Life is pretty insane right now. But in all of the hustle and bustle, in all of the “busy”, in all of the late nights, there’s one thing that always keeps me going: my quiet “me time” mornings. Now those mornings don’t often mean more than 20 minutes, but that’s 20 minutes of time that is all mine. It’s 20 minutes where I don’t question where my phone is, whose email I need to respond to, what shop customer I need to help, or what time I need to meet my photographer. It’s 20 minutes where the only concern I have is if the coffee has begun brewing, and what chapter I left off on the morning before. And it’s 20 minutes I’ve come to depend on to get me through the day ahead. In short, it’s my ritual.
If I’m being completely truthful, a huge part of that ritual is the coffee itself. Each morning I stumble downstairs, half asleep, and make a bee line to my coffee maker. Like clockwork, I flip the switch (my kind, kind husbands preps the coffee the night before), grab a mug and sit there with anticipation while the coffee percolates down into the glass pot. The aroma fills the air, and waves of heat billow out of my mug, and for a moment all is right with the world…I have coffee, lots and lots of coffee.
And with the colder weather finally here, lately I’ve been getting up a bit earlier to steal a few more of those “me time” minutes. Starting my day, of course, with a cup of ‘jo and recently a little homemade treat that makes the coffee just a bit more cozy. So it was pretty perfect timing when Dunkin’ At Home invited me to try their Bakery Series® coffee.
With flavors like Cinnamon Coffee Roll, Chocolate Glazed Donut and Caramel Coffee Cake I didn’t think twice before saying yes. Especially since I’ve been a fan of Dunkin’ Donuts® coffee for years (DD got me through many a long night in college and law school). It’s been a little over a week since I’ve added the Bakery Series® to my morning line-up, and I’ve got to say perfect and cozy doesn’t even begin to sum up my love for these new coffees. I love them so much in fact, my latest morning obsession was inspired by them: Skillet Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. And friends, let me tell you these pecan cinnamon rolls will be reason enough to get up on those crisp, chilly mornings this fall. The rolls pair perfectly, of course, with DD’s Cinnamon Coffee Roll coffee plus they only take about 15 minutes of prep time, which is perfect for me because I don’t remember a time when I’ve had enough time to make cinnamon rolls from scratch on a weekdaymorning! Ha! Find the full recipe below, and tell me, do you have a morning ritual? Truly, MKR
P.S. Keep your eye out for Dunkin’ At Home’s Bakery Series® coffee on your next grocery run. I’d love to hear which flavor you plan to pick up! xo
- Whole pecans, enough to layer bottom of your skillet (varies by size of skillet)
- caramel sauce*
- cinnamon rolls***
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup (I always use Karo brand)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Layer the bottom of your cast iron with pecans.
- Make the homemade caramel sauce: Add brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; mix well.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the pecans in the skillet to create a gooey base.
- Arrange cinnamon rolls** on top of the caramel pecan base.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls uncovered in skillet for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let cool for up to 30 minutes.
- Ice the cinnamon rolls with your icing.
- When serving, scoop each cinnamon roll with the gooey base of caramel pecans. Enjoy!
- *You can substitute the homemade caramel sauce for store-bought if you prefer.
- ***When I'm strapped for time, I skip the homemade cinnamon rolls and use the big organic kind that's pre-made from Whole Foods.
- If you do have enough time and opt for homemade cinnamon rolls, here's a good recipe I like to use from AllRecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/241917/quick-cinnamon-rolls/.
