Cinnamon Rolls

CINNAMON ROLLS

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You good? You good? I'm good! You good? Okay, good! Today I'm going to share my recipe for cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite sweet things to eat. There is just something so amazing about the soft dough, sweet filling, and the amazing cream cheese glaze on top.

As much as I love cinnamon rolls, I don't make them too often because I know how I am around them. I eat one, and one turns into two, and so on and so forth. For the past two weeks, I have been working on this recipe and I got it exactly how I want it. Now, I will admit, making cinnamon rolls is  a bit of a process, and I am no stranger to just hitting up the dairy section at my local grocery store and grabbing a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. There is, however, a sense of pride when you make them yourself.

To be honest, After testing and trying to perfect my own recipe for cinnamon rolls these past two weeks, I am pretty sick of them at the moment, but I'm sure I'll be back to loving them again soon.

Okay, enough of me...let's get to the recipe.

NOTES:

• It is very important that your water is warm. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise. The easiest way to test is to place your finger in the water. When you do, the water should be warm to the touch. If you have to snatch your finger out because of the heat, it's too hot.
• If you want to make the cinnamon rolls in a mixer with a dough attachment, that is fine, but if you're using a spoon, after a while you might need to knead the flour in by hand if it is too hard to mix with the spoon.
• The warm place I like to put my dough is in the microwave or in the oven with the oven light on.
• You can use regular milk instead of half and half.
• Make sure the yeast you're using is not expired.

Ingredients:

Dough:

-1/2 cup warm water

- 2 tsp. sugar

- 1 pack (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast

- 4 1/2  to 5 cups flour (all purpose of bread flour)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 5 tbsp. melted butter

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 1 cup half and half

- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Filling: 

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 2 tbsp. cinnamon

- 4 tbsp. softened butter

Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)

- 4 tbsp. butter (softened)

- 2 to 4 tbsp. half and half

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Stir together the warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and pack of yeast. Let that sit and proof for five minutes (it should look foamy after five minutes). Mix together the flour and salt. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, half and half, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and oil and mix those together. Add in the yeast and water mixture and stir. Using a wooden spoon or mixer with dough attachment. Add in the flour a little at a time until a dough forms *see notes*. Knead the dough a few times by hand until it comes into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a bowl that has been greased with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into a warm place to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or doubled in size *see notes*.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air and turn out onto work area. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 14 inches tall and 20 inches wide. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon very well. Spread the softened butter all over the inside of the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of the butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides with no cinnamon sugar. Starting with the longest end, roll the dough up really tight. Slice the rolls into 1 inch pieces using a serrated knife. Place the rolls into a greased 9 x 19 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. Once the rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and place into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Glaze:

Mix together the softened butter and cream cheese until combined. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until the sugar is incorporated. Add in the milk or half and half until it is a thick, but runny consistency. Spread the glaze over the hot rolls.