Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

I made these by request.

Yes, Vin asked me to make cinnamon rolls so I said…ok! To be honest, I have only made cinnamon rolls once before and that was awhile back so I needed a refresher. After searching the internet for a recipe that did not involve making a trip to the grocery store, I found one…by Paula Deen of course! Ya know, everyone talks about how fattening her recipes are (they do have a point) but gosh darn it they are so good. Who wants a low-fat cinnamon roll anyway? If you’re going to eat a cinnamon roll, it might as well be a good one. Like I said before, I only made cinnamon rolls once before so it’s not like we are eating them weekly, or monthly or even yearly so get out your sugar and butter y’all! 🙂

This is what the dough looked like after I mixed it all together and kneaded it. Another point to make here. I don’t often bake with yeast or just haven’t decided to make a ton of breads just quite yet so it’s also somewhat new to me. I only had one packet so I prayed that I did it right. Any helpful tips about baking with yeast would be much appreciated! 😉

And this is what it looked like after I let it rise for 90 minutes. I thought it would be “puffier” but I had no choice at this point except to move on so I punched it down and rolled it out…

Then spread melted butter, cinnamon and sugar all over it. This recipe calls for a lot of butter and a lot of sugar by the way. Don’t be afraid to use it all. 😉

Roll that baby up and cut into about 12 slices. I tried to make them all event but it just didn’t work out that way. Remember this was only my second time making these! I put them in a dish to rise again for 30 minutes (they did not seem to rise too much) but again decided to move on and bake them.

This was the result! They actually turned out great – they got much bigger as they baked. I was a little worried how they would turn out – they were not all the same size, they didn’t rise as much as I thought but somehow they turned out looking homemade and beautiful. I sometimes like the “rustic” look don’t you? I am wondering if they didn’t rise as much because I keep my house somewhat cool and they needed to be in a warmer spot? if you have any insight on this, please comment!

I just the love cinnamon and sugar swirl in these – remember make sure you sprinkle the entire cinnamon and sugar mixture on the dough even if it seems like it’s too much. 😉

Cover with the icing after they have cooled a bit. You don’t want them to be too hot or else the icing will just melt right off. The original recipe did not call for cream cheese, but I thought the icing was a little too sweet and I figured cream cheese would add a tangy flavor. I think it helped balance the sweetness a bit and who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?

What I love most about these is that they were not too soft. They had a nice texture and a crisp top but the inside was perfectly fluffy and soft. I like these best warmed up a little. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

 

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Ingredients

Dough:

• ¼-ounce package yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• ½ cup scalded milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• ½ cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• ¾ cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1½ hours.
3. When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
4. Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
5. Meanwhile, mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

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