 
These were convenience luxuries that made up for the time I was at work because, I couldn't do it all myself. 
So on the days when the kids are on vacation from school, I want to be on vacation too and that's when I most miss those luxuries. I don't want to clean my house. I don't want to cook. I want to go out to dinner, sleep in, and let my kids play video games all day. A vacation at home.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love being home with the kids and I am so thankful for my husband working so hard to allow me to be home with them, I just need a small break to remember who I am and reconnect with my husband, who works so hard for us. I'm thankful for my husband being my biggest supporter when I feel lost, upset, conflicted or just plain tired. Especially lately... he has been my rock and my biggest supporter when I probably didn't deserve his constant support. He supported me when my priorities shifted away from us and then witnessed the toll it took with unhappiness. 

I'm ashamed to say, I take him for granted too often.

He's always there to support and challenge me when I need it; he fights the good fight for me and against me when I need a wake up call.

I'm so thankful for this man whose had the misfortune to marry this head-strong, stubborn woman who seems impossible to please. I'm thankful for his ability to break through the toughness I throw up to protect my insecurities and how he selflessly works to make things all right. 

In line with his generous and loving way to make everything all right...my husband heard my cry for a vacation and booked a two day trip for us! No kids. We leave today. I love you baby! :)

....So somewhere in the last few days between video games, reading, crying and vacation planning I made this amazing Shakshuka. If you are not familiar with the dish, like me, Shakshuka is a Tunisian dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. I saw it on Pinterest and I was inspired to make it. I'd say it's most similar to the Latin dish, Huevos Rancheros, but if you remove the poached eggs, it's also reminiscent to Ratatouille. It's amazingly delicious! Enjoy!

Shakshuka (recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Serves 4-6

3 large Anaheim chilies, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 T olive oil.
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 cloves, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika, (I used smoked paprika)
1/2 tsp coriander
cayenne pepper (to taste)
Kosher salt (to taste)
1- 28oz can of whole tomatoes, crushed
1 cup of fresh tomato puree
4-6 eggs
pita bread
feta cheese
fresh spinach, thinly sliced (garnish)

In a large skillet, cook onions and chilies over medium high heat, in oil until soft and golden brown. About 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and spices and cook an additional 2 minutes. In a large bowl, add tomatoes and crush by hand. Add crushed tomatoes with sauce and tomato puree to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium high heat for a minimum of 1 hour. (The original recipe calls for a lot less cooking time but the tomatoes were too acidic for my taste so I cooked the sauce, covered for an hour in order to sweeten the tomatoes and blend the chilies and the sauce turned out fantastic!)  

Add eggs, cover and heat an additional 8-10 minutes until the eggs are set but the yolks are still soft. 

Top with feta and spinach and serve with pita bread. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Biscotti

Not everyone likes biscotti. It's usually hard and dry and not that sweet and I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of biscotti myself. But this recipe for Gingerbread Biscotti has just the right amount of sweetness and it's not as hard as most biscotti. The best part, is that it tastes like gingerbread! I found this recipe on Pinterest and as I scrolled down through similar pins I saw a picture of some gingerbread biscotti sprinkled with these mini gingerbread men. I gasped...literally gasped they were so cute! They were perfect for these biscotti and after seeing them, they completely ruined my original plan to decorate these guys! The gingerbread men were it! I had to have these little brown gingerbread men. I searched high and low for these little buggers and finally came across them at an awesome little Baking supply Store called Calico Cake Shop in Buena Park, CA. 

Talk about a goldmine for anything baking! I could have spent an entire day there, looking at all the baking supplies, sprinkles, icings, food colorings and everything you could imagine was at that store. I'm going to have to go in there more often just to get ideas on what to bake. So, if you like to bake and you are in Southern California, you need to see this store.You will LOVE it! 

I think these little gingerbread sprinkles completely make these biscotti into something special and perfect for the holidays. Merry Christmas! Enjoy!


Gingerbread Biscotti 
(recipe from Krissy's Creations)

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1 T ground ginger
3/4 T ground cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt
6 oz. white chocolate chips
1 T shortening

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.


