The cinnamon rolls I grew up on were not the yeasty kind that you will find in shopping malls, and airport kiosks. They were quick and easy, from scratch and delicious. In fact I have always thought they were a bazillion times more delicious than any you can buy.
My mother used to use biscuit dough, slather it with soft butter, sprinkle on cinamon sugar and then roll it up, cutting it into slices and baking them until they were crisp and golden brown. Easy peasy and done in half an hour.
Sometimes she would add raisins. There was never any icing. We didn't mind in the least. These were a rare treat and we treated them as such!
I used to make them for my children also, as a bedtime snack every now and then. They loved them. I never iced them either. The idea of icing them never occured to me really. They loved them just as they were, and I always popped in plenty of raisins and sometimes chopped nuts. Once in a blue moon, maybe chocolate chips.
To this day I prefer these "Quick" bread, biscuit dough, cinnamon rolls more than any other kind.
We are all staying in now. We are living in perilous times. Who would have thunk it . . . this life we are living at the moment is the stuff of "disaster movies." Something which we have enjoyed being enertained by, but never with the concept that it could really happen to us. If we are waiting for Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone or Batman to swoop in and save the day . . . we are in for a big disappointment.
Somehow when this is actually happening in real life, to the whole world, and to you . . . that takes the fun out of it. It is no longer entertainment. Its very real and not in the least fun to watch, or experience or even think about.
We have not been out of our house in four weeks now. And I am sure there are many of you out there experiencing the same. It stopped being fun on the first day. If anyone deserves a treat WE do!
These Cinnamon Roll Waffles are a treat that many of us can enjoy, even the cook! They are simple, quick, easy and delicious.
They are a tasty "riff" on my mother's cinnamon rolls of old. Baked in an electric waffle iron, until the edges are all moreishly crisp . . . and riddled with the flavour of plenty cinnamon butter
With crisp little dimples, just perfect for hugging that sweet vanilla glaze . . .
You could of course double the recipe, making an even dozen, but I can promise you that the six are plenty satisfying . . . as satisfying a treat that ever was and it won't use up too much of your flour.
Mom used shortening in her dough. I use butter which makes them incredibly flaky and just rich enough to wake you up in the middle of the night, still thinking about them . . .
These are the perfect treat for young and old alike. As comfortable with ice cold glasses of milk as they are with hot cuppas . . .
The recipe uses only 1 cup of your precious flour. (I don't know about you, but my flour has become precious now.) Not a lot of sugar . . . and yes butter both in the dough and the filling . . .
But this is meant to be a treat. Something to help divert our attention away from what's happening all around us at the moment. I have stopped listening to the news, except for a brief cursory listen in the morning. Its wise to stay informed, but not wise to drown in it.
We will get through this to the other end. I have no doubt. It might take some time, but along the way we can enjoy things like this, which will help to make our days a little bit sweeter.
My waffle baker makes heart shaped waffles. These waffles were perfect broke into four at their natural creases . . . which made them the perfect size for dunking.
Yield: 6
Easy Cinnamon Roll Waffles
Golden brown and crusty outside, meltingly tender inside, riddled with cinnamon and sweetly glazed. What's not to like! You will need an electric waffle iron for these.
Ingredients:
- 140g plain flour (1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 TBS sugar
- 2 ounces cold butter cut into bits (1/4 cup)
- 80ml whole milk (1/3 cup)
For the cinnamon filling:
- 2 ounces butter softened (1/4 cup)
- 3 TBS sugar
- 1 TBS ground cinnamon (can use less, it all depends on your love of cinnamon)
For the glaze:
- 65g icing sugar (1/2 cup)
- few drops vanilla
- milk to thin
Instructions:
How to cook Easy Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together in a bowl. Drop in the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk all at once and stur just until the dough forms a ball around the fork. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 14 times. Roll out to a rectangle about 6 inches wide and 9 inches long, and about 1/3 of an inch thick.
- Cream together the butter, sugar and ground cinnamon. Spread this thickly over the rolled out dough to cover. Roll the dough up tightly from one long edge to the other. Using a sharp knife cut into 6 (1 1/2-inch thick) slices crosswise.
- Heat your waffle iron. Working with one slice at a time, place the slices into the waffle iron and press down. Leave to bake for 4 to 5 minutes at which time they should be golden brown, crisp on the edges and cooked through. Remove and keep warm while you bake the remainig ones.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk to give you a thickish drizzle icing. Drizzle this over the warm waffles. These are fantastic served warm or cold.
Please stay safe. Stay home if you can, as much as possible. Don't take any chances when you are out and about. My prayers are with the world. I might not be able to do much in the scheme of things, but if I can stay home, help to keep this horrible virus from spreading unecessarily, and introduce you to yum yums to help to pass the time, stretch your food cupboard and bring a bit of joy in the process, then that's my goal.
NOTE: An easy way to clean your waffle iron is to take two fairly wet pieces of paper towel and place them into the waffle while it is still fairly hot. Let it sit while you are enjoying your waffles and then when you are done, it will have steamed anything that might be stuck away from the iron and you can simply wipe them clean.
