Cooking up some yummy breakfast treats.

EDIT: I baked some of my frozen cookies today. Here's a tip for doing that. When you scoop out your dough to freeze, flatten them slightly so they are more in a disc shape rather than a ball. They will cook from frozen better that way and get cooked all the way through without the bottoms burning first.

I just cooked some sugar cookies and the walnut cranberry ones together. The sugar cookies, which had been flattened first before frozen, got a little brown on the bottom but cooked all the way through with a couple of minutes added to the usual time. The oatmeal cranberry and walnut ones were simple scooped with a cookie scoop and frozen in a ball shape. They got pretty brown on the bottom but not done all the way through. While I like a slightly underbaked cookie, I wouldn't want this to be the only way these will come out. So next time when I freeze my dough, I will flatten the dough balls slightly so they will cook better. Or if you decide that is too much work, simple take the dough out of the freezer first and let thaw slightly before you bake. Just thought you would want to know.

So I hope you all have tried out freezing some stuff to make life a little easier during the busy school year or for any time of the year. I just popped 3 pie plates of cinnamon rolls in the freezer for breakfasts using a couple of great recipes and kitchen helps. First I made up a half batch of no knead whole wheat challah bread dough on Monday afternoon. Maybe it was Sunday afternoon. Anyway, then this morning I dumped it all out onto my silicone baker's mat and rolled the dough out into a large rectangle. Then I mixed up some of my King Arthur cinnamon roll filling mix (it's the best stuff out there although it does contain shortening) and spread it over the dough. Then I rolled the dough up into a pretty long log and then used my hand dandy dental floss to cut it into clean 1 inch slices. I put about 6 rolls in each disposable pie plate that I had sprayed with Baker's Joy and wrapped them well and put them in the freezer. Now all I have to do is take out a batch the night before I want to use them and let them thaw a little on the counter, then refrigerate them overnight. Or just pop them in the fridge right away and then get them out as soon as you wake up the next morning, before you head to the shower and get ready, for them to warm up and rise. If your oven has a warm setting, turn it on pop the rolls in lightly covered with saran wrap and leave the door open. I know it wastes a little electricity but those rolls need to rise. Then after your shower, preheat the oven to 350 F (take the rolls out first if you were using the warm setting) and then bake for 30 min. Whip up some simple icing with confectioner's sugar and milk or cream and drizzle over your hot rolls. Simple, divine and so much better than the mall ones or the pop open can ones and such. They are so yummy. The whole wheat flour in them is nutritious, and you can add in nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc.

Here are links to the recipes I used and for the cookies I made up this weekend and froze already portioned out.

Link to whole wheat challah bread recipe: artisian bread in 5 minutes a day blog

Note: I only made half this recipe and used 1 egg and 1 egg white. I did not use the cranberries and orange zest. I used Smart Balance oil for my oil/fat.

Link to King Arthur baker's cinnamon filling

I used about 1 full cup of the filling and added enough water to make a spreadable schmear/paste. This does contain shortening in it, but it makes such a delish gooey filling and you don't indulge in these much, that I feel it's worth it.

Link to King Arthur silicone baker's mat: great for rolling out doughs with less mess and stick.

Link to Pumpkin cinnamon filled rolls:

Cookie recipes: oatmeal cranberry walnut (use to make all chocolate chip too it's that good), and sugar cookie