In another bowl or stand mixer, mix together the oil, sugar, eggs and molasses. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture until fully incorporated. (Note: I added a bit more flour since my dough was extremely sticky. Add enough flour so that you can handle it fairly easily, although it will still be a bit sticky.


Remove the dough from the bowl or mixer and divide it into 2 disks. Flatten each disk until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Place the disks onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the baked dough from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Once the dough is cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch slices and place the slices onto the baking sheet.

Bake the biscotti until it is thoroughly toasted and lightly browned, about 7 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds and then stir. Heat 30 seconds and stir and repeat until chocolate is completely melted. Add the shortening and stir until it has melted and combined with the chocolate. 

Dip the biscotti in the chocolate and sprinkle with mini gingerbread men, Christmas sprinkles or cinnamon sugar. Place on parchment paper until chocolate is set. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas

I made this delicious empanada dough earlier this year with my Chipotle Beef Empanadas. The dough recipe was slightly modified from an old Martha Stewart magazine recipe. I fell in love with it's flaky, buttery crust and knew it would be great for some fruit hand pies. I'd intended to make them this summer with some fresh summer fruit but never did. So, instead I thought of this cute little dessert that's perfect for fall. 

I LOVE fall and I've been planning some of these recipes since early this year, just waiting for the weather to cool enough to turn on the oven. Well, that day came early last week and I was able to make these Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas. These are the perfect combination of rich Pumpkin Cheesecake in a beautiful pie crust. If you're like me and love pie crust, this recipe is for you. Lots of crust and lightly sweet and creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. Don't despair if you prefer sweeter desserts. I included an icing to drizzle, if you wanted to add a little more sweetness to it. 

The recipe itself has a few parts to it and may on first inspection look like too much work, but it's really a breeze and the best part is that you can make the filling and dough a few days ahead and assemble them when you want. Here's one better, if you want to get a jump on your holiday baking. You can make the dough, filling and assemble the empanadas according to the recipe, but rather than bake them, place the cookie sheet in freezer for 40-50 minutes until the empanadas are firm. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place individually wrapped empanadas in a large freezer bag and return them to the freezer. Just pull out the amount you want to bake. Think of how perfect Thanksgiving morning will be with an Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanada for breakfast and a steamy cup of coffee. What's that saying, "Life's too short, eat dessert first." Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas
Makes 16

Filling
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
In a large bowl, Whip together the pumpkin, condensed milk, sugar, cream cheese and two eggs until well combined with a light and fluffy texture. (about 3 minutes) Add vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and continue to beat until incorporated. Spray baking dish with cooking spray and pour batter into baking dish. Bake mixture until set about 25 minutes. Cool on racks, then cover and refrigerate for about an hour until completely cool or overnight. (I made the pumpkin cheesecake filling a day ahead of time along with my dough.)


Empanada Dough (slightly adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup ice water
1 large egg, beaten with 1 t water (egg wash for the crust)
Cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling


Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2T milk


Prepare the Dough:
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder in a large bowl. Add butter and shortening. Working quickly and using your fingertips, combine mixture until it resembles a very course meal. Add water. With floured hands, mix.

Knead once or twice to fully combine. The less kneading the better.  Divide dough in half; and shape into disks and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 5 days, bring to room temperature before using.) 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Divide each disk of dough into 8 pieces and keep in the refrigerator, using one piece at a time. Using a rolling pin on a floured work surface, roll out 1 piece to an 1/8-inch thick oval.

Use pumpkin cookie cutter to lightly score the dough to mark placement.

Using a medium sized cookie scoop, place 2-3 scoops of cooked pumpkin cheesecake filling into center of the dough. Fold dough over to enclose filling and lightly pat down the filling. 

Using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, cut through the dough to enclose the filling and punch out the pumpkin shape.

Using a spatula, transfer the empanada to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press edges with a fork to seal.

Using a small leaf shaped cookie cutter, punch out leaf shapes and place on the empanada. (optional, I just thought it would be cute)

Coat each empanada with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes

Let cool and serve with or without icing. (I prefer mine without icing because I love the delicate flavor of the crust.) 

