Raspberry Pistachio Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Thank you to Feed Feed, Immaculate Baking, and Sprouts for sponsoring this post!

I’m bringing the bakery to my own kitchen with these jazzed-up spring cinnamon rolls made from Immaculate Baking and some help from The Feed Feed!

Story time! There is a new bakery and coffee shop in my neighborhood that I’m obsessed with. Their pastries are gorgeous, the coffee is so delicious, and the vibes are too good all around. I make sure to pass by on my daily walk to soak in the smells of buttery pastries and people watch the crowd who have stopped by for a croissant or kougin-amann on their patio.

I’ve taken inspo from my new neighborhood spot to create these bakery-level sweet rolls. It’s the easiest and most perfect way to take your cinnamon rolls up a springy notch! 

Raspberry Pistachio Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
yields 5 sweet rolls

Ingredients:
1 tube of Immaculate Baking Organic Cinnamon Rolls
6 ounces organic raspberries
¼ cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped
zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
Following the directions on the cinnamon roll package, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan or baking dish. Open the cinnamon rolls, and set the icing package aside. One by one, unroll a cinnamon roll. Sprinkle the line of dough with chopped pistachios and place 5-6 raspberries evenly spaced down the row of dough. Then roll back up tight enough for the raspberries to stay in place. Repeat until all 5 cinnamon rolls are now filled with pistachios and raspberries. Arrange in baking dish.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until just, I mean just, golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. While your rolls are cooling empty the contents of the icing package into a small bowl. Add the lemon zest and stir to incorporate. Drizzle over the top of your rolls, sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios, and enjoy! 

Check out my recipe on The Feed Feed here!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Spring has sprung! After a weekend of getting my first sunburn of the season, I’m #1 in pain and #2 low key loving it? Bring on the spring activities, longer days, and warm temps. Last week was very busy with work but made the days go by fast. Kicked off the weekend early with the most fun birthday happy hour for two of my favorites followed by an early night in on Friday to save up for a long but very fun Saturday. The day was full of brunch, basketball, and burgers. I’m off to somewhere even sunnier very soon and I cannot wait. Hoping this week flies!

-Blender Bomb smoothie bowls on repeat as of late. Truly keep me so full. ANNIE10 for 10% off your order!
-Simple Modern tumbler…hype is real!! I love how this Oklahoma-based company has gone viral with their products. I got the 28 oz bottle.
-Snacking on avo rice cakes with zatar seasoning and red pepper flakes!
-I planned to just grab a latte when meeting up with a friend, and somehow she tricked me into rosé on Royal Blue’s patio.
-Two of my best friends had birthdays last week, which called for a joint party and a Take A Bite Cookie Pizza!
-Friday called for a DIY martini. Extra dirty and extra olives on the side, please.
-Lo in town for a mom’s day out/end of spring break/belated birthday brunch!
-A Saturday spent getting sunburnt while gaggling about old college stories.
-A collagen latte and Turbo tax on a spring Sunday. Happy to have that chore behind me.

Annie

Bites of My Life

It was a short week in Dallas before heading up to Oklahoma City for the weekend. I was back for work and a wedding shower for a friend. I hadn’t been since the holidays and it was great to be back with my family and very best friends. It’s been a wild (in a good way) and dare I say “blessed” start to 2021 for the Tucker family, so getting to be with them and count our blessings was just what I needed.

