Great tasting cinnamon rolls are best with fresh ingredients and good cinnamon. Invest in another jar of fresh spice if you think your cinnamon has been sitting around in the cupboard for years.

After using this recipe, I made some changes it in it. I cut the sugar added to the dough to one quarter cup. I also cut down the amount of brown sugar in the filling from 2 cups to 1-1/2.  I thought even that was a little too much, so next time I will probably cut the packed light brown sugar to a cup.  (The recipe below reflects these changes.)

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
5 1/2 cups flour
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons  grated orange rind (try to not get any of the white, just zest)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Non-stick cooking spray

Filling:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries OR currants OR raisins
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Boil peeled, diced sweet potatoes until tender. Drain and mash.

For Rolls: Pulse yeast, water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a food processor 4 times or just until combined, using the metal blade. Remove metal blade, scraping yeast mixture into food processor bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. (If making by hand, stir together these ingredients in a large bowl and let stand 5 minutes.)

Stir cooled potatoes and 1/2 cup flour into the yeast mixture and blend well, then add the rest of the flour.

Insert short plastic dough blade into food processor; add 1/2 cup flour to processor bowl and process 2 minutes. Add mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, buttermilk, the rest of the sugar, butter, orange rind, salt and and soda, along with 4 cups flour; process 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup flour, and process 2 minutes or until a dough forms, coming together to hold a shape. (If making by hand, mix in ingredients and stir in same order as above, then knead the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface, for at least 5 minutes.)

Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

If you're making by hand, turn dough out on a floured surface to mix and knead a few times before placing it into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, covered, to rise in a warm place.

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 10- by- 18-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with Filling. Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Cut into 12 (1 1/2-inch) slices, and arrange in a lightly greased 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes. (For me, this dough made closer to 18 cinnamon rolls.  These fit just fine into a buttered 9-by-9-inch baking pan.)

Roll out dough in a large rectangle and spread on brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Start rolling the dough in from one of the long sides, as you would for a jelly roll. Then, start cutting rounds from one end.

Bake rolls at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove rolls from oven; drizzle Glaze slowly over rolls, starting at 1 edge of pan and drizzling in a circular pattern.

Bake rolls 7 to 10 more minutes or until lightly browned and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove rolls from oven, and invert onto a baking sheet. Invert again, glaze side up, onto a serving platter. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

When rolls are done, let them cool awhile before you put on the glaze or icing (while the rolls are still warm).

For Filling: Stir together butter, sugar, pecans, raisins or dried cranberries, until blended.

For Glaze:  Stir together sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cream and vanilla.

Makes 12-15 rolls.

Adapted from Domino Sugar

Last Saturday morning, I took a cruise up I-10 to Boerne Stage Road and dropped by the farmers market at the Leon Springs Baptist Church parking lot. On a sunny morning it was easy to park and not yet steamy hot, so I could enjoy making the rounds of vendors.

Even at a distance, the plants and flowers displayed were a welcome eyeful of color in our currently dusty landscape. There were two tents with beautiful, healthy looking herbs, Hibiscus, and an intriguing flowering plant named a Rangoon Creeper.

I met Mario Obledo as I photographed some of the produce. He is the vice president of the Hill Country Farmers Market Association, the organization that promotes this market and three other markets in the area (see below for details). I learned that the Leon Springs market is year-round, 2 1/2 years into its growth and development, still with room for new additions and new ideas.

Every day you hear about “going green,” and at The Green Brownie company they are doing green in brownies! No, this isn’t a St. Patrick’s Day gimmick; these are delicious treats made with all-organic ingredients so you can feel good about indulging. Owner Tracy Carlson told me that they even used packaging that is eco-friendly. If you are in a more playful mood, the stand also has Brownies-on-a-stick (they are cute) as well as gluten-free brownies.

But the vision that most of us hold about a farmers market includes lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. As it should be, there were three well-stocked displays of bright, fresh, produce. I saw some good looking squash that were named Sunburst and White Scalloped, very much like a pattypan squash, at Bob Mishler’s Uncertain Farms. Lots of people were buying peaches and tomatoes, cucumbers and okra, potatoes and green beans, plums, bell peppers, jam, wow!

But there were baked breads, pecans (even pecan oils at Circle H Orchards), and some super yummy granola at Cowgirl Granola. Heather Hunter, the Head Cowgirl, has been making her toasty, oaty, nutty, tasty, amazing granola for about 8 years. She is out at Leon Springs every week, as well as the other three markets in the association. You can also contact her at cowgirlenterprises@gmail.com.

There is usually a grass-fed beef dealer, but he was out-of-town that morning. He’s expected back soon; meanwhile, there are other vendors with free-range eggs and various goodies to keep you busy until then.

I have been to a few farmers markets in our area and in other states — and even other countries. Leon Springs is not the biggest, but it has a good variety, easy to get service, and just a friendly, can-do, attitude. Go see for yourself and try something new!

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Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Leon Springs Baptist Church
24133 Boerne Stage Road (behind the H-E-B)

The other markets affiliated are:

• Boerne, Kendall County Fairgrounds, 1307 River Road, Boerne TX  Wednesdays 2-6 p.m., now through Nov. 18
• Bulverde-Spring Branch, The Branches Church, 4594 Highway 281 North, Bulverde, TX  Saturdays, 2:30-5:30 p.m., year-round.
• Helotes-Grey Forest, Helotes Hills United Methodist Church, 13222 Bandera Road, Helotes, TX  2nd & 4th Fridays, 3-6 p.m., now through Nov. 13