(biscuit) cinnamon rolls by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

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i've had my eye on  biscuit cinnamon rolls since discovering them on, Joy the Baker's blog a while back.  the thought of a flaky, lightly sweetened biscuit, filled with cinnamon and sugar sounded super awesome to me.  however, the ingredients called for butter (lots of it!), unbleached flour, a lot of sugar, and buttermilk.  so, i thought one day i would muster up the guts to try and substitute some of those things for ingredients i can eat.  unfortunately, that day never came.  i did however, come across biscuit (style) cinnamon rolls on, The Urban Poser a couple weeks ago that awoke my cinnamon roll interests once again.  this time the recipe called for (among other things) almond flour, coconut oil, and honey.  all of which on are my "okay" checklist in terms of ingredients.  so i gave it a shot. okay, i'm not going to pretend that these rolls came out perfect for me.  they didn't. they were mostly a failure.  however, a wise woman told me to make this post anyway.  she reminded me that everyone makes mistakes, that we learn from them, and so do others.  that said, the fact that my cinnamon rolls came out disfigured and raw is in no way a poor refection on the original recipe.  i made a series of silly choices like: using hot honey when it should have been cool or room temp, i also should have made sure the temperature of my oven was correct (as it's often not).  and lastly, i should have cut the recipe in half (something i always do when i first try a recipe) so as to not waste my (relatively pricey) baking ingredients.  i wish you all much success, and i'm sure your rolls will be much more successful than mine!

the cinnamon roll recipe i provide here is grain-free, butter and milk-free, and uses raw honey as a sweetener.  i understand that most people without dietary restrictions do not have almond flour or coconut oil lying around the kitchen.  therefore, if you are not wanting to purchase special ingredients, i urge you to use Joy the Baker's recipe for biscuit cinnamon rolls.  those of you with restrictions, here is an awesome recipe that is good for any breakfast or brunch.

from The Urban Poser

makes about 8 rolls

:: for the dough ::

3 cups almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 large eggs (room temperature)

:: for the filling ::

1/4-1/2 cup raw honey (depending on how sweet you want it)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup currants

1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

:: directions ::

preheat the oven to 340°

line a baking sheet with parchment paper

in a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda ( when measuring the almond flour make sure not to pack it, it should be loose)

in a separate bowl, gently beat the coconut oil, honey, and eggs together

add the egg mixture to the almond flour mixture using a spatula.  mix until dough is formed. refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes

roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper (sprinkle a little almond flour on the bottom piece) into a 9x13" rectangle

drizzle the 1/4-1/2 cup of honey evenly over the dough - this is where i made the mistake of warming my raw honey, if your honey is

hard, like mine was, then wait for it to cool before you spread it across the dough

once the honey is spread, sprinkle the raisins, grounds pecans, and cinnamon

time for the rolling.  roll the edge of the dough away from you.  start a tight roll from the beginning. continue to roll until you have a nice uniform log. use the parchment paper to help you roll if needed. be careful when rolling up the dough, as it is very soft

roll the whole log of dough, gently lengthening it out just a bit (like making a snake out of play-dough). it should be smooth and about a 4 inch thick roll

with a sharp knife, cut the roll into about thick slices (about 1 1/2" thick)

lay the rolls cut side down on to a parchment line cookie sheet

bake 10-15 min rotating midway through

i drizzled warm honey over the four rolls that made it

:: enjoy ::

:: love :: by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

this past weekend was a special one.  not only did frank and i celebrate our 3 year anniversary, but we celebrated a year of being engaged.  3 years ago this past sunday we had our second date.  that was a special date for both of us.  by the end of it we had both realized we had a connection far deeper than a physical attraction.  the date started off at the lincoln square cinema to see a movie. afterwards frank suggested we walk through central park. we walked from the west side to the east side, pausing for a moment to look at wollman rink (if you've ever seen the movie serendipity then you know which one i'm talking about).  as we exited the park frank kissed me. a kiss that, as i told my friends the next day, solidified my feelings that this was a man i never wanted to let go of.  we continued our walk out of the park and were right by the plaza hotel, when to my surprise frank playfully threw a snowball at my back.  it was a very silly and innocent moment that i will never forget.  we stopped briefly at the restaurant, serendipity for coffee and dessert.  we found ourselves walking and talking for over 30 blocks until we stopped at a restaurant for some drinks.

2 years later we celebrated our  anniversary by re-doing our second date.   we took our stroll through the park, and stopped at wollman rink.  i turned around and frank was on one knee asking me to marry him.  this year we celebrated our 3 year anniversary by doing the same thing(minus the proposal of course).  it has been one of the best years of my life, one marked by immense happiness and a love i never thought was possible.   i can't wait for more strolls, discussions, movie-watching, hand-holding, picture-taking, disagreements, kisses, and everything else that we share with one another..

baked potato chips + dip by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

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most baked potato chip recipes direct you to heat the oven to 400°.  so like an obedient direction follower i did.  to my disappointment my chips would inevitably blacken, burn, and (on one occasion) catch fire.  so i'm sure you can imagine how happy i was when i found a solution to my charred chip problem.  the solution is a lower oven temperature. duh? i don't know why i never thought of that.  the result, i must say, is pretty awesome.   frank and i were super proud of ourselves when our hard (potato-slicing) work had finally paid off!  we ended up with some pretty perfect potato chips - crispy, and crunchy chips that were lightly golden.  however, if you're looking for a Lays-type of a potato chip this is not the recipe for you.  if you are looking for a chip that's closer to a Terra Chip (but not as greasy) then stay tuned and give this recipe a shot. {side note: i used white yams, but any potato works here}

initially, i was not planning to do a chips + dip post, but i had some greek yogurt in the fridge and thought it would be a nice addition.  for the dip i used 0% Fage greek yogurt, alternatively you can totally use 2%, or full fat - up to you.  (for a vegan alternative you can easily substitute your favorite vegan sour cream.) again, if you're looking for a traditional sour cream and mayo-type dip, this is not the dip for you.  the dip highlighted here is super tasty, but not heavy at all. additionally, it's low in calories and fat-free :) hopefully you will enjoy this almost guilt-free snack food.

**make sure to pay attention to how thin you slice your potatoes and how long you bake them.  obviously the thinner you slice the shorter you bake and vice versa.  also, if you're using a mandolin, be careful! i nearly sliced off the tip of my finger off last year.  since then i have invested in a de buyer mandolin. while it was much pricier than the OXO ones, it was well worth it...

:: for the chips ::

2 potatoes (i used white yams)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried parsley

ground pepper

coarse sea salt

:: for the dip ::

1/2 cup (6oz.) of 0% fat greek yogurt

2 teaspoons dijon mustard (my favorite is Maille)

1 shallot finely chopped

salt and fresh ground pepper

:: makes about 60 chips ::

pre heat oven to 300°

line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper

:: directions ::

using a mandoline or a knife, slice potatoes thin

combine the potatoes and olive oil until each slice it coated with oil

add paprika, parsley, salt and pepper, mix until combined

spread the slices on the parchment lined baking sheets, try not to let them touch or overlap

place the baking sheets in the oven

bake for 30 minutes - 1 hour depending on your oven and how thin you sliced your chips (some of my chips were stubborn, so the baking process took a little over an hour)

while the chips are baking, mix: yogurt, chopped shallot, dijon mustard, salt and pepper until combined

refrigerate the dip and stir before serving

the chips are ready when they are slightly browned and their edges are curled

:: enjoy ::