-I first tried Blender Bombs back when they got their start a few years ago. They are little “bombs” full of superfoods and essential amino acids to power pack your smoothie. I’ve been bloated and uncomfortable (tmi?) the past few weeks, so I’m giving BBs a try again to see if I can nourish my body while also helping out my gut. I shall report back.
-Love Shack Fancy clothing is sometimes a bit too girly for me, but their Dallas store opened last week and it is simply the cutest thing ever. An instant mood booster when you walk in.
-Turning my mousey hair back to bright blonde. Lucky for me I won (yes actually won) one of those Instagram giveaways for a full set of free highlights by Nick at Charlie + Co. He did such a good job, I may be a convert from my box kit… the verdict is still out.
-Back in OKC means working from The Social Order office. It’s always good to be back at this place.
-We are opening our 8th Fuzzy’s location in less than a month. Got to walk through the newest location and it may be one of my favorites.
-When in… you know the drill.
-Giddy up gal pals. Had the best afternoon getting to shower cowgirl MaryKate (and Connor)!
-I didn’t go to OSU for many reasons, but after having Stillwater’s signature drink, a “Limey,” I’m not sure I would have made it out alive if I had gone. Don’t get me wrong they are delicious!! But after one small drink, my eyes were starting to cross!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Anyone else in their feels thinking about how a year ago, this week, we had no idea what was ahead of us. Our last normal week some may say. It’s crazy how much we’ve all experienced the past year. There have been some really good and some really bad. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel and I’m running towards it.

As for this actual week, I’m starting off on a high. I’m feeling confident about my location, career, and the many blessings that are my family and friends. It’s also International Women’s Day. So ya, go girls! I’m immensely proud to be one. Keep reading for a bite of my past week.

-The most consistent part of this past year has been my relationship with Obé fitness. I started using Obé for the first time the week of the lockdown and I’ve been “obé-ing” almost every day since. ANNIETUCKER30 will get you 30% off your first month, making it only $21.
-Texas Sheet Cake Cookies revamped for Texas Independence Day.
-This new TJ find was the star of my lunch salad last week. I’m not a crazy caesar dressing girl, but this has great flavor and ingredients.
-Over Easy foods new branding is all things colorful and happy. Their gluten-free oat bars are some of my favorites.
-A new neighborhood spot opened by the same group as two other favorite Dallas restaurants/bars opened this week. Wasted zero time stopping in!
-Cannot beat a freezer foraging stir fry in my book. Typically always have these ingredients on hand.
-A very necessary catch up with my long time friend Meredith.
-Incredible first time at The Charles. If you are in Dallas and haven’t been I highly rec. Mom and Dad snuck down and it made for the best night.
-On some kind of cheeseboard making kick!

Annie

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

I originally published this post in March 2014. Now having lived in Texas for over a year and a half, I’d been wanting to update this recipe as a nod to my new home. What better day to repost it than on Texas Independence Day!

These cookies are based on the traditional chocolate sheet cake but have been transformed into cookies. Texas Sheet Cake is rich, decadent, and full of cocoa flavor - the best! I grew up eating this cake, however, it was called Scotch Chocolate Cake in our house. I have no idea the origin of this name and Google didn’t help, but it is the exact same thing as Texas Sheet Cake. It’s a moist chocolate cake with the most addicting fudge-like frosting that is made in a saucepan over the stove.

I adapted these cookies from this recipe, and have continued to adapt them since I first made these 7 years ago. And now for a quote from my original post “In my opinion, I think I should rename them to Oklahoma Frosted Drop Cookies. Seems more appropriate bing the Oklahoma girl I am. Texas tries to own everything!” Call them what you want, but since I’m now an obnoxious Texas resident, we’ll keep their OG name, Texas Sheet Cake Cookies.

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
yields 24 - 28 cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Icing:
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. milk of choice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping after 30 seconds to scrape down the sides. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. With the mixer off, add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. On low, mix to combine. Once incorporated, increase the speed until the dough comes together. The dough will be thick and look like sugar cookie dough. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt your chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Take out of the microwave, give a stir, and then heat for 15 more seconds. Go for a little longer if needed, but your chips should be melted after 45 seconds. Add the melted chocolate into the dough, and mix to combine. Using a 1 1/2 Tbsp. sized cookie scoop, scoop leveled balls of dough onto your prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until just set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Once your cookies are cool, melt the butter, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in powdered sugar and stir vigorously until all the lumps are gone and the icing is thin. Using a tablespoon measurer pour the warm icing over the cookies. Let that layer set. Then using the leftover icing, take a fork and drizzle in a back and forth motion over the tops of the cookies. (You may need to slightly reheat the icing before the next layer to make sure it is thin enough to drizzle). Let the icing fully harden before transferring to a container. Cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Annie