Cinnamon Rolls and December Holiday Cards

I love cinnamon rolls (more on that later) and I love greeting cards. This includes December holiday cards, too. I have since I’ve been little. I love reading them, buying them and collecting them. Often I’ll cut off the back page and glue the cards in my planners or on my yearly inspiration boards.

At the holidays, I love the thought of sending individual cards to friends and family, alike. Or, in the couple of years, early on in our marriage, that we used to order a photo card, writing personal messages to each person on the other end of the send. I carefully consider each individual card purchase, thinking of the recipient and what they mean to me. Problem is, I am not great at actually sending cards. Instead, in the end, I call ( which is, for sure, a lovely way to catch up) or perhaps send a text ( less lovely, but still let’s someone know I am thinking of them).

While texts and emails do create a connection, it’s somehow never as satisfying. Besides, even with all the technical innovations in our lives, who doesn’t love getting a card or thinking of you package in the mail?

Trying to get back this month and in the upcoming year, to more handwritten connections.

I was recently came across this blog post from a small family run greeting card company. I have become inspired. Once you are on the Tiny and Snail website, shop their cards, I know you will love them, too.

Gifts From the Kitchen with Hand Delivered Holiday Cards

Want to take it up a notch? The only thing that might be better than a holiday card in the mail, is a gift from your kitchen at your door. Make holiday gifts from your kitchen and hand deliver them or wrap to ship. And, you can include your favorite greeting card in the package, as well.

Every year I make cinnamon rolls for family and for my neighbors. Generally I deliver to family at our Christmas Eve celebration to everyone will have an easy hot from the oven treat for Christmas morning. Sometimes I deliver to neighbors on Christmas morning, sometime on New Year’s Day. Either way it’s become a fun tradition. My Holiday Cinnamon Roll recipe follows.

Make it a Cinnamon Roll Kind of December Holiday Season

I first published this recipe in January of 2017 on a rare snow day in Charlotte. Snow or not, its a post and recipe that bears repeating. You’ll find this recipe makes for a fun morning of baking, filling your home with the sweet strong scent of cinnamon. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a late afternoon treat with your favorite cup of coffee or cocoa,  cinnamon rolls are one of those simple pleasures to enjoy with your family, your friends or all by yourself any time of the year.

Keep it Local – Always in All the Ways Possible

Keeping the recipe as local as I can, I try to use local eggs which I usually have on  hand. Its a regular weekly buy for me at Saturday Farmers’ Markets. I suggest you do the same. During the week, you can find local eggs in Charlotte at all three locations of Pasta & Provisions and also at some farm stores.   If you don’t have fresh eggs on hand, use what you have; but put it on your weekend Farmers’ market shopping list to pick up local eggs this Saturday. Local chicken or duck eggs  really do  make all the difference! If you can’t get local eggs, buy organic free range or pasture-raised eggs from most any grocery store.

My local butter go-to is Uno Alla Volta. I also buy UAV’s whole milk yogurt cheese on the regular and use it in place of sour cream in most recipes, including this one. You’ll find my friends Zack and Victoria selling on Saturdays at the Matthews Community Farmers Market.

And as for the cinnamon, I’m a fan of buying in small quantities ( although this time of year I buy a lot) at the Savory Spice Shop in Charlotte’s Southend. No more buying big jars and then having them grow old and stale between recipes. It’s always good to keep basics on hand, but for specialty items, buy as is needed and know that you may purchase as much or as little as you’d like. While there are several varieties of ground cinnamon, my favorite for sweet and spicy culinary endeavors alike is the piquant, rich ground Saigon Cassia Cinnamon.

Local Flour for the Win

My flour of choice is local, too! It’s the all purpose Southern Biscuit Flour,  brought to you by Renwood Mills in Newton NC., SBF is available in nearly every grocery store. 

You can also order locally grown and milled flour from Carolina Ground. Carolina Ground is a boutique flour mill in Western North Carolina. You can order from them direct and they will ship and they have all kinds of wonderful flour. This is a great way to help support a Western North Carolina company and the farms they support as the region continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

Want to bake Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls, you can by starting with Tidewater Grain Company’s Heirloom Rice Flour.

You can order online direct from the farm, here. Check the notes in the recipe for other adjustments you’ll need to make.

Make Your Own Brown Sugar

Of course you can buy regular brown sugar or organic brown sugar at most grocery stores. But, how much fun is it to make your own brown sugar as you need it? And starting with local NC Sorghum Syrup Molasses, it another way to support a lot of Western North Carolina Farms as most NC sorghum is grown in the mountains. Forget the commercial blackstrap molasses and go local here – it really makes a delicious difference! I always try to stock up when I see it at the farmers market or in a farm stand or farm store.

Here’s the Brown Sugar How To:

Make your own brown sugar by using 2 1/2 cups of organic sugar and 1/4 cup of local NC Sorghum Syrup molasses Blend the two ingredients together  by using quick on-off pulsing motions in a food processor until the sugar dissolves into the sorghum and viola! – Your own homemade brown sugar – yum!

It’s yeast that makes those cinnamon rolls rise to great heights

If you don’t bake often, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Here’s the How-To when using yeast in a recipe.  My preference is to use an instant yeast. Most every grocery store carries some brand of instant yeast. If you haven’t baked for a while, and you keep your yeast in the pantry, it might have gotten old.

Do yourself a favor. Buy new yeast before you start your cinnamon roll gift giving operation. I like to buy several jars or tons of packets, empty them into a mason jar and keep that jar in the freezer. It’s always there and ready whenever I am ready to bake.

Heidi Billotto

Proofing Yeast for High Rise December Holiday Results

To start, Proof the yeast ( to make sure it is good) when you first open the package or jar , by stirring the prescribed amount into water that is tepid. That is no hotter than 110 degrees F.

You can use an instant-read thermometer if you’d like, but if you want to go by feel, tepid water  is not as cold as what you would pour for a glass to drink; but not as hot as what you would use to wash your face. Think room temperature.  

Stir the yeast in and wait for a bit of foaming of bubbling action to occur on the water’s surface, once that happens you are good to go. Store the remaining yeast in an airtight container in the freezer and use it as needed.