Blueberry Streusel Bread

I've enjoyed being home with my boys this summer. We've done so much and had so much fun. We've gone to: the Fair, Pretend City Children's Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, Adventure Playground, an Angels game, Tanaka farms, the beach, swimming pools, bike rides, play-dates, hiking and exploring, bowling, free library shows with bubble ladies and magicians, and countless hours just listening to them play with their friends, with LEGOS and Nerf guns. It's been a full summer already and there is still more before they go back to school. Still to come...an upcoming Grand Canyon trip and my youngest son's 6th birthday party. On mornings like these when I really think about the days and hours spent with my kids, I am thankful for being able to stay at home to take an active part in raising them.  I'm also feeling conflicted about having to go back to work this fall. 

I've been home for three years now and looking back, the first year was so painfully hard. Staying home with my kids that first year caught me so unaware, because I didn't think I'd have to adjust to not working outside the home. I mistakenly thought I could just assume this new role and do it well. Well, well...being a stay-at-home mom was literally the hardest job. I didn't know what I was doing to be honest. I was struggling with the day-to-day work that never got done. My kids were difficult because I was inconsistent and I didn't know how to fill their day and still be able to get anything done. I was scattered and frustrated and plain unhappy at myself for not enjoying being home with my kids. A difficult state of being for this task-oriented manager who wants to get the job done quickly and efficiently. After struggling that first year, I realized what my problem was. The problem was that I was not treating this "new" job, like a "job". What's the old saying in the corporate world? "Plan your work and work your plan!" (Light bulb on!) So that is exactly what I did.

I took control by planning my kids' days. I set up a routine and laid out what they needed to do everyday. (Structure and consistency. Duh? Isn't that what all the parenting books said? and isn't that what I did as a manager too?) 
It wasn't anything earth shattering, just this: Go to school every day, hang up your backpacks and put your shoes away when you come home from school, do homework right after school, playtime until dinner time, family time, pick up toys, brush teeth and bedtime. And you know what? It worked like a charm. The kids responded because they knew what I expected of them every day during the week. I didn't battle with them to do the littlest of things. It was quite an epiphany for me and a major success, because I began to really love my job.
Why was that such a mystery to me in the beginning? Because, admittedly I was holding the notion that being a stay at home mom was unimportant and in a way easier since your days were your own. You didn't have to report to work at set times so you had time to get stuff done while the kids are at school. Quickly I realized that you never get off work and time isn't your own. But isn't that the other edge of the blade. Days are your own, but they are days needing to be filled with productive activities for you and your kids. Plan your work and work your plan. Parenting is a "hands-on-job" always.

I'm taking this stroll down memory lane about my decision to stay home and my trials about being at home because I've come so far. I take my job seriously and I am enjoying it. I'm still learning new things everyday. As my kids grow, their needs change and I'm having to adjust my approach as a parent too. I am sad and worried if I go back to work while they are still this young, I will miss something great that my kids do! They will only be this age now, and I want to be a part of it. My work is important to me and gives me something more than any paycheck...memories of my kid's childhood! Once you work for someone else, it's inevitable that your priorities will switch to the job that's paying you. And I don't want to feel that kind of conflict of priorities. I'll still have 20 yrs to work when I re-enter the paying work force and I feel like I'm being laid-off from a great job that I absolutely love and being demoted and moved to some remote location with a 2 hour commute. :( Anyway, I'll make the best of it and find something that will work for me and strike a balance. I'll have to, for me and my kids sake. :) Thank you for letting me bleed a little on you today. I'm feeling a little better just owning my feelings and putting them down.

On the positive side, I have four more weeks of summer fun to enjoy and more great summer foods to blog about and of course then there is my favorite season of all, FALL!  Here's a great Blueberry Streusel Bread you can make when the weather starts to cool at summer's end and brings the promise of fall. Enjoy.

 

This recipe is a combination of a few recipes from my Betty Crocker Cookbook. The bread recipe is a zucchini bread recipe that has numerous variations, so I made it into a blueberry bread and I also added a streusel topping to it, borrowing it from a muffin recipe in the same book. :)

Blueberry Streusel Bread

1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom of two loaf pans.(I used a 8x11.5x2" baking dish since I didn't have two loaf pans and it worked out just fine)
Mix sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in remaining dry ingredients until combined and then stir in fresh blueberries. Pour into pan. Sprinkle the top with streusel topping.

