Quick and Easy Cinnamon Buns - No Yeast

These are quick and easy to make.  Want something new for breakfast or have company arriving soon and want a treat with tea?  Make these!

1/3 cup butter

 1 cup packed brown sugar

 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 4 teaspoons baking powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 1/4 cup butter, chilled

 1 cup cold milk

 1/3 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease the bottoms and sides of a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Cream 1/3 cup butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Drop 1 teaspoon into each muffin cup. Reserve the remaining mixture.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in 1/4 cup cold butter until crumbly. Make a well in center, and pour in the milk. Stir to form a soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed.
4. Turn the dough out on lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 times. Pat dough into rectangle about 1/3 inch thick and 12 inches long. Spread the remaining cinnamon mixture over dough rectangle. Sprinkle currants over top. Roll up like a jelly roll into a long log. Mark the dough first, to make sure you know where to cut, then cut the log into 12 slices. Place cut-side down in the prepared muffin pan.
5. Bake in in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn rolls out on a serving tray.

Baked Apple with a Twist

I made these for dessert for Thanksgiving dinner, as it was something light after the huge meal we were going to eat.

The twist is orange zest and whiskey. Yummy!

You will need:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large apples
½ tsp cloves
3 tbsp brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 ½ tsp whiskey
¼ cup raisins


1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Use an apple corer to remove the cores from your apples.
3. With a knife, score around the middle of each apple. This prevents the apple from bursting during the cooking process.
4. Lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish and place the apples in it.
5. Cream the butter in a small bowl with brown sugar.
6. Add in spices and orange zest and mix well.
7. Add in the whiskey and raisins, then stuff it into the apple core.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.