Cinnamon Rolls

Michael has been working nights lately so as he is getting up for the day, I am coming home from work and getting dinner prepared. Most days when he wakes up, he wants breakfast and not what I am making for dinner. Over the weekend, I decided to make something that took a little more time and give him a yummy start to his day. I took on the task of making cinnamon rolls.

I searched the internet for a recipe and asked some friends for advise. I was looking for one that didn't take all day to rise and wasn't so involved. These cinnamon rolls from Allrecipes took about an hour and a half to make from start to finish and they were so good. I even got a "these are bad ass" from of Michael! Now that's a good cinnamon roll.

The only problem I had when making these was mixing the butter, cinnamon and sugar mixture together and spreading it on the dough. Next time, I am going to try melting the butter, brushing it on the dough and then sprinkling the cinnamon sugar onto the melted butter.

I am entering these into What's Baking for the month. Dunne' at With a Cherry on Top is the hostess this month. She choose the theme for February as Baked with Love. These cinnamon rolls were baked with love to give my wonderful husband a sweet start to his day.

Cinnamon Rolls
Printer friendly recipe
Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened

Directions

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in a 9x13 lightly greased baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Top with cream cheese icing and serve warm.

Cream Cheese Icing
Source: Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth after each addition.