Morning Meanderings… Pumpkin Rolls and Candied Pretzels

Author’s note:  I started writing this post on Wednesday morning… while making a pear french toast bake for our office brunch party, trying to get the car loaded with the punkin rolls, white elephant gift, and pretzels, as well as get myself ready… I had to forfeit the post and RUN!  Now… here it is a day late…. but I think worthy.  😀

Good morning!  Flying by the seat of my pants here – I have my Pear French Toast bake in the over and am waiting for it to be done so  can take off for our office party this morning.  We are doing a breakfast brunch theme and yes, another White Elephant gift exchange (this will be my 4th this year – see Mondays post for more details on this 😀 )

Monday after working and shopping I was home at 4:00 pm and started cooking – 10 pumpkin rolls.  Yes…. TEN.  😯  Always the optimistic, I tend to forget how much time things can take and about 10:30 last night… back aching, kitchen a mess, but happy as I was listening to Hunger Games on audio for most of my baking time…

I finished.

I think they look good and that is what I am giving my co workers this year.  That, and two coated pretzel rods which I worked on when my oven was full of pumpkin loafs a baking.

I had first learned how to make a pumpkin loaf back when I worked at Wal-Mart.  One of the guys there was wonderful at making these and every Christmas we could order them.  When I left Wal-Mart, he gave me his recipe.  Now here it is for you:

Pumpkin Rolls

you will need:

3 eggs

2/3 cup pumpkin (from a can)

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp butter

1 8 oz package of softened cream cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle walnuts evenly on top.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.
4. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.
5. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

So delicious!  I used these for office gift giving.  They also freeze well. 

Then for fun, I made some candied pretzel rods.  I melted chocolate, white almond bark, and caramel.  I alternated between dipping in chocolate or almond bark, adding caramel, or rolling in crushed candy cane or crushed  Reese’s Pieces. 

 

 

In bookish news… I just finished Hunger Games on audio last night… awesome!  AND I am about half way through the Christmas Cookie Club which is honestly… giving me ideas…. 😀