A Chameleon Recipe

I know you all are probably as busy as I am. I bet some of you are baking and will or already have family visiting... so I chose to share a recipe today. This was my grandmother's recipe and it's now mine. I can't tell you how many compliments I get on this recipe. I've increased the sugar amount since I got it. It makes a nice sweet roll.

Sweet Refrigerator Rolls

• 1 cup of shortening
• 1 cup and 3 level tbs. of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of lukewarm water
• 2 pkgs. of highly active yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 7 cups of all purpose flour

Dissolve the 2 pkgs. of yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water with 3 tbs. of sugar.
(The water should be warm to the wrist but not too warm. I consider it colder than a bath but warmer than body temperature.)
Cream the shortening, sugar, salt and eggs.
Add the 2 cups of water, 2 cups of flour, and yeast mixture.
Mix that together and add the rest of the flour a cup at a time, while mixing.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
I then let mine rise while on the counter. It will be very mushy but don't worry.


Spoon them on to a cookies sheet for rolls. Let them rise a bit before baking at 400 degrees.


You can then stick the dough in the fridge for a week and use as needed. Just make sure the pan it is in is big enough to allow for rising. ;)
Oh, I forgot to mention that these get better everyday they are in the fridge.

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Two topping ideas for the above rolls.
(I use these toppings all the time.)

Quick & Easy Cinnamon "Roll"

Mix 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of cinnamon.
Spoon a thin layer of the roll mix in an 8x8 pan sprinkle the cinnamon mix on top. Bake at 375 degrees.
When it comes out spoon on icing - butter and powder sugar with half a teaspoon of vanilla. Sorry, I don't have measurement for this. Just add the powdered sugar to the butter until the icing gets medium thick, like a pretty thick glaze. Then add the vanilla.
Sometime put down some oiled plastic wrap and spoon out the mix in a rectangle. I then sprinkle the cinnamon all over and roll into a log. Then I slice and put real cinnamon rolls in the oven. The above method is much faster and less messy, though. ;)

Pecan Streusel Dessert


I use cupcake liners for this in a 9x13 pan, not a cupcake pan. I then add a bit of roll mix to each cupcake liner, about halfway up. Now, add topping...
(I got this from Coastal Living's magazine and made it a bit sweeter.)
1 cup of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
2 tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of chopped pecans
Just stir everything together in one bowl and then spoon this mixture into each cupcake liner - on top of the bread mix. Bake at 375 degrees.