Baking For Stress Relief
I had a few reasons (looking at you, Philles & Eagles) to want some stress relief and my favorite way to do that is by baking. Although, does anyone really need a good excuse to bake? I’d say no.
I found out a few days ago I was paired up with Erin from The Spiffy Cookie for the next Blogger Bake Swap hosted by Amy & Jessica. I decided to snoop her blog a little to get an idea on what kind of goodies she makes. Not only does she have a ton of great recipes, she’s also crazy smart (getting her PhD in biomed sciences). I love coming across new blogs, especially if the writer is a science nerd like me!
The first recipe that caught my eye was for pumpkin danishes. I had to make them.
I decided to save the mixer for another day and made the first part of the recipe by hand. The cream cheese was already softened, but it still took a bit of elbow grease to get it smooth.
I made sure to press the edges of the crescent rolls together. This will help while twisting the dough, although the dough may still separate a little. It wasn’t too hard to work with though.
How cute are these? I could’ve thrown them in the oven just like this and they’d still be delicious.
I used three tubes of crescent rolls instead of two since Erin made note in her post that she had leftovers of the cream cheese topping. I figured the more for my coworkers (and us) the better!
I baked a little longer than 15 min to let them puff up a little more. Baking time is usually oven-dependent, so be sure to hang around while they’re baking so they’re not overdone.
Delicious! The recipe was really easy to follow and the taste of the danishes is sweet but not overwhelmingly so. I didn’t dump a ton of brown sugar on top of the dough which allowed the pumpkin flavor to really stand out. The bonus is there is still enough left over to top my bagel tomorrow morning. You can use the first part of this recipe to make a great pumpkin cream cheese spread for your favorite breakfast carb. I can’t wait to see what Erin sends me for the swap.
Side note: if the pictures look a little more pixelated than in previous posts, it’s because I am using my Canon SD450 Digital Elph which is only a 5.0 megapixel camera. My Sony Cybershot (it was still dated, maybe 7 or 8 megapixels) is dying or dead. I had a bad day last week and it was a casualty of that. I am up for recommendations on both point-and-shoot as well as SLR cameras to replace my ancient technology.
Posted on 9 October 2011, in Uncategorized and tagged baking, pumpkin danish, recipe review, the spiffy cookie. Bookmark the permalink. 24 Comments.
You are on it! They look delicious! I am still trying to narrow it down a little…. hmmmm
Yeah I need to figure out what to send Erin. You have to make some of her recipes. They are crazy good if the rest are like this one!
Oh yum! They turned out so cute! I can envision a light maple drizzle on top. Mmmmmm
There’s a frosting glaze in the recipe but I skipped it since I didn’t want to have to drizzle stuff at work, lol. Maple would be good on it, too!
Those danishes look delicious!
There is nothing better than pumpkin. I hope you had a good weekend!
I have six or seven cans stocked up just in case they are out during Thanksgiving. I have to make this cheesecake recipe for dinner again this year and I don’t want to be left without any pumpkin!
I haven’t had danishes in eons. I used to work at a bakery and ate my weight in them.
Oh wow – definitely want that right now!
Wow those sound so delicious.
Blogger Sweet Swap: bringing people together since 2011.
Yay! I’m so excited that you tried them, they were a huge hit at lab too. Thanks fellow science nerd
I haven’t checked to see how many are gone, but I’ve already got a few “these are really good!” comments from my coworkers.
Those look amazing! I haven’t had a Danish in ages!
The danishes look really yummy. I have two tubes of crescent dough that I got on sale last week and I think I have to put them to good use.
i am so not a baker, it would probably cause me more stress haha. i think i dislike it because i feel like i’m baking at work (follow the recipe/SOP to a T you know?) i prefer to cook because it lets me creative and free form. sure i’ve made some gross stuff but hey you can’t win them all!
LOL the whole analytical method thought process is precisely why I love baking and what got me into it. I do like to cook, but I am less confident in my “throw it together” skills than I am with finding a recipe and making small tweaks.
Ohhhh those look so good! I decided not to participate this round because I’m moving this week, and I didn’t want to make another blogger wait like I did to you! Haha. Hope you get something equally tasty looking as those danishes!!
The doughnuts were so worth the wait though! Plus moving/work stress are legit reasons for delayed shipping. <3
As far as a recommendation for a point-and-shoot, I don’t know that I can offer too much advice. I have had two Canon point-and-shoot cameras and have liked both of them. I usually end up buying the model that can accommodate “real” batteries rather than the rechargeable batteries.
As for a dSLR camera, I had a hard time on whether or not I wanted a Nikon vs. a Canon. It seemed like *every* food blogger had a Canon–specifically a Rebel version. I went back and forth for a long time trying to decide which to buy. I have been told multiple times that both brands are excellent choices–it is just a matter of opinion. I ended up buying the Nikon D3100 and have no complaints so far, but then again this is the first dSLR camera I’ve used. I think I read it is a good camera for beginners though.
Thanks for all this! It’s definitely going to be helpful in making my decision. I would like to be able to take better quality pics, especially with so many weddings/events happening among my friends and family.
Yummmmmmmmmmm………. that’s all.
I resisted the urge to bake. I did however eat my feelings in the form of a cheesesteak, fries, and bassets gadzooks. It helped.
The very mention of Gadzooks makes my heart swell.
These look and sound delicious! They are really cute too. Your coworkers must love you since you’re always bringing them incredible things to eat!
This is the camera I have and I really like it: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H20-Digital-Stabilization/dp/B001OI2LV8 – I’m not sure why it’s so expensive though because I got it at WalMart for around $300 almost two years ago!
They either love me or they hate me for it, but the treats are always gone by the end of the day.
That’s a sweet camera. Not sure I am gonna try to drop more than 200 right now or not. Things to think about!
Giiiirl, I have been stress baking, too, recently, so I hear ya. I think I usually end up making cookies…or dough balls. Those pumpkin danishes look fantastic.
As for cameras, I really prefer DSLRs. The Canon Rebels are really great intro cameras. They have a lot of types – XS, XSi, up to T3i. I would get at least the XSi. I had the XS at first, and it didn’t have as many auto-focus points. One step up to the XSi will give you those AF points, which I find really helpful. They are expensive, but worth it. You can try getting one used or refurbished to save money. Happy camera shopping!