Butterhorns (Smitty's Bakery Recreation)

Sue and I have been making butterhorns for years and years. Our family recipe (which can be found HERE) is one we make every year at Christmas time. So, when my friend, Len, came to me with a recipe to try that was named "Butterhorns" but was a completely different recipe than ours, I knew I had to give it a try. 

Len grew up going to "Smitty's Bakery" and they made these giant treats that he loved. His sister had found the recipe on a Facebook sharing site and told him about it. Len asked if I would be willing to try and recreate the recipe to see if it was like what he remembered from his youth. How could I say no? Baking challenges are always exciting! 

I have to say.... these GINORMOUS butterhorns are completely different from our recipe but they are amazing! Soft and fluffy and don't even get me started on that magic frosting. It makes the whole treat what it is. You really, really, really need to try them!

Butterhorns (Smitty's Bakery Recreation)

Ingredients

Dough

1/4 cup hot tap water

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 cup scalded milk, cooled to warm

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1/4 cup shortening, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

3 - 5 cups flour

Icing

2 Tbsp water

4 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 egg

1 2/3 cup icing sugar

2/3 cup shortening, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

Topping 

 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Prepare dough - mix hot water and yeast in a small bowl and let bloom for 5 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, stir together milk, margarine, shortening, sugar, salt, and eggs. Stir in the bloomed yeast. Gradually add in flour until solid dough forms. Place on floured work surface and knead 2 - 3 minutes. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, place somewhere warm to rise. 

After 1 to 1 1/2 hours dough should be doubled in size. 

Place dough on work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12 inch rope (about 1 inch thick). 

Spiral each log into a circle. (So it looks like a snail shell.) Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Cover with a tea towel and let rise somewhere warm again for another hour. (Until doubled in size)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake butterhorns for 12 - 15 minutes, until light golden brown. 

Set on wire rack to cool. 

Prepare icing - Beat the egg and icing sugar until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Set aside. Measure out the shortening and vanilla and have it ready to go. 

Boil the water and the sugar in a small saucepan for exactly 2 minutes. Do not stir it. 

After 2 minutes, remove the boiling syrup from the heat and slowly drizzle it into the egg and icing sugar mixture while you are beating on low with beaters. Continue to beat until all the syrup has been added. Do not scrape the sides of the syrup pan - they will make your icing grainy. Beat in the shortening and vanilla until smooth. 

Spread frosting generously onto the buns and then sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. 

Let sit for a few minutes so icing can set a bit. Don't skimp on the frosting and walnuts!

You can spread the icing on the buns if they are a little bit warm, but it will melt off if the buns are too hot. 

These are ginormous, by the way. Like.... spread your hand out as wide as you can. From the top of your thumb to the top of your baby finger - that's how big these are. You could make them smaller but then they wouldn't be Smitty's Bakery Butterhorns.... Making them smaller will also change the texture when they bake. Bigger = fluffier so keep that in mind. 

Look how light and airy these are...

Slathering a little butter on there can't hurt either... our mother can't have a bun without butter. I find the icing and walnuts to be plenty but... if you want to add a little butter.... I won't judge! 

Have you ever seen anything so purdy?

Let us know if you give these a try! FYI - I am usually a "use butter in all the things" type of baker but don't do it in this recipe. You need to use margarine and shortening. Butter will noticeably change the taste. Not that it's a bad thing... it just means they won't be the authentic Smitty's recipe.  

Ukrainian Scuffles

Our Ukrainian Christmas just had to include some scuffles. These delectable little bites are a cross between a cookie and a cinnamon bun. I also found them to be remarkably close to our Butterhorns (Click HERE for recipe). It is a yeast dough that rests overnight and then is rolled and baked in the morning. Perfect for the holidays when you have guests and are super busy. Split the work up and it hardly seems like work at all! 

Plus - cinnamon sugar. It's everything that's right with the world. 

