Just Baking

As sorely tempted as I was to bake my heart out in the form of holiday cookies, time simply slipped away while I wasn’t looking, leaving me to watch on in green-eyed envy as everyone else I knew pull tray after tray of golden dough from their ovens. Besides the time commitment involved, I couldn’t for the life of me narrow down the winding list of possible treats to include in a platter. Sugar cookies, thumb prints, biscotti, shortbread, gingersnaps - Seriously people, how do you make a decision here? Still, there were sweet gifts to be made for friends and family, and so a day before the appointed exchange, it seemed inevitable that an untraditional approach would be in the cards. I could only hope that the recipients would still appreciate my offering of…

Cinnamon buns.

Just think about that for a moment: Soft and warm from the oven, cinnamon and sugar rolled into every fold of tender dough, drizzled with an ample amount of maple icing. What’s not to love? A delicious indulgence appropriate for the season, I could think of nothing more comforting than a pan of these delectable buns, fully baked and ready to be devoured after just a hot minute of micro-love.

I must admit though, a certain blog post that happened to pass through my radar was quite an inspiration for this gift, so I can hardly take credit for it. Easily veganized, slapped together with such ease that the most difficult step is waiting for the dough to rise, it was one lucky find. In no time at all, I had seven decorative pans filled to the brim with plump rolls… And I have to say, there weren’t too many protest to be heard when those cinnamon buns were distributed into the hands of loved ones. Truly, the gift that keeps on giving is one that is both a treat for the baker and the partaker!

So in case you’d like to start a new tradition for next year, click on over to BitterSweet for the recipe with all of my changes and substitutions included. I must warn you however- This makes a lot of cinnamon buns, so unless you have a good amount of people on your “nice” list or a house full of hungry guests, you might just end up eating an unreasonable number of those addictive rolls yourself.

[Written for BitterSweet and the Well Fed Network. Please do not use elsewhere without permission.]