Sunday, July 1, 2012

Recipe: Brighten Up Your Weekend With a Batch of My Favorite Cinnamon Balls!

favorite Cinnamon Balls.jpeg
My Favorite Cinnamon Balls


What I have to share with you today is simply delicious and on the economical side with these cinnamon balls.  This recipe uses a yeast-raised sweet dough that you later shape into little balls before rolling into a sugar-cinnamon mix.

I like to make my balls no bigger than the size of a walnut.  Otherwise, you could end up with cinnamon rolls instead of balls.

My recipe makes enough to put away in the freezer so you can have some goodies on hand for another time.

My Favorite Cinnamon Balls

4-1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 packages of dry yeast
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of warm water
1/4 cup of canola oil or melted margarine (not spread)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Sugar-Cinnamon Topping:

1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon


Dissolve the yeast in the very warm water (not hot) with the teaspoon of sugar.  The sugar feeds the yeast and will make it bubble up much faster.  When it starts foaming, add the yeast to a large mixing bowl with two cups of flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, heat milk and butter or oil until warm (not hot) and then slowly add to the mixing bowl. Beat with your electric mixer until well combined.

Add the eggs along with the vanilla to your flour mixture and beat in one at a time next.

Gradually add more flour and beat by hand until you form soft, pliable dough.   You may need more or less depending on the weather, which does affect dough. 

I knead this in my large mixing bowl until it feels non-sticky before shaping into a round ball.  Cover.

Let this dough grow for about 1-1/2 hours before shaping again into little balls about the size of a walnut. 

Roll them in the sugar-cinnamon mix and place on greased cookie sheets.  Grow them until the balls double in size (about 1 hour) before baking at 400-degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom.

ENJOY!