Bake for 1 hour or until wooden stick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until crumbly.

Oatmeal-Pecan-Banana Muffins

Good Morning everyone! I had a sleepless night last night and was able to catch up on some blogging. I cooked a lot last weekend and had recipes to type up and photos to download. I think I finally went to bed at 3 am. Anyway, I made these Oatmeal-Pecan-Banana Muffins last weekend and they were incredible. I found a banana muffin recipe on Pinterest and modified it a bit. I added Oatmeal to these muffins and I added applesauce to replace the oil in the recipe. I see so many recipes that substitute the oil with applesauce and I wanted to see if the texture would still be there without the oil. It was. The texture even improves the next day. The apples keep it super moist and you really don't miss the oil at all. Delicious.

I used my preserved bananas from last month and it was great. I pulled them from the freezer, thawed them in warm water and dumped them in the recipe. Since I had them pre-measured, it was a snap to make. Check out my 'How to' blog, When Banana's Go Bad, on how to preserve ripe bananas. Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Pecan Banana Muffins (Adapted from Home Cooking with Sonia)
(Makes ~50 mini-muffins)

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1 1/2 cup ripe bananas
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with baking spray.

Combine flour, oatmeal, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, Mix and set aside.

In medium bowl combine bananas, buttermilk, applesauce, vanilla extract, and egg and mix thoroughly.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Note:Over mixing muffin batter will make them tough, so mix until just combined.  Add chopped pecans. Pour into mini muffin pans and top with brown sugar and additional pecans. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

If you use normal size muffin tins, use liners and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

 

 

I saw a picture of some cute heart-shaped cinnamon rolls on the blog juststopscreaming.com via Pinterest and I thought how cute it would be to make some for Valentine's Day.  My kids love to help cook especially when it's something sweet, so I had my kids help me with these. We were feeling very festive so I pulled out some of my heart-shaped bowls to use during preparation. My boys had a great time helping but were not happy about the rising time needed between steps. It was a torturous exercise of patience for my two boys. Needless to say, 3 hours or so later... they were elated to finally get to eat their cinnamon rolls when I pulled them from the oven.

I'll admit, the heart-shaped dough after baking, looked more like happy faces than hearts but they're still a cute idea. In fact, I think I'll make these again for Halloween and make them Jack-o-lanterns by adding orange food-coloring to the icing and adding a little pumpkin pie spice to the filling! (Hmmm...what a cute and festive idea for Fall...definitely adding this to my Fall recipes list.)
Anyway, I searched for a good cinnamon roll recipe and found this one from Epicurious.com: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cinnamon-Rolls-with-Cream-Cheese-Glaze-241631. Hope you have a great Valentine's Day! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
(recipe from Epicurious.com)
Makes 12

Dough:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dough:

1. Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds.

Note: It's important to heat the milk mixture to the designated temperatures because if it's too cold the yeast won't activate and if it's too high it may kill the yeast. In both instances the dough will not rise enough or at all. Also after heating the milk mixture in a microwave, first stir your mixture to ensure an even temperature throughout and then use an instant-read thermometer to check your temp.

2. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl.

3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.
 

4. Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

I love taking pictures of yeast dough because I like to see the transformation of the dough before and after rising. It's just cool to see...
 

For filling:
1. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.
 

 

 

2. Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter.
 

 

 

My kiddos helped with sprinkling of the cinnamon sugar...Which explains why there was so much of it on these rolls. My youngest didn't want to stop  sprinkling and used the entire bowl, patting it down with his hands like he was building a sandcastle. He was so cute. (Here's some pics of my two boys helping, First one of my 7 yr old and the second picture is my 5 yr old.)

To make the heart-shaped rolls:
1. Start at one long side and roll dough about half way and then roll the other side half way meeting the other rolled side.

2. Pinch ends and trim off the end piece.

3. Cut dough crosswise with a sharp knife into 12 equal slices (each about 1" inch wide).

 

4. Spray a 9x12 glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Place rolls on baking dish, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls).
 
5. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

6. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

 

 

For glaze:
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: I substituted the cream cheese with 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt since I didn't have any cream cheese and it was just delicious.