This is one of my prize recipes! I worked hard to make the healthiest cinnamon rolls possible (so I can eat more of them) but they had to be soft and gooey and delicious. This is it. I tried using some whole wheat flour but they never turned out soft enough so it’s all-purpose flour but the good news is the entire recipe uses only two tablespoons of butter. Two. And now I have even better news: I usually make them with no butter at all. There’s so much flavor in the cinnamon and brown sugar filling that I often use a trans-fat free margarine and I defy anyone to tell the difference between that and the one with butter.
Make it either way. If you are concerned about saturated fat I promise that you will love these delicious buns without butter. If you use butter, it’s only 2 tablespoons so each roll has as little butter as a slice of toast. Two tablespoons divided by eight rolls equals 3/4 of a teaspoon of butter in each cinnamon roll.
Did you know that all cinnamon is not the same? The most popular kind is Ceylon cinnamon, which is what most stores sell but they usually also have Saigon cinnamon which I LOVE! It’s much more potent and fragrant, in fact I usually use less because it’s so powerful. If you use Saigon cinnamon, reduce the amount in the filling from 2 teaspoons to 1 1/2 teaspoons. It’s amazing cinnamon and really worth looking for. My store carries Spice Islands brand…
Now let’s talk about frosting. You can frost them in the baking pan but I like to transfer them first to a plate or pie pan before frosting so the sides also get some of that gooey frosting. Here’s how: After the 10-minute cooling period place a dinner plate on top and flip them over onto the plate. Then take another plate or pie pan and flip them back again and they will be right side up and still warm and ready to frost… all sides!
You don’t have to give up cinnamon rolls. Make your own with my healthy recipe and if you want, you can do the prep the night before, refrigerate overnight, then let them rise in the morning and bake. There’s no reason not to enjoy one of the best things in the world to bake. Your whole house will be filled with the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon! Click herefor the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Here’s an easy recipe for my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Even without the chocolate chips, they are still a great tasting snack. My recipe includes toasted walnuts and trust me, toasting the nuts first will send their flavor into overdrive. I use walnuts and pecans in lots of baking so I just toast a bunch of each one in the oven (see my video) and keep them in the fridge for baking.
It doesn’t have to be pumpkin season to make these yummy muffins, in fact canned pumpkin has more antioxidants than fresh. Orange and yellow vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrots have lots of betacarotene which is good for your lungs and eyes and will give you healthy hair and skin.
The most important thing about making muffins is not to over-mix. Just fold the ingredients together gently with a spatula or spoonula – I love those! This recipe was in my first cookbook and I’ve updated it by increasing the whole wheat pastry flour a little and switching from canola to extra light olive oil but you can use any oil of your choice. I’m posting this recipe by request from a fellow baker (Rori) in Denver who lost the recipe. Here it is, Rori! Click here for the recipe.
If anyone else has a recipe request, just let me know….
Make your own bread crumbs! You’ll save money and with my easy fresh bread recipe, they will taste better too. It takes just a few minutes to make healthy bread crumbs at home and you can avoid all the additives they put into the packaged ones. But the biggest benefit is the taste. If you make breadcrumbs with fresh whole wheat bread, you’ll never want store-bought again. I don’t know why they say to use stale bread. Stale bread makes stale crumbs. So get a fresh loaf of 100% whole wheat bread (it should have 3 grams of fiber per slice) and follow my simple steps for dry and for fresh bread crumbs.
Dry crumbs, the kind you use for breading, freeze for months, in fact I’ve had some in my freezer for over a year and they still taste great. I keep two bags in the freezer: one with plain dry whole wheat crumbs and another with seasoned dry crumbs. I usually add oregano, thyme, garlic salt, and pepper but you can add anything your heart desires as long as it’s a dry spice. How about cayenne pepper or paprika or basil or rosemary or cumin or… (your spice here).
Fresh crumbs take about one minute to make using a food processor and they are an awesome topping for mac & cheese. They are also what I use in my salmon patties. So why not use high fiber breadcrumbs and make mac & cheese, salmon patties, or other meals a little healthier. Once you have fresh crumbs, it takes just a few minutes to turn them into Panko crumbs. Yes, you can make homemade Panko bread crumbs, too. So make some healthy bread crumbs and amp up your fiber! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Thank goodness for canned salmon. I always keep it on hand so I can make my quick and easy salmon patties. We know how important it is to eat fish, especially salmon, which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids to protect your heart, and my recipe makes this easy dinner even healthier by adding red pepper, onions, parsley, egg, and my fresh whole wheat bread crumbs for added fiber.
I made these delicious patties last night and served them with my Greek lemon potatoes and some steamed broccoli. There was nothing left on our plates! It seems like the body knows when something is doing you so much good because all of it disappeared in a flash. Another way I serve my salmon patties is with a side of steamed sweet potato, which is loaded with antioxidants and protects your eyes and lungs and boosts your immune system. Just peel, chop, and steam. Dinner is ready in 15 minutes! What an anti-aging combo!
Oh… some more serving ideas…. I’ve also had these salmon patties with my Spaghetti With Greens, Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Potatoes, and those awesome Roasted Vegetables. So eat fish often, and with this recipe, you can make a healthy 15-minute meal anytime. Quick. Easy. Healthy. You’re welcome! Click here for the recipe.
Now you can see how easy it is to make soft and gooey homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch. My simple recipe is as healthy as I can make it, using only two tablespoons of butter in the whole thing. There’s nothing like that rich enticing aroma that comes from the sweet brown sugar and cinnamon filling. The smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven is the best thing ever! This is an easy one-rise recipe so it won’t take long to have them on the table but you can also prepare the rolls the night before, refrigerate them overnight, then rise and bake them in the morning.
