Cinnamon Buns

There's really not much better than ooey, gooey cinnamon roles. The kind that are warm, sticky and sweet, then they give you a huge sugar rush. They are also my husband's favorite breakfast food, and I can't blame him. I've tried to sneak the pre-made cinnamon rolls in our shopping cart for years, and he would always say, "They are so much better from scratch that I can't justify buying these." I would sadly put them back and mutter something about not being enough time in the morning to make them.


Then I got an intense craving to make them. And I mean, intense. So, I researched and found many possible recipes. They all looked yummy, but they all took a long time. And then I found one that said it only took 1.25 hours. It looked decent, but what kept my interest is the reviews. With more than 300 reviews, the recipe had a five-star rating. Crazy! So I had to try it.

I'll be honest, the first dough I made didn't rise. But the second batch did. I think it's because we have a cooler house and a very open kitchen, so it never stays very warm. We put the second batch in the oven at it's lowest setting, 140. It rose and worked fabulously.
Now I know that this has a major national chain name attached to it on the link, but for fear of being sued, I will neither mention it, nor repeat it here. I don't know if the company endorses it, so I won't just to be safe. The name is not what made me use the recipe. The only thing I would change is maybe baking it at 375 for 15-20 minutes. The centers in mine came out a little doughier than I wanted. But still, a home run!

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

FILLING
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened

ICING
• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt


Directions:

1 For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
2 Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.
3 Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.
4 Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5 Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.
6 It should be approx 1/4 thick.
7 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8 To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
9 Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
10 Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
11 Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
12 Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. (See note at top)
13 While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
14 Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
15 When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.