“If you are a Bronze-level friend, show up. If you are a Silver-level friend, show up and compliment my beard. If you are a Gold-level friend, you will show up with some treats. And finally, if you are a BFF, you will come early and help me clean my house.”
It was a raging success. Everyone brought treats, he said there were dozens and dozens of cookies and cupcakes. Now THAT is the way to throw yourself a birthday party. Also it’s a great way to boost your ego. I’m never making my own birthday cake again! PS your beard is looking mighty fine, Nathan. (Umm, by the way, you guys are all my BFF’s, right?? Come clean my house, my kitchen is hiding under a fine coat of flour and sugar.) #holidaybaking If you’re wondering who these adorable children are, the little girl is Charlotte, and the boy is my nephew. My sister-in-law is a photographer and needed some shots of kids in the kitchen. Since I’m pretty much always in a kitchen surrounded by children, I was an obvious choice. (The photos that she took are labeled.)
Eric’s great-grandmother Prudie was Swedish. She passed away long before I came on the scene, but her legend lives on. She was one of those people who you feel like you know, even though you’ve never met them, because everyone talks about them so much. She was an amazing cook, and we still use quite a few of her recipes, like these Butter Pecans and Spritz cookies. This Swedish Cinnamon Bun recipe is not from her, but I can’t help but think she would have loved it.
We Americans (I just had to google “us Americans vs. we Americans.” Sometimes I hate myself.) We Americans love to go over the top with everything–if it’s not dipped in chocolate or covered in frosting, we turn up our noses. Go big or go home.
But sometimes simple is best. These buns are basically just cinnamon rolls that have been tied up in a bow, but instead of being drenched with frosting, they are dotted with a little sugar. Leaving out the frosting really allows the cardamom flavor to shine. It would be lost or muted if it had to compete with frosting. I love how deep brown the crust gets on these buns. The pearl sugar adds the perfect amount of crunch. I just want to dip these in some hot chocolate right now. Anyone have a raging fire and a cozy blanket I can borrow?
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