Cinnamon Rolls

As most of you may know by now, I LOVE The Pioneer Woman's website and all of her yummy recipes. Over the weekend, I decided to try to make PW's cinnamon rolls. Mind you, I have tried numerous times to make cinnamon rolls and have failed every time. So, I was a little apprehensive about trying again but they just looked SO good!

You can check out her recipe, photos (better quality than mine!) and print the recipe here.

All the yummy things that make up these sinful rolls.

To start the dough, you need to scald 1 qt whole milk.....

1 cup of oil.....

and 1 cup of sugar. You do not want to bring it to a boil. You just want to get the mixture hot. When scalded, turn off heat and let sit for 45-60 minutes.

After it has cooled to lukewarm, place 2 packages of active dry yeast on the milk mixture. Let the yeast sit for 1 minute.

Then add in 8 cups of all-purpose flour and stir to combine. Let this mixture sit for ~ 1 hour with either a kitchen towel or a lid over the top. Your dough will rise.

When dough is ready to work with, melt 2 cups of butter.

This recipe will make about 7 tins of cinnamon rolls. Lay them out.

Add 1 cup flour, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, 1 scant teaspoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of salt to dough and mix thoroughly.

Place half of the dough mixture on a well floured surface. Roughly shape it into a rectangle.

Roll your rectangle into a larger, thinner rectangle.

Prep your pans by placing 1 tablespoon of butter into each pan.

Spread the butter evenly over the pan.

Now place about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of melted butter on your rolled out dough.

Spread the butter out so it evenly coats the dough and reaches all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle on 1 cup (at least.. more if you please!) of sugar.

Generously sprinkle on cinnamon.

Roll the dough starting at the end away from you and roll toward you. Don't fret if some of your gooey filling falls out. Just pinch the edges when it is rolled up.

Now cut into 3/4 - 1 inch pieces. (mine ended up being about 1 1/2 -2 and made 5 tins) Place the rolls into your buttered pans. Do not over-crowd the pan.

These were my five tins. Let the tins sit on the counter with a kitchen towel over the top for 20-30 minutes. The rolls will rise. Now, bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. I wish I would have cut the rolls smaller because when they baked.....

They puffed out over the edge of the pan and they browned to much on the top. They still tasted GREAT but they weren't very pretty without the frosting! Plus, I think I may have over-crowded my pans.

As for the frosting, I didn't use the maple frosting she makes for hers. Instead, I googled "cinnabon frosting" and came up with this recipe:

1 lb butter, room temp

1 lb cream cheese, room temp

2 lb powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice (I didn't have any so I left it out and it still tasted GREAT)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese together.
Add the powdered sugar and mix for 12 minutes.

Just before done add the lemon juice and vanilla. Make sure it is well mixed.

This frosting recipe makes A LOT but if I would have had 7 tins like PW I probably wouldn't have had so much left over.

Enjoy!