Butter Crescent Rolls

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
2 1/4-oz envelopes active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine yeast and warm water in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine yeast mixture, sugar, and next 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add 2 cups flour, stirring well. Gradually stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead 3 or 4 times. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down, and divide into thirds; shape each portion into a ball. Roll each ball into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface; spread with softened butter. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting with wide end; place rolls, point side down, on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden. Brush the rolls with additional melted butter, if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I did use bread machine yeast (quick-rise) so feel free to substitute that if you like!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Oh man, thumbs up!! I make crescent rolls in the bread machine frequently but I've had this recipe in my "queue" for ages and I just wanted to try it. Honestly, I probably won't use my bread machine recipe ever again. These were SO. GOOD. I know they don't look professional but they were big and thick and YUMMY! I barely snapped this picture of the three remaining (from the 15 or so I'd made so far!) before my hubby gobbled them down! Seriously great recipe and easy enough for anyone to do!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

From: Here

Ingredients:
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 (10 oz) cans crescent rolls
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (for sprinkling)
1 (12 oz) can of Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 dish and set it aside. Peel, core and slice apples. Unroll crescent rolls. Take one crescent roll and place one piece of apple at the bottom of the triangle. Roll up, enclosing the sides. Make sure the apple is completely sealed and enclosed. Continue doing this - if your apple slices are small, put a couple in. If your slices are too large you can cut them to size. Place dumplings in your pan. Make your sauce by combining butter, sugars, and vanilla in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a slight boil. Pour sauce over dumplings. Add Mountain Dew to the sides. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.


What I did differently about this recipe:
I ended up only needing about 1 1/2 apples - I don't know if they were just really large or if my crescent rolls were on the small side because they were the Walmart brand. Also, I only used about half a can of Mountain Dew in the end because it seemed like there was a lot of liquid.

What I'll do differently next time:
Just the same things I did this time.

Verdict:
BIG thumbs up! We have a friend at church that makes apple dumplings all the time and his are the absolute best. So for me to say that I think these outshine his recipe is huge. Although there seemed to be a lot of liquid the dumplings were just crisp enough and not soggy, which is what I was afraid of. Not too sweet so I was able to have three and never heard any complaints from my sensitive teeth. :) I will definitely be making these again in the future!!

Crescent Rolls

From: Bread Maker's Cookbook

Ingredients:
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp water, 80 degrees
3 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp dry milk
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces
2 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp fast rise yeast


Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually liquid first, then dry ingredients, then butter around the sides, and yeast in a well in the middle). Cook on your bread machine's dough cycle. When it's done, pull it out and let it rest on a floured surface for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle 1/4-inch thick. Cut each circle into 6 pie shaped wedges. Roll each wedge from wide end to narrow tip. Curve ends to form crescent. Place on greased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes to one hour. Brush with butter and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

What I did differently from this recipe:
Well, first of all I am not gifted enough to know how to "curve ends to form crescent", but I am gifted enough to realize that does not affect the taste! So I didn't do that!

What I'll do differently next time:
I used yeast that expired about a month ago. I've been using it and it was fine, but for the dough, I think I should have used new yeast. The rolls didn't quite rise as high as I'd like them too, but they were still delicious.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! See ya later, Pillsbury! I thought these were great, and between myself and Brianna (2 years old) we ate probably 7 or 8, plus a couple of dinner rolls that I made just for funsies. What can I say, we like bread! I'll definitely be making these again! Oh yes, and I do realize they don't exactly look like Pillsbury, but you know what... that's okay!

Baked Crescent Churros

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 375. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press each to 6x4-inch rectangle, pressing perforations to seal.

Brush tops of 2 rectangles with some of the melted butter; sprinkle with about half of the sugar mixture. Top each with remaining rectangle; press edges lightly. Brush tops with melted butter.

With sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle stack lengthwise into 6 strips. Twist each strip 3 times; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Brush tops with any remaining melted butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Not much. I used a smaller can of crescent rolls because there are only two of us (eating solid foods) and we just wanted a light dessert. I didn't measure out the amount of cinnamon and sugar I used because I have a jar of cinnamon sugar on hand and I just poured it on there. In my opinion, you can't overdo the cinnamon sugar.

What I'll do differently next time:
More cinnamon sugar! I STILL didn't use enough! I'd sprinkle more on the outside as well.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Too easy and a very light dessert or fast breakfast idea. I have a really good recipe somewhere for a sugar dip (like Domino's has for their CinnaSticks) and if I find that I'll post it to go with these. But don't be fooled, these are definitely "crescent churros", not churros from a vendor in New York. But they'll do.