Cinnamon Rolls

 

Ok.  Ahhh-yep.  This is The One.  The Cinnamon Rolls. 

I've been through many a Cinnamon Roll recipe and yes, yes, this is The One.

Ok, I should preface by saying it's The One for us.  There are, goodness knows, a bazillion recipes for Cinnamon Rolls out there on the ol' interwebs and everyone has their favorite but for us, for now, this is It.  But it should be for you too, that's why I'm here.

Why?

Because these are out-freaking-standingly delicious.  Unbelievable.  Like super off the hook super duper unreal delicious.

And.  And.  Bonus, these stay soft after day one which has always been The sticking (ahh, pun) point for me. 

Usually Cinnamon Rolls morph into rocks in less than twenty four hours which, while reheated, sure, are still pretty good but they veer lackluster too quick.

These on the other, these eye-flutteringly amazing Cinnamon Rolls, stay soft for several days.  That to me is an immense win.

And boy, I'll tell ya, eating one fresh from the oven, holy heck, I swear to all things Cinnamon Rolls holy, holy bejebus, in-freaking-sane.

So That Good in-freaking-sane that I learned something about Mike.  Weird tangent, sure.  That if he utters not one single word, not a single sound while eating something I've baked, it is so that much a winner that he's rendered wholly, completely, entirely mute.

As he was this time.  For a solid half hour post-eating that fresh outta the oven one.

To be honest, he should have been thanking himself too.  He requested Cinnamon Rolls which sure, I'll oblige because I get them too, but he chose this recipe.

I'll explain....see, I've got eighty three, yes eighty three sweet roll recipes in my Paprika collection as I sit here.  Sounds ludicrous, I'm sure, recipe hoarder, but as I'm always seeking The Best of The Best, I stockpile and test until I get there.

Today I am here.

Right, how, out of eighty three recipes, did Mike land on this one?  After quickly perusing several, I printed out about five or six, put them in front of him and said, "ok, pick one, babe."  After an assemblage of funny looks shot my way he said, "that one."

I don't think he even looked, actually.  Thank the heck goodness he picked this one so everybody, please shout out a huge huge Huge thanks to Mike. 

Maybe I should do that more often.

Look, those Twisty Cinnamon Rolls are out of this world, as are the Chocolate Sweet Rolls and the other two wildly fantastic sweet roll recipes I've shared.

But.

These.

These. 

You'll see.

Truly, don't be intimidated by Cinnamon Roll baking either.  Mentally break the process into simple chunks, each one is then hardly overwhelming, and in a few short hours you, my friend, will be in sheer heaven.

A couple of quick notes:  you can use instant yeast in this recipe.  Just toss it into the dry ingredients instead of blooming active dry.  Too, you can prepare these ahead and chill overnight in the fridge for next day baking.  And, you can slice into twenty four wee ones instead of twelve bigger ones.

Ok!  Incredibly easy!  Bloom the yeast then toss in the rest of the dough ingredients and mix.*  Yeah!  I know!

You'll let that dough do its rising thing and then bam, it's time to assemble.

Dough risen and ready to roll.

Roll* out the dough which oh my, such a pliable happy dough to roll omg, then smear the butter across.

Toss the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, mix that up, then dump the entire contents in the center.  Spread across evenly and it's time to log it up.

Roll rather snugly from the short sixteen inch side for the twelve finished Cinnamon Rolls (or the long edge for twenty four smaller ones)...
 

...then with a super sharp knife* or I hear dental floss works, cut into evenly sized rolls, about an inch and a third per.

Lightly grease up your pan, preferably metal* and set the rolls in there.  Hot tip:  if you have some empty space, crumble up some aluminum foil into balls to fill.  Don't fill completely as the rolls need some expansion room.

Let that rise again and off to bake!

Meanwhile, make the icing...
 

...pace anxiously, pace some more, and ok, bake time is up!  If you're unsure if they're done, grab a kitchen thermometer* to test for about 190° F (88° C) in a center-pan roll.

Pop that pan out of the oven, let cool for only a few moments, then dollop and spread that icing across while the rolls are hot.

Let cool for a few more moments if you can then oooooh my, dive in.  Dive the heck in.  Do it.  Go.  I'll give you your space to enjoy. 

Yeah.  Wow.  Just wow.......gah, passing out.

Curtsy, bow, hat tip, you are so welcome.  xo
 

*The stand mixers, rolling pins, sharp knives, kitchen thermometers, are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.