Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a favorite Fall and Winter treat for me.  They remind me of holidays and family and good friends who made them when we all gathered.  So, with our 15 degree drop in temperatures I decided to make some the other day.  I use a bread roll recipe that makes really soft rolls for the dough, a simple cinnamon, sugar, and butter filling, and then cream cheese frosting for the top. Oh, and this time I sprinkled a little of this on top too.  YUM!

For the filling
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Cut the butter into little cubes.


For the dough
1 cup warm water
1 TBS of yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup very soft (but not melted) butter
1 egg, beaten, at room temp
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3-4 cups AP flour

In a measuring jug mix water, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar.  Allow time to react.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, sift all the dry ingredients.
Add the yeast, water, and mix using your dough hook a little.
Add the soft butter and eggs. Knead until a dough forms.
Take out of the bowl and knead a few time on your lightly floured counter top.
It will form a very soft dough.
Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rise until double the size, about 1 hour to 90 minutes.
Punch down and divide in half.
Roll out one half into a 9 x12 rectangle. about.
Sprinkle 1/3 the sugar mixture and half the butter onto the rectangle.
Roll it up length wise so you have a roll of dough, 12 inches long.
Cut this into 6 equal rolls.
Do the same thing with the other half of the dough.
Now, you can either put them in a buttered, glass jellyroll dish OR if everyone in your family would prefer a side or corner piece, use a muffin pan sprayed with Pam for Baking.
Cover, and let rise for about another hour.
Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with the remaining 1/3 of the sugar mixture.
Bake at 340 F for 30 minutes if in the jellyroll dish. (check rolls in the middle at 30 minutes and check every 5 minutes until done.)
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes if in the muffin pan.
You want the tops to be golden brown.

Cream Cheese Icing
OK, so this is really a taste driven thing.  Do you like it more of a cream cheese flavor, or more sweet?
Either way you want the same thing, you just add more sugar if you want it sweeter.

16 oz (2 packages) of cream cheese.
1-2 cups powder sugar
pinch of salt

Take the cream cheese out of the fridge when you start the rolling and sugar sprinkling stage of the dough.  You want it to be at room temp.
Put it in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat a little.  If it smooths out easily it is at the right temp, but if it seems stiff let it sit out a little longer.
Sift in the sugar and salt.
Beat it until smooth, but do not over beat.
Taste- if you want it sweeter, add more sugar, sifted, a couple tablespoons at a time.
When the rolls are out of the oven spoon over the rolls and spread out and let it fall down and get all gooey.