Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

This is actually a recipe I discovered and tweaked a bit this year, but they are fast becoming a December tradition for me since I crave them pretty much all the time. And in the event that you can't get out on Christmas Eve and pick up some Cinnabons, it's nice to know that these cinnamon rolls are there as a back up.

The recipe I tweaked says these should take about 90 minutes. They take me a bit longer, but not much. It makes 14 pretty cinnamon rolls and 2 funky looking ones (the ends of the roll never end up making normal looking cinnamon rolls).

Cinnamon Rolls:

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 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup margarine (softened)

Icing:
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/4 c butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Rolls:

Heat milk in small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine. Stir until melted then let cool until luke warm.

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 3-5 minutes).

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

Roll out the dough into a 24in x 14in rectangle. Spread dough with the brown sugar and butter mixture. Working from a long edge, roll up dough to form a log and pinch seam to seal.

Cut into 16 equal size rolls and place in a greased casserole dish. Turn your oven on to about 150 and let rise in warm oven for 30 minutes. Then crank up heat to 375 and let bake for 15-20 minutes.

Icing:

Blend all ingredients. Serve on warm cinnamon rolls.

Store covered and unrefrigerated. These reheat really well. Slather some icing on there, stick in the microwave for 20 seconds and they're perfect!