Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

(1) .25 oz. pks. active dry yeast
1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup 110 degree water (approximately)
1/2 cup warm milk (must be warm)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg – slightly beaten
3 1/4-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

3 Tbsp. melted butter
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbls. ground cinnamon
3/4 cups chopped walnuts, pecans or raisins – (optional)

Frosting

4 oz. neufchatel or fat-free cream cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
About 1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (I just realized I accidentally doubled both extracts, but it was yummy! Reduce these amounts if you’re scared.)
2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions

1) For bread machine: Add water, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, egg, flour, and yeast to bread machine bowl, in that order. Set on “dough” setting. (I did this the night before so I could just wake up and roll them out in the morning.) Then jump to Step 6.

2) Without bread machine: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in warm water; set aside.

3) In a large bowl, mix together milk, remaining sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, salt, and egg; add yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour to mixture; beat until smooth; stir in enough flour to form a slightly stiff dough.

4) Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.

5) Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6) Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.

7) Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a 15″ X 10″ rectangle.

8) Brush 3 tablespoons melted butter over dough; sprinkle cinnamon sugar liberally over dough; sprinkle nuts evenly over dough, if desired.

9) Tightly roll up dough, starting from the shorter (10″) side. Pinch edges together to seal. Cut the roll into 9 slices using dental floss or thread.

10) Grease a 9″ X 9″ X 2″ baking pan. (I will say I had to squeeze them into a pan this size, and it made for gargantuan towering rolls that were a bit doughy in the middle – because they were too big to cook through evenly. I thought they were good, but you might also experiment with different pan sizes and shapes – or different roll sizes!)

11) Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the prepared pan; cover pan and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.

12) Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

13) For frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Add milk, a little at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency. Spread frosting on warm rolls and eat until you are stuffed.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s) (plus additional rise time) Cooking time: 25 minute(s)