"Cinnabon" Cinnamon Rolls

I had been holding onto this recipe waiting for an occasion to try it. Christmas morning was my chance. The smell of them baking got everyone up and ready to go. Christmas (and Thanksgiving) are sort of like marathons for me and my siblings. We have lots of places to go and lots of people to see. So a couple of these to start our day wasn't so bad...right?

If you want to have these in the morning, but don't want to wake up hours before everyone else, you can make these the day before you need them. Just store them in the fridge before the second rise. In the morning, take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you bake them off. I was nervous they wouldn't puff up, but they really expanded once they got in the oven.

"Cinnabon" Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from allrecipes

For Dough:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
  
• 1 cup warm milk
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups flour

For Filling:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For Icing:

• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2-3 tbsp milk
  

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough. (I used dough hook attachment for about 5 minutes). Dough should be soft and smooth.

Put in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Roll it up (lengthwise) and slice into about 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. (At this point, I would transfer to refrigerator for next day). Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Make your icing while they are in the oven, adding enough milk for the consistency you like. Enjoy!

Makes 12 rolls. (I think I doubled this recipe for my family!)