Cinn-full Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls will add some rolls to your waistline! And you don’t have to use one of those ghastly spring-form tubes of yucky, fake dough. These are great with nuts or neutered (i.e. no nuts… heh). 

THE DOUGH

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Whole Milk
  • 2 tbsp. Water
  • 3 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/4 cup Butter or Margarine, Softened
  • 3-1/3 cups Bread Flour
  • 2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Directions

    1. Add all ingredients to bread machine pan in order listed.
    2. Select Dough cycle and press Start.

 

THE FILLING

Ingredients

  • 2 Full Sticks of Butter or Margarine, very softened
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • As much Cinnamon as you can handle (At least 2 tbsp.)
  • 1 cup Finely Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (Optional)
  1. Mix butter or margarine, brown sugar,white sugar, and cinnamon together into a thick, goopy* paste.
  2. Don’t mix in the nuts; those come later.

 

THE FROSTING

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1-1/2 – 3 tbsp. Whole Milk
  1. Mix all ingredients together into a thick, runny* paste.
  2. If frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk; if too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

*What’s the difference between “goopy” and “runny” you might ask? If you put a “goopy” paste in a bowl, it will hold it’s shape, whereas a “runny” paste will lie flat. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

 

THE ROLLS

  1. Spray two or three (depending on size) baking pans or cake pans with a LOT of cooking spray. This recipe makes about 14-16 rolls.
  2. When dough cycle has completed, turn out dough onto a floured surface.
  3. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick.
  4. Smear entire surface with filling, as evenly as possible.
  5. Sprinkle nuts evenly over the filling. (Optional)
  6. Gently roll up the dough rectangle lengthwise, avoiding squeezing or pressing.
  7. With a long, sharp knife, cut the rolled dough into 1 to 1-1/2 inch sections of equal size.
  8. Arrange sections in baking pans, leaving at least 1 inch between each roll.
  9. Rise in an unheated oven for about 30 minutes until doubled in size.
  10. With pans still in the oven, turn oven on to 350 degrees, and bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for only about five minutes.
  12. Use a piping bag with a large, round tip to swirl icing all over the hot cinnamon rolls. The frosting will melt and run into every crack and crevice.

 

Sneaky Trick: If you’re having trouble getting your filling to spread, use a large, wet pastry brush (or a new, wet paint brush). The filling won’t stick to it as much as it will to a spoon or spatula, especially when it’s wet, and a tiny bit of extra moisture won’t hurt your dough and filling at all.