bonus recipe for caramel cinnamon rolls
plus a LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS EVE FLASH SALE!
happy christmas, y’all!
after i send this email, i am going to dramatically slam my computer closed and lock it in a cabinet until december 26th.
but before i go, i’ve got a few special christmas eve treats to share.
first, lemme help ya out with a few last minute christmas ideas that won’t look like last minute christmas ideas.
second, i’m going to make you look like a complete bada$$ with my nutty caramel cinnamon roll recipe for christmas morning. no yeast required - just grab a can of crescent rolls and let ‘er rip. takes about 15 minutes to throw them together the night before or morning of, then just bake in time for presents!
WHAT TO COOK IS $30 FOR ONE DAY ONLY
if you haven’t bought what to cook for yourself yet, join the 500+ people who have, and do it TODAY WHILE IT’S ON SALE FOR ONLY $30 FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. it’s normally $35 annually, or $5/month ($60).
ORRRR… maybe you see a present from your sister under the tree even though you guys promised you wouldn’t do presents this year? buy it for her! does your babysitter love to cook? she needs it! forgot to get your kids’ teachers a gift? they’ll never know you forgot when they get a what to cook giftcard in their inbox tomorrow! mom deserves more than just a robe this year, help her figure out what to cook when she doesn’t feel like cooking!
print out this gift card so that you have something to put under the tree / in their stocking
and now, nutty caramel cinnamon rolls:
the inspiration for this recipe came via my cousin marlea, via her friend, via her mom margi oehmig in chattanooga, tennessee, via a cookbook called “dinner on the diner”.
i changed very little, but in typical *me* fashion, i made it a one-skillet situation, because who needs an extra dish to clean up on christmas morning?
i bet you already have all of the ingredients you need, other than the crescent rolls. they’re sticky, sweet, puffy, pull-apart-y, look insanely impressive, and take so little time to throw together. get in there!
nutty caramel cinnamon rolls
makes 16 medium or 32 little rolls
Tools:
10-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron)
Chef’s knife
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped nuts (any kind! mix and match! pistachios! pecans! i used hazelnuts bc they’ve been in my pantry for like 4 years and i want them gone!)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temp, divided
1 cup brown sugar, divided
3 tablespoons water
1 (12 ounce) this is preferred if you can find or 2 (8-ounce) cans crescent rolls
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375°F.
If your nuts aren’t toasted, toast 1/2 cup nuts in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned. Add 4 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir to combine and cook until bubbling and thickened, about 5 minutes. It won’t get completely caramel-thick, but will be about the consistency of maple syrup. Remove skillet from heat.
Meanwhile, bust open the can or cans of crescent rolls (does this scare anyone else?), and carefully roll them out, leaving them attached, onto a lightly floured surface. Use your fingers to smoosh the perforated lines together to create two big rectangles. Now sprinkle a bit of flour over top and use a rolling pin or, if you’re like me, a bourbon or wine bottle, to roll the dough out into a slightly larger rectangle(s) You might have to smoosh the triangles back together.
Stir together the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Spread the butter mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/4-inch of space on all sides. Roll up the dough from the long side, like a jelly roll. It’s ok if the triangles keep trying to break apart, just smoosh them back together as you go. If you used a 12-ounce can of rolls, cut it into 16 1-inch wide slices. If you used 2 8-ounce cans of rolls, cut 32 rolls total.
Place the rolls in the skillet, cut-side down, with just a tiny bit of space between them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown.
Once the caramel stops bubbling (1 to 2 minutes) place a platter or large plate over top of the skillet, then flip the skillet and plate over to invert the rolls. Slowly pull the skillet away so that the rolls and the caramel sauce drop down onto the plate. If a roll sticks, don’t worry! Just use a butter knife to dislodge it and carry on.
Spoon any caramel sauce that remains in the skillet over top the rolls and DEVOUR!
link to printer version
Notes:
To bake the next day, just cover tightly with plastic wrap and bake as directed. The sugar will look crystallized and weird - don’t worry - that’s normal, it’ll melt back into a caramel!
I am 99.99% sure you could use heavy cream instead of water to make the caramel, but I didn’t test it!
Try this trick to chop your nuts without having them fly all over the place: measure a heaping the 1/2 cup of nuts and place them directly in the skillet. Take the bottom of a glass or bowl and smash the nuts by applying firm pressure down on them (not whacking them - then they’ll fly!).
Small tip: Pillsbury makes crescent sheets now, so you don’t have to smoosh the triangles together. They’re in the same cylindrical cans as the regular crescents.
Hi! I made the caramel three times and it kept breaking on me, sort of clumping into sugar separated from the rest, finally I thought I got it but when I turned the rolls out, it was clumpy sugar on the bottom, not caramel. I’m sure it’ll be good but I’m not sure what I did wrong! Ha! Luckily no one will mind.