Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

I have decided that I want to live in a city where I can walk to everything: stores, restaurants, entertainment. Aside from the fact that this would be infinitely more fun than living in suburbia land  (where "exciting" is the fact that they are paving the streets around my house soon and we will be jockeying for off cul-de-sac parking like women at a sample sale), I would not need a car.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love having a car. I love the freedom it gives me.

{Hear that car? I still love you, please don't be offended by this post.}

What I don't love about car ownership is the cost. I mean, the cost aside from buying it in the first place, which has gotten exceedingly ridiculous if you have looked at cars lately.  Cars seem to age like women do: good with regular maintenance until a certain age, and then everything starts to fall apart all at once.

{I speak from experience, people. I mean, who knew 34 could be so hard on a girl?}

First you need new tires. Fine. Then brakes. Okey dokey. Those are to be expected, right?

Then the A/C needs help. So you spend a few hundred getting that fixed. But it still doesn't work right...and then the alternator goes.  You'd think once you got that all taken care of, everything would be fine. Until it starts to squeak.

At this point, drained of money and patience, I just tend to roll up the windows and turn on the radio. Poof. Sound gone.

So yeah. I think I want to live in a place where I don't need a car. Because I would much rather buy butter, sugar, and chocolate than pay for a pesky timing belt.

We all know how much my husband likes carrot cake. When I make him treats I want him to eat, I either do peanut butter or carrot cake. He got both for his birthday last week. These were for breakfast. And, yes, he ate one!

I reeeallllly like this cinnamon roll dough. Yes, it takes time...but it's sooooo worth it. It's a sweet, rich egg dough that you fill with a sugary, cinnamony filling. I added carrots and ginger to the filling...to make it more carrot-cake-like. Then you add a nice helping of cream cheese icing, and well, perfection ensues.

I promise you...even if you don't like carrot cake (ahem...I know who you are ladies...) you will like these. Cream cheese frosting hides the evidence...but see those little flecks? Yup, carrots. That makes these totally healthy. Carrots for breakfast!

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Carrot Cake Coffee Cake

Baking is my therapy.

{So is exercise, but that's another story.}

Sometimes I just feel like crap about whatever is going on and I realize it's been awhile since I've been in the kitchen. I go to my oven like a moth to a flame and begin to create and I feel better.

My favorite kind of therapy is when I'm creating something that's in my head. Not just following a recipe, but changing it. Making it mine. Or making it fit my mood. The thinking, the figuring, the measuring. It's soothing and relaxing. It's perfect for those days you need a little therapy.

Like when I realize Andy Cohen is on a book tour and not making new episodes of Watch What Happens: Live.

Or when the season finale of Grey's Anatomy is just so...wrong...that you almost want to scream and shout and yell nasty things.

Or when your daughter is so upset about what happens on the playground at school that her body reacts by making her sick.

Or when other parents try to parent your child at school, without you present, causing more of said sickness.

Baking is a great release for times when my kid isn't perfect.

And especially for times when I wish other parents would realize the same things about their own children.

And for times when I really, really wish no one knew who I was and that I blogged anonymously, so that I could really blog, if you get my drift.

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Carrot Cake Pie {Pi Day Blog Hop}

It's here! It's finally here!

It's Pi Day! It's Pi Day! Yippee it's 3/14, Pi Day!

Seriously people, I look forward to this day all year long.

If you read my post last year on Pi Day, you'd already know I'm crazy. But so many of you are new (hi new friends!) so you really have no idea how big of a dork I am.

Let me make a list for you, shall I?

I once had a license plate that read I TCH PI. It is now hanging in my office (well, it will be once I get off my butt and paint in here).

I do math problems for fun. Yes, my idea of fun is getting out my high school geometry text book (yes, I own a copy; that was a very happy day when I found it at Goodwill) and doing proofs.

Essentially, I'm saying that doing proofs relaxes me.

Since I'm too cheap to spend $30 on a t-shirt from Zazzle, I made my own Pi shirt last year. I'll be wearing it again today. I wanted to make a Pi googley eye headband, but thought that might be too much.

My personal email? Has 314 in it.

Whenever I have to pick a number for any reason? You guessed it, I choose 314.

You could say I'm a teensy bit obsessed.

Is it weird that it makes me sad that I have to wait until the third grade before Jordan learns about Pi in school? Where I can offer to bring pies for snack and the kids will understand what the heck I'm doing?

Usually we have pizza for dinner on Pi Day.  Because it's round. (And yummy. And the perfect dinner for a rainy night when softball is cancelled.)

