3 cans Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls (you’ll find these in the refrigerated section of your grocery store – if you can’t find the Grands, get 3 cans of the Pillsbury regular cinnamon rolls)
? cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed (make sure you pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
? cup heavy cream (whipping cream or manufac- turer’s cream)
Approximately 4 ounces of pecan halves or approximately 50 pecan halves.
Prepare your pan:
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Make sure to spray the bottom of the pan and at least 2 inches up the insides of the pan.
Directions:
Set the cans of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls on the counter. Don’t open them yet.
Place the stick of salted butter in a 3 cup microwave-safe bowl. Melt it in the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.
Let the bowl sit in the microwave for one minute. Then check to see it’s melted. If it is, take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on the counter. If the butter hasn’t melted yet, microwave it on HIGH for another 20 seconds and let it sit in the microwave for another minute.
Measure out one cup of brown sugar. Use the palm of your impeccably clean hand to pack it down in the measuring cup.
Add the brown sugar to the bowl with the melted butter and use a wire whisk to whisk it in. Keep whisking until the resulting mixture is smooth and without lumps.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If your brown sugar has lumps in it, pick them out by hand or use a sieve to take out the lumps. Then re-measure to make sure you have a full cup. Remember, you can always make brown sugar by adding molasses to white, granulated sugar and mixing it in until the resulting mixture is the proper brown color.
Measure out the half-cup of heavy cream and add it to the bowl with the butter and brown sugar. Whisk until the resulting mixture is smooth and creamy.
Spoon the butter, brown sugar, and cream mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Use a heat resistant spatula to spread it out evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Once the caramel mixture is in place, sprinkle the pecans over the bottom of the pan as evenly as you can.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you love pecans, you can always sprinkle on extra.
Open the packages of Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls.
Place three unbaked rolls across the top of your baking pan.
Place another 3 unbaked rolls in a row under the first roll.
Place another 3 unbaked rolls under the second row of rolls.
Place another 3 unbaked rolls under the third row of rolls, which should bring you to the bottom of your baking pan.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: You now have a choice. You will have 3 Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls left over. You can either spray the bottom of a bread pan with Pam (or another nonstick baking spray) and place the remaining 3 rolls in the bottom of the bread pan. Once they are baked, frost them with the icing that came with the canister of rolls. Alternately, you can cut the 3 rolls in half and squeeze 3 halves, rounded side up, between the 2nd and 3rd row and another 3 halves rounded side down between the 3rd and 4th row. I’ve done it both ways and I prefer to bake them separately and frost them after baking.
Hannah’s 4th Note: If you couldn’t find the Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls and you bought the regular Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls instead, open the 3 cans of rolls and arrange them with four rolls on the top row, 2 rolls in the second row, another 4 rolls in the middle row, 2 rolls in the next row and 4 rolls in the bottom row. This will total the 16 rolls that are contained in 2 regular cinnamon roll cans.
Once the unbaked rolls are arranged in your pan, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Cover your baking pan loosely with a sheet of foil or plastic wrap while you’re waiting for your oven to come up to temperature.
When your oven is at the proper temperature, take the covering off your baking pan and put the pan in the center of your oven.
Hannah’s 5th Note: If you used a bread pan for your 3 extra Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls, put them in the oven on one side of your baking pan.
Bake your Caramel Pecan Rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they’re nicely browned on top. (If you used the smaller cinnamon rolls, bake those for 25 to 30 minutes.) Take your baking pan out of the oven and set it on a cool stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool.
Let your rolls cool, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Once the time is up, line a serving platter or a cookie sheet with sides with foil.
Place the serving platter or the cookie sheet with sides over your pan of rolls and use potholders or oven mitts to flip the hot rolls over onto the platter or cookie sheet.
If some of the caramel sticks to the bottom of your baking pan, use a heat-resistant spatula to scoop it up and transfer it to the top of your rolls.
To Serve:
Let your Caramel Pecan Rolls cool for at least another fifteen minutes and then serve them to your guests or your family. These rolls are good warm or cold. Make sure to provide soft butter for those who want it, plenty of hot coffee, orange juice, or big glasses of milk. If there are any rolls left over (Which is highly unlikely!), you can reheat them for 15 seconds or so in the microwave.
Chapter Four
Hannah had just finished mixing up a batch of Molasses Crackles to bake in the morning when Norman came through Sally’s kitchen door.
“Hi, Hannah,” Norman greeted her. “Sally said you were working in here and I should just come in.”
“Hi, Norman.” Hannah began to smile. “I’m just mixing up some things to bake tomorrow. Would you like a cup of coffee? I’ve got some left in Sally’s kitchen coffeepot.”
“Thanks. That sounds good. Do you have anything I can eat, Hannah? Doc Bennett just got back from his doctor’s appointment and I drove straight out here. Do you have any leftover cookies I can munch on? I missed the lunch buffet and all I had for breakfast was a couple pieces of toast.”
“How about a big piece of quiche? I have one that was left from the lunch buffet.”
“That sounds perfect. Thanks, Hannah. What time did you leave this morning? I didn’t even hear you, and when I woke up, you were gone.”
“I left early. The weather’s not really predictable this time of year and I didn’t want to be late.”
“What time did you get up?”
“I got up at three. I wanted to make sure I could get out here to start the baking by four.” Hannah poured a cup of coffee for Norman and then she made a quick trip to the walk-in cooler. “What time did you leave the house?”
“I left at six. It was lonely without you, Hannah, and I thought I’d be here in time for the lunch buffet.”