Cinnamon Rolls-our twice annual treat

We went away for a weekend and rented a cottage recently. We made cinnamon rolls and they were really great. We make them twice a year and they are a family favorite. I have had a request for the recipe so here it is:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/60587/cinnabon-cinnamon-rolls.html/print

This is the dough recipe I used this year. It was really good. I have tried lots of different recipes and some are more like bread or roll dough and this one is a little more eggy rather than bready if that makes sense. I recommend it. I don't use a recipe for my filling or my frosting though really. I have been doing it long enough that I just kind of know what I like and how it should look. After the dough rises I roll it out and I cover it in a layer of softened or melted butter. I put brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and nuts in a bowl together and I mix it all up and spread that on evenly. Pecans are my favorite nuts in there but walnuts are also wonderful.
Then I roll it up to look like this and gently pinch it closed across the side.

Cut into rolls with dental floss. This is the easiest and cleanest way to cut them and then you won't forget and cut on your pastry mat like I did once when making naan.


I usually flatten them on top a little to keep them holding together a little more.


With this recipe you only let them rise once and then you bake until golden brown. You can use any old cream cheese frosting recipe and then add things to make it a little more zingy. There is a recipe for the frosting on the link above but a good rule of thumb is 3/4 C. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla for every 8 oz. of cream cheese. Some of the recipes also call for butter but I don't always put it in.

For this batch I added the juice and zest of one lemon ( I got the inspiration for the lemon from "Blokes Who Bake")- http://www.blokeswhobake.co.nz/recipes/icings-and-sauces/cream-cheese-icing/ and let it sit together in the fridge overnight so the lemon flavor would be really potent. It was amazing-everyone loved it.


Last year I made the frosting into chocolate cream cheese frosting by adding cocoa powder to taste. It throws off the dry/liquid ratio so you either leave out a little powdered sugar or add a tablespoon or two of milk. Either way it is wonderful. Some people like regular powdered sugar frosting without the cream cheese but I am a cream cheese frosting kind of a girl.