I just finished writing my post on getting up early to spend time with God (see "Good Morning!- Faith) and I was thinking that some of us might need some motivation. Enter cinnamon rolls. These soft and chewy rolls actually rendered my two year old speechless... at least for 30 seconds until the sugar rush came along. Ahem.
Anyway, here's how I made them! The official recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.
1. Warm up 1/2 cup of milk in the microwave. Once the milk is warm, but not hot, add in a packet of yeast. Let this mixture stand for about 5 minutes.
2. Mix together a half a stick of softened butter, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until the mixture becomes fluffy. If you have a standing electric mixer, use the paddle attachment, but a hand mixer will do just fine, too.
3. Beat in one egg and a cup of flour. Finally, beat in the warm milk mixture.
Switch to a dough hook and gradually add a rounded cup of flour. If you don't have a dough hook- have no fear! Use a spoon until the dough gets too heavy and then finish with your hands. Mix this really well, for a couple of minutes at least. Scoop out the beautiful, soft dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Store this in a warm place (I stored mine in the microwave) for about an hour and a half. Just enough time to feed the kiddo, get him a bath, and in his jammies.
Turn the dough out on a well-floured working surface. Use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking, and roll it out to 15 by 8 inch rectangular(ish) shape. It should be about a quarter-inch thick. Feel free to use a knife to trim the edges.
Allow your children to do the hard work, if you'd like. Or if they are pulling on your leg saying, "Mommy- help, Mommy-help, Mommy-help, Mommy-help!"
Bare feet on the countertops- sorry clean freaks. Its the price of a toddler who is determined to roll the dough. We have quite a system at this point.
Use your rolling pin to transfer the dough to some wax paper. Now it's time to make the fun stuff...
Use a fork to mix together 1/2 stick of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Spread this mixture on the dough, leaving a little space around the edges.
Use a fork to mix together 1/2 stick of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Spread this mixture on the dough, leaving a little space around the edges.
Oh. My. Goodness. I think I could just eat this stuff on its own. Maybe I did...
Then, roll it up! Try to roll it tightly and evenly. If you have time, wrap it in the wax paper and pop in the freezer for a few minutes. That will make cutting the dough SO much easier.
Cut it up! Make sure you use a really sharp knife, and make your rolls about an inch wide... long? Whatever! Ya got me!
Butter a square or round nonstick pan and arrange the rolls inside. Be sure to leave some space between the rolls.
Okay, you have a couple of options now.
- Option one: cover with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Option two: cover with plastic wrap and store the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. I did this and it worked really well. Just make sure you let them come to room temperature before baking them in the morning.
Meanwhile, get your ingredients together for the icing. I'm sharing a little secret from my mother-in-law here. She's one of the best cooks I know, so perk up, peeps...
A half a cup of confectioners' sugar and about a tablespoon of coffee creamer (I used caramel here) is all you need! Pour the sugar in the bowl first and whisk in the creamer a little bit at a time until it has the consistency of a glaze.
Drizzle with the glaze and serve! Yum!
Yes, same flour-covered jammies as the night before. We made these as soon as we woke up. And... speechless!
Enjoy! Please comment if you try these out!
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tbsp flavored coffee creamer
Instructions
Add a packet of yeast to warmed milk. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. In a mixer, combine sugar, half of the butter, and salt. Add egg and mix well. Stir in 1 cup of flour slowly. Add warmed milk and yeast and mix well. Switch to dough hook and slowly add remainder of flour. Cover in oiled bowl and allow to rest in warm area for about 90 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remainder of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Roll out dough in a long, rectangular shape (about 15 by 8 inches). Spread cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly on dough. Roll up dough and cut into 1 inch rolls. Place rolls on buttered 9 inch round pan and allow to rest for 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake in at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Whisk confectioners' sugar and creamer to make glaze. Drizzle on rolls and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tbsp flavored coffee creamer
Instructions
Add a packet of yeast to warmed milk. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. In a mixer, combine sugar, half of the butter, and salt. Add egg and mix well. Stir in 1 cup of flour slowly. Add warmed milk and yeast and mix well. Switch to dough hook and slowly add remainder of flour. Cover in oiled bowl and allow to rest in warm area for about 90 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remainder of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Roll out dough in a long, rectangular shape (about 15 by 8 inches). Spread cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly on dough. Roll up dough and cut into 1 inch rolls. Place rolls on buttered 9 inch round pan and allow to rest for 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake in at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Whisk confectioners' sugar and creamer to make glaze. Drizzle on rolls and enjoy!
RSS Feed