By Nicole

I like cinnamon buns and cinnamon-bun related goodies, such as donuts topped with cinnamon sugar and yeasted coffee cakes with a cinnamon streusel topping. Who doesn’t? Naturally, I had to pick up a container of the new Cinnamon Bun Oreos after I heard that they were being released as a new cookie flavor this month. The sandwiches are made with cinnamon cookies and are filled with a cinnamon bun-flavored creme filling.

You can smell the cinnamon as soon as you open the package. The cookies look similar to golden Oreos, but are flecked with darker bits of cinnamon that hint at that flavor. They are crisp and have a nice balance of both vanilla and cinnamon notes. The creme filling also has an element of cinnamon to it, along with a touch of creamy vanilla and sugar. The combination is reminiscent of a cinnamon bun, but a cinnamon bun that uses a classic confectioners’ sugar glaze, rather than a cream cheese frosting. They’re delicious with coffee – much like regular cinnamon buns are.

While I think that these would also be good with a creme cheese filling, the reason that these cookies are so tasty is the crispy cookie part of the sandwich. Adding cinnamon to the cookies really pops those warm spice flavors and sets this cookie apart from other flavors Oreos and other cinnamon cookies. I should also note that the cinnamon flavor is so well designed that these cookies (unlike some other special edition Oreos) don’t feel like a gimmick instead of a well-designed new cookie. Try incorporating some of these cookies into your next batch of cookies n’ cream ice cream or into any other cookies n’ cream treat for a spiced up treat

Source: Baking Bites

By Nicole

I just might be addicted to these easy-to-make Cinnamon Sugar Knots. The bread knots start out with homemade pizza dough, which is generously doused with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar before serving. You can find similar rolls served at some pizzerias, as it is a great way to use up leftover dough, but you can’t beat a homemade batch that is fresh from the oven.

The dough for this bread is easy to put together and can be made either in a stand mixer or by hand. The dough has a hint of cinnamon and sugar in it, but is a relatively plain dough and makes a great base for the buttery topping. The dough should be allowed to rise, then you can roll it out into thin ropes and twist them to form palm-sized knots. The knot shape is not only attractive to look at, but it traps the topping of butter and sugar that is added to the rolls before serving. The fluffy finished knots are taste a bit like churros or sugar-topped donuts, but require no frying.

If you find that you are pressed for time, you can make these knots with pre-made pizza dough. To use it, simply let the dough come to room temperature and then cut it up and roll it out to form the knots. You might get slightly more or less than my recipe will produce, depending on the size of the dough you are using. While I did add a bit of cinnamon to my dough, it isn’t necessary to get good results from these, so don’t worry about it if you’re opting for premade dough.

Serve these warm from the oven and eat them as-is, or with a side of cream cheese frosting.

Cinnamon Sugar Knots
3/4 cup water, warm (100-110F)
2 1/2 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt

Topping
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar + 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast and sugar. Stir and allow to stand for 5 minutes, until mixture is foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast mixture with remaining water, flour, vegetable oil and cinnamon. Mix with a paddle attachment until dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. If the dough seems extremely wet, add in an additional tablespoon of flour. Turn mixer up to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes. (This can be done by hand with a wooden spoon and a little bit of elbow grease).
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375F.
On a lightly floured surface, gently deflate the dough. Cut into 8 even pieces and roll each out into a log about 12-inches long. Divide each of the long logs in half using a knife and twist each (make a loop and pull the ends through) into a knot.
Arrange knots on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush knots with a small amount of melted butter and allow to rise for 15-20 minutes, until slightly risen.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
As soon as you take the knots out of the oven, brush them with the remaining melted butter and generously sprinkle them with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Makes 16.

Source: Baking Bites