Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

It’s Monday.

Easter weekend is over and now my annual April depression can officially begin. I’m not crazy about the month of April…other than April Fools Day and Easter, it just doesn’t have much to offer.

It rains…a lot. Which means humidity….and bad hair…and muddy shoes….and a stir crazy little boy who has been stuck indoors with me ALL DAY LONG.

April brings crazy temperatures. One day you gleefully break out the shorts and tank tops….next week, it’s jeans and a jacket.

The month of April is in that weird limbo…where the end of the school year is in sight…but too far away to yet celebrate. 


Many days it is hot enough to swim, but the pools are not open until May.

April sucks.

There is only one thing yet to come this month that keeps my hope alive. 

Glee. April 13th.

If you don’t watch Glee, or worse yet, have never heard of Glee, I am sad for you.

Very, very sad.

Good music + funnyness + cute boys + Jane Lynch as a gym teacher = pure awesomeness

Seriously.

Watch it.


Disclaimer:
I am not affiliated with the FOX network or more specifically, the show Glee in any way. I have not been paid to promote this show. However, as a self appointed Ambassador of Awesomeness, I feel it is my personal responsibility to make you aware of things that will make your life more awesome.


Now, on to something else I love.


Cinnamon rolls.


More specifically, cinnamon rolls with frosting. Because cinnamon rolls without frosting don’t even count. Cinnamon rolls without frosting get lumped into my fruits and vegetables category.

If cinnamon rolls without frosting had a face, I would laugh in it. 


If you have even been to a mall, you probably know that Cinnabon makes some of the best cinnamon rolls ever. Even if you haven’t actually eaten one, you have smelled one. And that is enough to know how good they probably are. So when I saw this recipe for Clone of a Cinnabon on Allrecipes.com (which, by the way, is the fifth highest rated recipe on the whole site), I knew I had to try it.

This recipe calls for using a bread machine to make the dough. I do have a bread machine, but I was out of bread machine flour so I decided to adapt the recipe to make the dough the old fashioned way. Somewhere in the translation, I obviously made an error, because my dough came out way too firm. Other than that, the cinnamon rolls were absolutely delicious. Next time, I will be buying bread flour and using the machine as per the instructions. 


INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

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

1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.


Roll the dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough (long ways) and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400.


Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.


These cinnamon rolls will brighten anyone’s April!!


Happy Monday!!!