Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Over the last year I've found several excuses to make these including preparation for Hurricane Sandy and for the morning after a New Year's Eve party. When the power is out and the house is cold and you're forced to make coffee using a french press a homemade cinnamon roll can go a long way (man that was a crazy party - JK oh, Sandy.)

 Recipe adapted from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Dough Ingredients:

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup white sugar

1 package active dry yeast

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting Ingredients:

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.       Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add the flour in quarters and mix well. It will get a little tough, but keep at it until it’s well mixed! If it starts to get way too hard to mix anymore, dust your hands with some flour and finish mixing it by hand.

2.       Knead the dough into a large ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover it with a dish cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

3.       Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F

4.       Roll dough into a large rectangle (Make sure not to roll it too thin, or it will rip when you roll it up). Spread dough with the softened butter and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over it. Roll the dough up and cut into rolls about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick (I always end up making a different number). (Dough can be stored in the fridge at this point for later use.)

5.       Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or two). Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about thirty minutes.

6.       Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the ingredients for the frosting. Spread or drizzle it on warm rolls before serving.