Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (No Yeast)

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You don’t have to choose between popping open a can or spending half your day tending to dough. Packed with gooey filling, smothered in rich glaze, and made without yeast, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls can be ready to enjoy in under an hour.

You don't have to choose between popping open a can or spending half your day tending to dough. Packed with gooey filling, smothered in rich glaze, and made without yeast, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are ready to enjoy in under an hour.

I recently heard the period of April and May described as the Christmas season’s slightly less hyper sister. It’s true, y’all. Even without the insane busyness of wrapping up the time-consuming project for the capstone class of my Masters degree, we’ve still got T-ball games, science fairs, awards days, state tests, and more. I don’t mind being busy, but I don’t like when that busyness keeps me from doing something I love — baking.

I realized last Sunday morning that I hadn’t made a new recipe in quite some time. My kitchen is my happy place, so of course that realization got me thinking about what I could whip up to share with my Sunday school classmates at church. These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls were the clear winner. Because they lack yeast and don’t require rising time, they’re super easy to make in just a couple hours.

I used my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer to stir and knead the dough, but it can be done by hand, too. With a straightforward filling and a two-ingredient glaze, this recipe is easier to make than you probably thought Homemade Cinnamon Rolls could be. They’re perfect for lazy Saturday mornings or special occasion brunches.

You don't have to choose between popping open a can or spending half your day tending to dough. Packed with gooey filling, smothered in rich glaze, and made without yeast, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are ready to enjoy in under an hour.

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Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

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Bringing all the classic flavors without the time or effort of making real dough, cinnamon roll cupcakes are the perfect rich, decadent addition to any celebration.

Bringing all the classic flavors without the time or effort of making real dough, cinnamon roll cupcakes are the perfect rich, decadent addition to any celebration.

Last month I was tasked with making the cake for my grandmother’s- Granny’s- birthday party. When I asked her what she thought she wanted, she said, “Surprise me.” I was excited by the freedom she gave me, but at the same time, having no parameters made choosing flavors difficult.

I was playing around with the idea of churro or snickerdoodle cupcakes when it hit me: I already had the perfect recipe inspiration on the blog. If you’ve not yet had cinnamon roll bars, you must make them soon. They’re thick and chewy and smothered with a generous layer of homemade cream cheese frosting. The recipe manages to bring all the classic drool-worthy cinnamon roll flavors and pack them into a simple-to-make bar.

And they’re the inspiration for this equally delectable cupcake.

Cinnamon roll cupcakes deliver the warm, comforting flavors of the classic, but without the pain of baking with yeast and rolling out dough. In fact, they start with a boxed cake mix; can you get any easier than that? The thick batter is portioned into cupcake liners, baked and cooled, and topped with a smooth and rich cream cheese frosting.

Bringing all the classic flavors without the time or effort of making real dough, cinnamon roll cupcakes are the perfect rich, decadent addition to any celebration.

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Cinnamon Roll Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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(this isn’t a sponsored post; I just really love this product)

Pillsbury Traditional Yellow Cake Mix gets a boost with cinnamon and brown sugar. They’re baked until chewy, and then spread with a thick layer of icing for cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting.

Pillsbury Traditional Yellow Cake Mix gets a boost with cinnamon and brown sugar. They're baked until chewy, and then spread with a thick layer of icing for cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting.

Who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls? I know I do, and I even make them on occasion. I’m not afraid to work with yeast and there’s just something about a warm homemade cinnamon roll that defies description.

But this is real life. Sometimes it’s 10 p.m. and you remember, as you’re about to climb into bed, that you promised a group of students you’d feed them at your 7:30 a.m. meeting. And since cinnamon rolls are certainly not happening, you rack your brain for a simpler solution. Something mouth-watering, yes, but something that comes together quickly.

That’s where these cinnamon roll bars come in. The base is Traditional Yellow Cake Mix, so it doesn’t take too many more ingredients for the bars to come together. As soon as you open the bag of cake mix, you’re hit with its rich vanilla-y smell. By the time you add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and other ingredients, your whole kitchen smells like a decadent cinnamon roll.

As I put the bars in the oven, J walked in the kitchen and said, “That smells so good; what did you make?” He was surprised I hadn’t baked anything yet because the kitchen smelled that good. And by the time I pulled the cinnamon roll bars out of the oven, the whole house smelled like cinnamon and sugar.

Sure, you could make this recipe from scratch, but the Pillsbury Traditional Yellow Cake Mix does all the work for you. It delivers deep flavors while doing most of the hard work for you. You get the convenience of a boxed mix with the ability to transform it into something entirely your own.

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Easy Fall Stovetop Potpourri

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No messy wax or canned smells here. Just a few easy ingredients and a house filled with the crisp fragrance of fall.

No messy wax or canned smells here. Just a few easy ingredients and a house filled with the crisp fragrance of fall.

Stovetop potpourri is one of the prevailing smells of my childhood. I have vivid memories of walking in the door from school and being greeted by the divine scent of simmering cinnamon and fragrant apples.

For the longest time, the moment when I pushed the door open was bittersweet. The potpourri smelled, misleadingly, like delicious baked goods. It was a disappointing thing to realize there were no sweet treats available.

My love of all things autumn grew as I got older. I began to appreciate this easy fall stovetop potpourri for what it is: a creative, economical way to bring your favorite fall scents inside, minus the additives and chemicals of candles and room sprays.

With this potpourri, you don’t have to change wax cubes or make sure you have obscure ingredients on hand. All you need is two minutes and a few pantry staples, and you’re on your way to having a home that smells unmistakably like fall.

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quick and easy cinnamon roll bread

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Sweet quick bread is topped with rich brown sugar cinnamon swirl & drizzled with sweet powdered sugar icing; classic cinnamon roll flavors without the work. Cinnamon roll bread is a quicker, lighter, healthier alternative to traditional cinnamon rolls. No yeast required- it's so easy! It’s no secret that I love an easy take on a classic cinnamon roll. My cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting are one of my favorite treats. They’re dense and chewy and smothered in a decadent amount of fluffy frosting. Sometimes, though, I want something a little lighter, both in calories and in texture. When I do, I make this cinnamon roll bread. It’s a light bread with a touch of cinnamon and a rich brown sugar cinnamon swirl. Instead of traditional cream cheese frosting, it’s topped with a powdered sugar glaze. While I wouldn’t try to classify this bread as healthy, it is much lighter than most alternatives. The bread itself contains no butter or oil; it uses plain Greek yogurt and just a half cup of sugar. The ribbon of rich cinnamon and brown sugar adds just the right level of sweetness without overpowering the subtle flavor of the bread. And then- because, let’s be real, we can’t call it cinnamon roll anything without frosting- the whole thing is drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze. Cinnamon roll bread is a quicker, lighter, healthier alternative to traditional cinnamon rolls. No yeast required- it's so easy! [Read more…]