This year, because I'm the hospitality person for the PTC, I'm bringing the teachers pie. Lots of pies. Big pies, little pies, whoopie pies.  But not this carrot cake pie. No, that was for me my friends.

I found a recipe for Carrot Cake Blondies and thought it would make an awesome pie. Then I topped it with white chocolate cream cheese frosting to make it even awesomer. And oh. My. GOD.

Totally worthy of a Pi Day post. Totally. Like eat-two-huge-slices worthy.

And totally blog hop worthy too. Because today is a special occasion. And I'm celebrating with a Pi Day Pie Blog Hop with some other awesome bloggers who may or may not be wearing a Pi t-shirt too. (I think I may be the only crazy one of us in the bunch.)

Check out these other super delicious pies that are being posted today!

Amaretto-Cherry / Brandied Apple with Cheddar Cheese Crumb by Bake it with Booze

Caramel Apple Galettes by Kristin’s kNook

Baltimore Bomb Pie by Something Swanky

Grasshopper Thin Mint Pie by The Domestic Rebel

Banana Split Brownie Pie by BruCrew Life

Irish Banana Cream Pie by Shugary Sweets 

Apple and Apricot Tart by Trilogy Edibles

Reese’s Fudge Pie by Mandy's Recipe Box

Hey, is it 1:59 yet?

Carrot Cake Pie

by Crazy for Crust (Adapted from A Stool at the Counter and The Cake Book)

Keywords: carrot cake pie

6019883

Ingredients

For the Pie

• 1 premade pie crust (or your favorite recipe)
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded carrots

For the Frosting

• ¼ cup white chocolate chips
• 5 ounces cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line a 9” pie plate with the premade crust, crimping the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl.
4. Cream together butter and sugar with a mixer. Stir in eggs and vanilla until just combined.
5. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in carrots.
6. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake 25-30 minutes until the top is set and a toothpick comes out with only crumbs clinging to it. (If your crust starts to get too dark, cover it with strips of aluminum foil.) Let cool before frosting.
7. To make the frosting: melt white chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring in between each, until melted. Let cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 tablespoon butter with a mixer until creamy. Beat in melted white chocolate. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat slowly until combined. Use a 1M tip to frost around the edges and in the center, or just frost the entire top of the pie (which is what I will do next time).

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Oh, and this post is extra special, besides it being Pi Day and the blog hop and all that. I submitted this recipe idea to Foodbuzz and they selected me as one of the bloggers to participate in the Spring Recipe Program with Frigidaire! So I need to add this little tidbit, for your reading enjoyment ('cuz momma could really use that new double oven that fits two turkeys!):

This post was sponsored by Frigidaire. When you check out Suzanne Goin's springtime recipes at www.maketimeforchange.com, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's U.S. programs. Plus, you'll be entered for a chance to win the new Frigidaire Range with Symmetry^TM Double Ovens – featuring two large ovens (that can each fit up to a 28 pound turkey!), providing the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time at different temperatures, so you can get more on the table at the same time.

So go enter to win that oven y'all! Who doesn't need double ovens? You could be able to make all those pies in the blog hop all at the same time!

Have a Linky Party you want me to join? Add it HERE.

These are the fabulous parties I link to each week:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors), Show me what you got (Our Delightful Home), Share a Recipe Monday (Couponing 'n Cooking). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), Love on High Heat. Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets), Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), From Dream to Reality (DIY Dreamer), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies), Whimsy Wednesday (The NY Melrose Family).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton, BFF Open House (The Answer is Chocolate), Recipe Round Up (Eat, Pray, Read, Love). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy, Fun Finds Friday (Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons), Sugar and Spice, Friday Food Fight (Run DMT), Fabulous Friday (My Crowded Kitchen). Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos), You inspire me (Polka Dot Pretties). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Recipe Party (The Sweet Spot), Seasonal/Occasional Linkys: Moms Crazy Cooking, Southern Mom Cooks, Cheap Crafty Momma, Susie QT, Springtime Holiday Link Party (Michelle Paige)

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cupakes

I've learned a lot of things over the past few months in our new house.

For example, I can now assure you that maroon, goldenrod, faux-finish yellow, dark taupe, and hunter green are very nice colors to use on walls. But not if they are all in the same room.

Ocean blue and dark blue are also nice colors. Unless they are covering the walls, ceiling, baseboards, heater vents, intercom vents, light fixtures, and closet/bedroom doors.

Ditto hot pink and neon green.

{Don't overfill the pans...thank goodness for frosting.}

Did you know that window blinds need to be cleaned once in awhile? If not, years worth of dust and grime actually build up on them, forcing the person who tries to clean them to fling dirty water everywhere and cause their children to repeat naughty words said in the heat of battle.