You don’t have to avoid cinnamon rolls (well, maybe at the mall… I would avoid those!). Most cinnamon rolls are made with lots of butter but try my healthy recipe and see how good they can be with very little butter or if you want to avoid saturated fat altogether, I often make them with a trans fat-free margarine (Canola Harvest) and I swear no one can tell the difference. So yes, you can have delicious, soft and yummy cinnamon rolls with not butter at all.
Serve these warm and you will never have leftovers. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Luckily, green goes with my hazel eyes. We already know that eating broccoli is one of the healthiest things you can do, especially when it comes to protection against cancer, but how about wearing it? Researchers at the University of Arizona and Johns Hopkins University are testing to see if rubbing it on your skin may reduce the risk of skin cancer. The key ingredient is sulforaphane, which prevents the growth of cancer cells. The researchers will be testing a broccoli solution on skin to see if it works.
It could happen. But until it’s proven, don’t go to the beach with a bag of broccoli unless you plan to eat it. Continue using sunscreen and eating your broccoli. Imagine if they start selling broccoli sunscreen? What would they call it? Broc of Olay… La Roche-Brocay… Broccer-tone… Agreeno… Broc-o-gena… Broccoli Boat… Any other suggestions?
Johnny asks… I have a question about making homemade frozen dumplings. Every Time I boil them in water and take them out they taste a bit wet, heh. I want to know how to make them properly, so they can taste more meaty and less wet. Kinda like the restaurant version. Also what brand are good and meaty ? God Bless. Take care. Bye 🙂
My Response…
At first I thought you made your own dumplings and froze them but it looks like you are buying them frozen and when you boil them, they are kind of soggy. I can tell you that making your own gnocchi with my recipe will give you a fantastic, meaty dumpling but if you’re buying them frozen, be careful not to overcook them. I have never used store-bought but I do freeze my own so when you put them in boiling water, don’t let the water stop boiling or they will get mushy. I usually turn up the heat at the same time to keep the water boiling, and stir them right away so they don’t stick. Then I turn the heat down to a nice gentle boil until they rise to the top. You could also try removing them from the water as soon as they rise to the top. – Jenny Jones
There are many reasons to make your own homemade bread crumbs. First, you’ll save money. Second, they’ll taste way better than packaged ones. Third, they’ll be healthier. By using whole wheat bread, you’ll be adding beneficial fiber to your meal. And finally, it’s so easy!
Let me clarify: it’s easy if you have a food processor. But even if you don’t, you can still do this. Always start with fresh bread. Nobody wants to eat stale bread so why would you want stale bread crumbs? So fresh bread is a must. You can make crumbs with any kind of bread like white or sourdough, but whole wheat is the healthiest so look for 100% whole wheat bread with 3 grams of fiber per slice. Fiber is your friend.
Some recipes call for dry bread crumbs to make something crispy like breaded cutlets or chicken fingers. Others need soft bread crumbs, like a topping for mac & cheese. My recipe shows how to make both dry and soft crumbs, and also how easy it is to make your own super-crispy Panko crumbs, too!
If you don’t have a food processor, you can finish the dry crumbs in a blender or by putting the dried bread in a plastic bag and rolling with a rolling pan, or even smacking it with a small pan. Soft bread crumbs can be made using the large holes of a grater, but carefully! So whatever kind of breadcrumbs you need, dry ones, seasoned crumbs, fresh or Panko, remember that homemade is always better. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Patrizia asks… Hi Jenny, I have a question on cupcakes. I use to make them perfect but after my husband bought me the kitchen robot they seem to raise and at the end they sink a bit in the center,they also stick to the paper liners. Could it be i beat them too much with the kitchen robot and the baking powder an baking soda is worked too much. I use the oven on top and bottom heating. Thanks
My Response…
Let’s talk first about the cupcakes sinking. I suspect the oven is too hot, especially if you are using heat from the top. With too much heat, the cupcakes will cook from the outside and will appear done but the inside is not done so they sink. The same applies to the tops. Heat from above will make the tops cook too fast and the cupcakes will appear done but the inside is not done so there’s no support for the top and it sinks. I would suggest you avoid any heat from the top and that could solve the sinking problem. If not, then reduce the oven heat and test the largest cupcake with a toothpick inserted deep into the center. If it comes out dry, they are done all the way through and should not sink.
As for the cupcakes sticking to the paper liners, there are several possible solutions. The easiest is to use foil-lined paper liners which should release much easier. If you can’t find them, you might try spraying the inside of the paper liners with a cooking spray or grease them by hand. If there’s not enough fat in the recipe, you may have to grease the liners or not use liners and grease the pan. I’ve also read that you should not let the batter sit in the liners or the liners will absorb too much moisture, so put in the batter and put them in the oven right away. Finally, I’ve noticed that letting my cupcakes cool completely makes it easier to remove them from the paper. I hope this helps. – Jenny Jones
This is one of my prize recipes! I worked hard to make the healthiest cinnamon rolls possible (so I can eat more of them) but they had to be soft and gooey and delicious. This is it. I tried using some whole wheat flour but they never turned out soft enough so it’s all-purpose flour but the good news is the entire recipe uses only two tablespoons of butter. Two. And now I have even better news: I usually make them with no butter at all. There’s so much flavor in the cinnamon and brown sugar filling that I often use a trans-fat free margarine and I defy anyone to tell the difference between that and the one with butter.
