Cinnabon Style Cinnamon Rolls

Collective sigh in appreciation of a good cinnamon roll.

And these are good cinnamon rolls.

Verrrrry good.

No more canned cinnamon rolls for me - this is my go-to big breakfast/brunch food.  Because they are DELICIOUS.  Just make sure you bake them long enough - so that they aren't doughy - and not so long that they're crusty.

Just the smell of cinnamon rolls reminds me of going to the mall.  Because there is always a Cinnabon somewhere.  It's just the fact of a mall.  Same with Panda Express and Subway.  Any mall, any highway oasis - you will find those two restaurants.

Now, I have only had a Cinnabon cinnamon roll like once or twice, but it's the smell I remember.  It's heavenly.  And what I can remember of what the roll tastes like, well, let's just call it good.

These are better.

So now, without further ado/reminiscing, I present to you the recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything!

Cinnabon Style Cinnamon Rolls
REQUIRES ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS
REQUIRES RISING TIME (1.5 HOURS)
REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE

1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 ounce yeast (1 package)

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Microwave milk 45-60 seconds.  Pour into large bowl.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm milk.
3. Add sugar, butter, salt, and eggs.  Stir well, and then add flour.  Stir well.
4. Lightly dust your hands with flour, and knead dough into a large ball.
5. Spray a bowl with cooking spray, and place dough ball inside.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon with a fork.
7. Flour a flat surface.  On it, roll out dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle.
8. Spread 1/3 cup softened butter on dough, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
9. Roll up dough longways and cut into 12 individual cinnamon rolls.
10. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.  Place rolls into the pan.  Cover and let rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about 30 minutes.*
11. Once risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
12. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
13. While rolls bake, beat cream cheese and butter in a small bowl.  Stir in powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and salt and stir well.
14. Remove rolls from oven and spread frosting on warm rolls.  Serve warm.  Makes 12 rolls.

*You can refrigerate the rolls overnight at this point.

Breaking it down:

Make your dough.  Knead it into a large ball and let rise until it's doubled in size, like so.  You might try turning on your oven and placing the dough on the stovetop if your house is cold.  Or, if you make these in the summer, like I did, you can put a large bowl over the dough bowl and put it outside.  Jussayin'.

Form the dough into a rectangle - it should be 16x21 inches but mine was smaller - and spread with butter.

Sprinkle on that cinnamon-sugar mixture that you made... (doesn't it look delish??)

...and roll up your rolls.  Gorgeous.

Put those rolls in a pan and let them rise.  After they rise, you can cover them and stick them in the refrigerator overnight, which is what I did.  That way, you can sleep in and still get breakfast done on time!  Anyway, bake these beauties for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, beat your butter and cream cheese...

Add that powdered sugar...

And stir in vanilla and salt to make your cream cheese frosting.

Spread that frosting over your warm rolls so that the frosting oozes inside the rolls, making them taste ah-mazing.

And there you have it - beautiful, delicious cinnamon rolls with yummy frosting!

Yes, even I, whose belief is that cream cheese should be put on Ritz crackers and should NEVER be used in sweet things, love this frosting-and-cinnamon-roll combination.  Soooo delicious.

Enjoy!  I know you will! ;)
-JJ