Ditto showers and bathtubs.

Oh, and I never realized that having a dog go outside to um...you know...was optional. All these years I've been trekking outside in freezing or burning hot weather to pick up Ginger's presents. I should have just sent her into the (carpeted) garage. Or the walled in sunporch.

Needless to say, there were lots of little fix-its and repairs to be made. One of our old neighbors was a contractor in need of work and he did a ton of stuff (including new flooring and ripping out that disgusting sunporch) for way less than if we'd hired someone official.

So, of course, as a thank you, I made him cupcakes.

I asked him what his favorite dessert was. He told me his two favorites are carrot cake and cheesecake.

And these cupcakes were born.

A layer of carrot cake. A layer of cheesecake. Cream cheese frosting.

I will relay your thank you's to him the next time he comes to fix something.

Because I figure there will be a next time. There always is, isn't there?

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cupcakes

Carrot Cake adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup shredded carrots

For the Cheesecake:

1 pack (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin pan with liners. Set aside.

2.       Make the cake batter:  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Pour evenly into 12 muffin liners. Set aside.

3.       Make the cheesecake batter: Mix together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla with a hand-held mixer. Pour evenly on top of cake batter in muffin pan.

4.       Bake for about 25 minutes, until cheesecake is no longer runny.  Cool completely.

5.       Make the frosting: Using a hand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Frosting option: use a 1M tip for a beautiful cupcake. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

{Note: There is a print link in the footer of the post.}

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life). Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Moms Crazy Cooking

Carrot Cake Pops

To my daughter's future spouse,

First, let me start off by saying, thank you for loving my daughter and marrying her. I hope you make each other happy for a lifetime. You are marrying a wonderful woman - I'm sure she will be as lovely and as sweet as an adult as she is as a child.

That said, let me get to the point.

I want to apologize to you. For that problem with your ears. The one that has probably, by the ripe old age of 35, has caused you to either (A) go crazy or (B) need hearing aides. I know I should have warned you of my daughters' propensity for language and the increased and abundant rate at which she uses it.

But then, if you knew how much she really talked, we might not be having this conversation right now. Hence my neglect in telling you that you will never get a word in and you should just give up trying.

I remember one hot summer day when my daughter was six we were on our way to have dinner. From the moment we left our house, through the car ride, and across the parking lot, she never stopped talking. I remember looking at my husband with one of those looks only a husband and wife can have; the ones that speak volumes. I think mine said "Holy Cow. She hasn't shut up for 15 minutes. Will the noise ever stop?"

His probably said "This is your fault. I should have known what I was in for when I married you."

Anyway, one thing you can probably do to stop her from talking is to feed her.  It works for me.

These Carrot Cake Pops might be the perfect thing. Because I'm sure she's over that whole picky-eater thing by this point.

Or maybe not. But no matter, you should make these anyway. Because they are delicious. Amazing. The moist cake-cream-cheese-frosting flavor inside a house of white chocolate? Priceless. Even better because of the crunch from the nuts that hits your mouth first.

They are quite large and require lots of bites. Feed her one and have five minutes of peace.

Sincerely,

Your future mother-in-law

{Note: There is a print icon embedded at the bottom of this post. Please visit the post to print.}

Carrot Cake Pops
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

To make the pops:
1 can cream cheese icing (or your favorite recipe)
1 - 1 1/2 bags white chocolate melts (14-20 ounces) *Have two bags on hand just in case*
Lollipop sticks
2 cups toasted pecans, chopped


Directions:
For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one round 9" cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gently fold in carrots. 
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes. Cool completely (overnight, preferably) before making cake pops.

For the pops:

Note: the cake has a lot of oil. I found it easier to do upside-down cake pops so they didn't fall off the sticks. You will not use as much icing as you would with a box mix. Also, make sure the balls are very cold before dipping.

1. Crumb your cake into a large bowl. Add about 1/4 of the can of icing and mix into cake. Add more icing as needed until you can form the mixture into a ball. Form into balls and freeze for 15 minutes or chill in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Melt your vanilla candy coating according to the package directions. Place your chopped pecans in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
3. When ready to dip, remove balls from freezer and place in refrigerator. Remove only about three balls at a time to dip. Dip the lollipop stick into the candy (about 1/2") and then insert into ball. Immediately dip the ball into the melted candy. Remove and tap off excess (I use Bakerella's tap-tap-tap the wrist method). Roll in chopped pecans and place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all pops are made. Chill until hardened. You can make them ahead of time and freeze if needed. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Yield: about two dozen pops, depending on size.

Source: Carrot Cake recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com.

This recipe will be linked with:
Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life