Ukrainian Scuffles

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/4 cup quite warm water (between 105 - 115 F)

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

For Rolling

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Tools you may need - Parchment paper (link), Cookie sheets (link) 

Directions

In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes to allow yeast to bloom. 

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and sugar. Work the butter into the flour using your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Gently whisk in the yeast.

Add this to the flour mixture, stirring well. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead briefly. The dough will be sticky. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. 

The next morning: Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper and set aside. 

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until well combined. 

Remove dough from fridge and cut into 6 equal pieces. 

Working with one piece at a time: sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on a counter top. Place the dough on top and roll into a circle about 1/8th inch thick. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar on top. Cut the circle into 12 wedges, like pieces of pie. Roll up each wedge, starting from the wide end to the pointed end. Place on the prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. (Tip: Try to have the pointed tip under the scuffle so it doesn't unroll as it cooks.)

Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, until light golden brown. 

Remove from oven and let cool. (Although they are absolutely addicting while warm!)

Ukrainian Scuffles are perfect for breakfast treats or on a tray of Christmas cookies. The recipe makes 72 (6 dz) and freezes very well. 

Don't worry if your scuffles are not all uniform in size. That is what makes them even better. Get the kids in on the fun by having them roll up the scuffles as you slice them. 

As part of the Amazon Affiliate Program if you click on any links included in this post and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. 

Butterhorns

I don’t know about you but there are some recipes that bring back specific memories for me. For example – Butterhorns. These scrumptious, cinnamon bun-type goodies remind me of Christmas.

Our mother used to make these during the holiday season and it was tradition that on Christmas morning when we woke up we got to have one (or two) for breakfast while we opened our stockings. How awesome is that?
I mean it’s already Christmas morning AND we get to open presents AND we get to eat amazing, delicious, squishy, cinnamon-y tastiness.
Yeah, it’s a pretty great memory.
You can understand why I enjoy these so much.

Butterhorns

 Ingredients

1 cup milk

4 cups flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, chilled

3 egg yolks

2 envelopes yeast (4 1/2 tsp)

1/4 cup very hot water (I just let the tap run hot for a minute or two and use that)

Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon (or more if desired)

 Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

1 Tbsp milk

1/8 tsp almond extract

Directions

Scald milk and then cool to room temperature.

Mix together flour, sugar, salt in a large bowl. With 2 knives or a pastry cutter, cut in 1 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk the 3 egg yolks into lukewarm milk. (I always forget to scald the milk in advance and let it cool therefore the milk is always fairly warm when I whisk in the egg yolks. Just be careful it isn’t so hot as to start cooking the yolks!)

Mix yeast into the hot water and let sit for a minute. Add yeast mixture to the milk and eggs. Whisk gently.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until soft dough forms. You may want to add a bit more flour to cut stickiness. Place dough into large Tupperware container lightly sprayed with cooking spray and seal.

Place in refrigerator overnight (8 – 12 hours). It should double in size. 

Roll out dough on floured surface, as you would for cinnamon buns.
 Spread 1/2 cup butter evenly over dough, sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up, cut about 1 – 1 ½ inches thick...

 Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Lightly flatten with the palm of your hand.

Let rise, covered with tea towel, in warm place for 1 hour.
Prepare glaze - While dough is rising, mix together icing sugar, milk, and almond extract until you have a glaze that is a little thinner than the consistency of pudding. (Use more icing sugar or milk as necessary)Set aside.
When done rising - preheat oven to 350.

Bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes, until evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on trays for 10 minutes. While still on cookie sheets, use a pastry brush or basting brush and spread a little of the glaze over each roll. Remove to wire racks to finish cooling.

I always make a double batch of this as everyone loves them and they disappear very quickly. Sue doesn’t like the glaze so we have to leave a few rolls without any on them.
The dough is sooo light and fluffy.

 **If you are wondering what to do with the leftover egg whites you might want to try our Pecan Toffee Meringues. **