The first time we moved to Texas I discovered how most Texans have a strange love and respect for the sausage kolaches. They are a small sausage, either with cheese, jalapenos or both, wrapped in a dough and baked to perfection. Now, don’t get this little babies confused with pigs in a blanket…which I hate to admit, they basically are. Just a breakfast version. Doughnut shops are on every corner in Texas just like there is a chapel on every block in Utah. I still like to go in on a Saturday morning and get some doughnuts and kolaches, but every now and then I am feeling homemaker-ish and just make my own. Typically I make these with Hillshire Farms Little Smokies, but this time I used Eckerd’s longer breakfast sausages. Which ever ones you try, I think they are best with cheese, but that’s up to your taste buds.
Sausage Kolaches
This Roll Recipe
1 pkg little smokies or 1 package longer breakfast sausages
Make roll recipe according to directions up until you need to roll them out. If using little smokies divide the dough in half. Then each half into fourths, then each fourths into thirds. Thus making 24 total dough balls. Now if you are anything like me and end up with larger pieces because I can’t really eyeball evenly, just cut some of them in half again because typically, little smokie packages come with 24-36 links. If you are using longer breakfast sausages, you will only use half of the dough. Roll out the remaining half, make into crescents and then place in the freezer for a later time.
Place one link into ball and wrap dough completely around link. Place on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
*Ian likes his with mustard, but I oddly enough like to spread strawberry jam on mine.
{BREAD SIDE NOTE}
Some of you have commented and emailed about making homemade bread not in a bread machine. Here are a couple tricks that I have learned (through my own errors).
- Patience…this one is probably the hardest. If it says to let it rise for 1 hour, let it rise for 1 hour. If it calls to knead it for 10 minutes, do it for the whole 10 minutes. Don’t cut corners.
- Water Temperature…I don’t own a baking thermometer. How I gage how hot my water should be is how hot I would make it for a baby’s bottle. You don’t want it almost scalding and you don’t want it to cool down too quickly when you place it in your bowl with the yeast.
- Recipe…find a recipe that works for you and start simple. Don’t start off with trying to make 5 loaves of whole wheat with 10 different nuts and seeds. If you keep failing with a certain recipe then find a new one. Once you have mastered that one, go back and conquer the other one.
- Always have butter on hand…so you can slather that very first piece of victory and relish in the fact that you just made your own bread/rolls!
I have a few food blogs that I frequent often getting new ideas for things to make. I can’t come up with these all on my own! I was telling a family member that I was getting tapped out of my own recipes and they chuckled and murmured, “That’s not possible!” Recently I have thought of a few more that I have, but here is a borrowed one that I made and liked that I found here (altered). The frosting was actually my favorite part.
Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
Batter
1 ½ c. sugar
½ c. butter (1 stick) softened
½ c. oil
1 T. vanilla
3 eggs
1 ¼ c. flour
¾ c. cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 c. peanut butter chips (or choc chips)
Filling
1 c. creamy peanut butter
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ c. sugar
2 T. flour
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
Frosting
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or 2 TBSP cocoa powder
3 T. creamy peanut butter
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. water
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
Batter: Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9×13-inch pan. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add oil and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt – blend well. While beating, gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture – mix well. Fold in chips. Evenly spread ½ batter into pan.
Filling: In a small bowl cream together peanut butter and oil. Add sugar and flour – blend well. Add eggs and vanilla – beat until smooth. Carefully spread filling evenly over batter in pan. Top filling with remaining ½ batter and spread evenly. Gently cut through layers to create marble effect throughout brownies. Bake for 30 minutes – do not over bake.
Frosting: While baking, in a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and peanut butter over LOW heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients – mix until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1-3 T. water. Spread frosting over brownies immediately after baking. Cool in pan 2-3 hours before serving.
