north dakota caramel rolls

Stop whatever you are doing and make these right now. I'm not usually this bossy (ok, sometimes I am), but these are just that good.

Caramel rolls are nothing new, but you haven't lived until you've had one from North Dakota. I'm not sure of their origin - maybe a midwestern thing? - but I've only ever had them (or at least had them this good) in North Dakota. In my hometown of Williston, the best ones were at Dakota Farms or Grandma Sharon's. If you didn't get there early, you didn't get one.

The North Dakota caramel (car-mel) roll is light and fluffy in texture, but not excessively tall. They come flat and large. A good one will barely fit on a salad plate. Caramel roll > salad. They are devoid of nuts, light on cinnamon and heavy on soft, creamy caramel. It's decidedly not a cinnamon roll or a sticky bun, which is what you'll find 99% of the time if you order a caramel roll at a bakery or restaurant. Huge disappointment.

This recipe came to my attention via Karen Riekeman - a sweet family friend. I want to say she got it from the North Dakota wheat growers association or something else wheat-related and official like that. I should start telling little stories to go with my recipes. Here is one of my favorites on Karen:

Her husband, my pastor at First Baptist Williston, officiated our wedding. Apparently, he brought a red (I think?) tie to wear. Afraid it would clash with our muted color scheme, Karen made a last minute trip to Walmart (the only shop in town) to get him a tie that would blend in better with our wedding photos. The red really wouldn't have bothered me, but you know you have a good friend when it bothered her!

I've adapted the recipe by using rapid rise yeast (ain't nobody got time for a double rise), doubling the caramel sauce, and a few other little changes here and there. These don't get quite as big as the ones from home, but Grandma Sharon won't share her recipe with me. These come pretty darn close in taste, though!

North Dakota Caramel Rolls

1 pkg rapid rise active dry yeast

½ cup sugar

½ cup shortening

2 cups buttermilk

6 cups bread flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of water. In a large standing mixer, cream sugar and shortening. Add buttermilk, yeast mixture, 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining 4 cups of flour to make a very soft dough (I did this part with my mixer's bread hook). Turn onto a floured surface and knead 4-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you make the caramel sauce. 

Caramel Sauce 

3 cups brown sugar

2 cups heavy cream

2 Tbs light corn syrup

2-4 Tbs butter unsalted butter, softened or melted

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbs white sugar

Combine brown sugar, cream and light corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved & sauce is slightly thickened. Pour caramel sauce in equal amounts in the bottom of two 9x13 pans. [I usually get 12-14 rolls out of one batch. In order to avoid crowding, don't place more than 6-7 rolls in each pan.] 

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a large 10x18 inch rectangle. Spread with the softened butter. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over the dough. Starting with the long side, roll up and press to seal. Cut into 1" thick slices.

Place the rolls on top of the caramel sauce in your 2 pans. Cover with a bread cloth & let rise near your warming oven until doubled in size - about 1-2 hours. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 25-30 minutes. Invert onto platter while rolls are still warm. 

Reheat leftover rolls (leftovers? ha!) in the microwave for 30 seconds. Perfection!

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ate My Cookies

After our holiday open house, I sent some leftover cookies home with our friend Judd. Judd was kind enough to take them off our plate and to his office for sharing. Well, it just so happens that Judd is a clerk for Chief Justice Roberts - who apparently has quite the sweet tooth. This is what Judd sent me the next day:

"The cookies were a smash hit. I put all of them out on a plate in the main chambers, and by the end of the day they were completely gone. I think I might get fired if I told you how many the Chief ate, but suffice it to say, he very much appreciated them."

Needless to say, this made my day (if not my entire life). So without further adieu, here is the recipe for one of the cookie varieties I shared with Judd. I am now calling these Supreme Court Cookies.

Supreme Court Cookies (Previously known as Chocolate Kiss Cookies)

1-1/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
2 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar (for rolling)
1 pkg. chocolate kisses
1.  Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

2.  Cream together shortening, peanut butter, 1/2 cup white sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Chill.

3.  Using a teaspoon, shape into balls.  Roll balls in 1/2 cup white sugar and place on ungreased baking sheet.

4.  Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and press 1 chocolate kiss on each cookie, pressing down until cookie cracks around edges.

5.  Bake another 3-5 minutes.

Many thanks to Dorry Evitt, who is responsible for this recipe (and almost every cookie recipe) in my recipe box. :)

Peppermint Pound Cake

The photo doesn't do this cake justice.
That's what happens when I hurriedly pour on glaze and snap a quick iPhone photo.

I love pound cake, and I like peppermint, but I can only eat so many candy canes before I'm ready for something with butter in it. I had medium expectations for this recipe. I thought it would look awesome and taste pretty good. Turns out, it looked pretty good, but tasted awesome. It's a combination of two recipes - Smitten Kitchen's cream cheese pound cake, my favorite pound cake recipe, and Nancy Creative's peppermint glaze, where I got the idea in the first place.

Peppermint Pound Cake

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peppermint extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (300 if baking on a convection setting - my oven is confection only). Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating on high for 5 minutes or  until light and airy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and peppermint extract. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix after adding the flour. If your cake falls in the middle after it's baked - this could be one culprit. I've learned this lesson the hard way. :)

Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. My cake always takes longer, but it may just be my oven.

Note: Pound cakes freeze really well. I made this a week before the party. I defrosted it overnight in the fridge and then at room temperature the day of the party.

Creamy Peppermint Glaze

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup marshmallow creme (half of a 7 oz jar)
2 cups powder sugar
5 Tbs milk (I used skim)
1 tsp. peppermint extract

Mix butter, marshmallow creme and extract until well blended. Add powder sugar 1 cup at a time and mix well after each addition. Add milk and mix until the glaze is smooth and creamy. Just before serving, pour over cake and top with crushed candy canes.

Tip: My leftover cake has been sitting on the counter for 3 days now and the glaze still looks and tastes good. I suspect you could get away with glazing your cake well before serving. My cake probably would have looked nicer had I not waited until I was rushed at the last minute to do the glazing.