I’ve a confession to make. Or maybe two.
My absolute favorite breakfast is a fresh cup of coffee and a warmed up cinnamon bun smothered with cream cheese icing. In Charmed by Chocolate, Leah makes cinnamon buns (in fact, she makes a lot of cinnamon buns) and they get devoured by everyone around her. Sigh…now I want some.
But here’s my confession – and don’t judge me, okay?
I can’t make cinnamon buns for the life of me. I’ve tried – oh how I’ve tried. But there’s something about these delicious buns that I can’t grasp and despite trying many many recipes, they never work out.
SIGH.
BUT…my sister-in-law, Melissa (whom you may know as my assistant) has the touch.
Oh does she have the touch. She was nice enough to share her recipe here…so really, this should be titled Melissa Bakes instead of Steena Bakes…lol.
Right now, my tastebuds are going crazy just thinking about her recipe. Melissa’s cinnamon buns were the inspiration behind those Leah from Charmed by Chocolate made.
- For the Dough:
- 1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp or 1/4 oz or 7 g)
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup margarine or softened butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- For the Filling:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup softened margarine
- Cream Cheese Icing:
- 6 tbsp margarine, or butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- For the Rolls:
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
- Into the bowl of a mixer add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour and mix well.
- Pour the milk/yeast mixture into the mixer bowl and, using the dough hook, mix ingredients until well incorporated.
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl, then cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, to approximately 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. The rolled out dough should be approx 1/4 inch thick.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees, and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- To Make the Filling:
- Combine butter or margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Spread the filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Alternatively, you could also spread the butter on the dough FIRST, and then the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- Be sure to work carefully from the long edge of the dough, and roll the dough down to the bottom edge. The completed roll should be approximately18 inches in length.
- Now cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. It’s easier to use a piece of unflavored floss vs a knife.
- Place the cut rolls into the greased pan. Cover them with a damp towel, and let them rise again for another 30 minutes, or until they double in size.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a light golden brown. BE AWARE – Cooking time can vary greatly!
- While the rolls are baking. now is the perfect time to make the icing by mixing all ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Once the rolls are done, and slightly cooled, spread generously with icing.
