Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

My love affair with the Pillsbury Doughboy began many years ago when I was still a child. As you may have deduced from the title of my blog, my father was a baker. For a time, he was the proud owner of the Seymour Bakery, right dab in the middle of Main Street in the small town of Seymour, Wisconsin (nowadays, Seymour is known as “the home of the hamburger”, but that’s the topic for a whole other blog). In those days, Pillsbury had a wholesale division dedicated to supplying bakeries with flour and other everyday necessities and my father was one of their happy customers. It was because of his association with Pillsbury, that he somehow got his hands on a rather large, mechanical Doughboy, which sat for a time in a prominent spot in the bakery’s display window. Daddy hired someone out of Green Bay to change the displays seasonally. There was always some sort of mechanical doll swaying to and fro, making music and promoting whatever holiday was forthcoming. The Doughboy, though, was special. There he was, with that huge grin on his face and, about every minute or so, he would poke himself in the belly and let loose with the famous giggle—Hoo!Hoo! I loved him….

Throughout the years, I was in touch with the Doughboy off and on. In college, my roommate’s mother would bring us wonderful treats that happened to be Pillsbury Bake-Off® specialties. It took me several years to finally figure out that the Banana Crunch Cake that she made (and I adored) was actually a $25,000 winner from the 24th Bake-Off® in 1973. When I was finally on my own and had to make my own treats, the Doughboy was there for me again with those convenient crescent rolls, pie crusts, cinnamon rolls and, as always, the easy recipes that came out of the Bake-Off®.

Flash forward to 2010 and the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® is almost upon us. This year, I have been honored to have my recipe--Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter-- chosen to compete with 99 others in Orlando, Florida on April 12. I have had the opportunity (thanks to the wonder that is the Internet) to befriend many of the other contestants---such a great group of people! The competition will be fierce, but I’m happy with my creation. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking it’s the year of the Million Dollar Waffle…..

You can find a printable version of the recipe right here: Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

We start by mixing up some butter, honey and cinnamon. This will top off your finished waffles with just the right amount of sweetness. I'm certain that if you would rather top your waffles with some sliced bananas and some whipped cream, that would be OK, too. Or maybe some butter pecan ice cream? Oh, the possibilities.....

Next we'll just break some Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough (cookie dough! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?) up into a nice large bowl, add a couple of eggs and beat it until it's smooth. Then we'll add a little vanilla and some light cream and mix until we have a thin batter. Earlier, I had toasted some pecans---we'll toss some of those in the mix, too. 

Just for the occasion, I splurged and bought an obscenely expensive waffle maker. If ever there was a time for an expensive waffle maker in my life, it is now. This baby weighs a ton and blew a fuse in the kitchen last night, but it sure does put out a nice waffle. The funny thing is, this recipe turns out good in my $9.99 machine, too....

And there you have it! Topped with the sweet honey-cinnamon butter and some toasted pecans....I may have to go whip up another batch right now....

"Mamma Mia" Ravioli Bites

I promised I was going to try some more of the finalist’s recipes from the Pillsbury Bake-Off® and I finally found the chance. My dinner club meets tomorrow night and I get to bring the appetizer. There were so many to pick from (I still plan on trying out a few more), but I ended up choosing these succulent Ravioli Bites created by my friend JoAnn Belack. I am very glad I did. Really, how can you go wrong with three kinds of cheese, fresh basil, salami and sundried tomatoes all cooked up in a tasty little crescent basket? Aren’t they about the cutest things you ever saw? Take it from me; they are as tasty as they look!

Here is a link to this delicious easy-to-make recipe:

"Mamma Mia" Ravioli Bites

Just add all of the filling ingredients together and stir....

I used a pizza cutter to cut the crescent dough. Don't you love how it comes in one long roll now? No more pressing together the seams.

Just fill the little crescent baskets with the cheese mixture and pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes.

I told you they were cute! Stay tuned for more Bake-Off® recipes....next up will be my very own Pecan Cookie Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter.

Million Dollar Peanut Butter Cookies

Since the Pillsbury Bake-Off® has been such a big part of my life lately, I’ve decided to make a few of the finalist’s recipes. Before I do that, though, we are going to go back to the last Bake-Off®, in 2008, and get a little inspiration from the winning recipe, Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies.

Now I remember when this cookie won, it got a lot of flack. A million dollars for a peanut butter cookie? How could that be? Well, I am here to tell you that that cookie is worth every dime. It is genius---a crunchy peanut butter cookie with a creamy filling, rolled in cinnamon sugar. The only problem is that I can’t always find the refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough at the store. So leave it to me to make an easy recipe more complicated. Here is my version of Carolyn Gurtz’s Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies:

Million Dollar Peanut Butter Cookies
Printable Recipe
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter

Cookies:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375º F.  In small bowl mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside (The original recipe has chopped peanuts--I omitted those.)

In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into a log. Cut log into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; set aside.

Forming a "log" and cutting it into 24 pieces makes it easier to end up with the right amount.

It looks a little like peanut butter fudge, doesn't it?

Cream together the shortening, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the peanut butter mixture. Roll dough into a log (like the refrigerated dough--it works, I'm telling ya).

You can refrigerate the "log" if you want the dough to be a little more firm. I find that this recipe isn't real sticky, so I don't.

Cut the roll of cookie dough into 12 pieces, then cut each piece in half. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.

Carefully shape the dough around the peanut butter filling. Don't squish it too much or you won't get the nice creamy center.

Roll each covered ball in cinnamon/sugar mixture, covering completely. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Using a drinking glass, flatten each ball to 1/2 inch thickness with bottom of the glass. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon/sugar over the tops of cookies.

Again, don't press down too hard or the center will become one with the dough--you won't get the creaminess.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.

Whether you make these from scratch or with the refrigerated dough, be prepared to hand out copies of the recipe---people love 'em!