Ooey, Gooey, Better-Than-Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls. Isn’t that the only way cinnamon rolls should be described? Hot damn. My wife (Italian) overdoes herself in almost all cooking and baking endeavors (to my advantage typically). One day, we received a shipment of flour and all other sorts of baking materials. Of course, my scrooge-like instincts kicked in and asked “what the hell do we need all of this for?” The response was cinnamon rolls. Skeptical, I muttered this and that under my breath and hauled in yet another package from our porch to the spare bedroom.
Weeks later, Christmas morning came along and these amazing cinnamon rolls were served. Holy crap. I never need to even salivate at the thought of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll in the mall. These will do the trick every time. The dough was moist and buttery, breaking apart by pulling at it with your fingers. The cinnamon filling was so good I could eat it alone. Usually, the table fights for the icing, but every ounce of this thing was spot on. Of course, speaking of icing, the cream cheese icing was a great balance to the cinnamon filling. I think each one of us hacked away at two in one sitting.
Next time you are thinking of having cinnamon rolls one morning, stop yourself from buying a can from the grocery store. I know, you’ll missing shoving a spoon into the can at several different points until you hear that satisfying “POP,” but it will be worth it. You’re damn sure welcome.
Ooey-Gooey, Better-Than-Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
*Make the dough one day before you put them into the oven
Dough:
1 pckg active dry yeast
1 c warm milk
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c flour
Filling:
1 c packed brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 c softened butter
Cream Cheese Icing
6 tbsp soft butter
1.5 c powdered sugar
1/4 c soft cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
*Mix together the filling and the icing (separately)
- Dissolve yeast in warm milk.
- Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour; mix.
- Pour milk/yeast mix into bowl and mix with dough hook until well incorporated.
- Place dough into oiled bowl, cover, and proof (let rise in warm place) for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface (16″x12″ wide at about 1/4″ thickness)
- Spread ooey-gooey filling evenly over the dough. Roll from the long end down.
- Cut into even slices (about 1.5″).
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9×13 pan.
- Put the slices in the pan and cover with damp towel. let rise again for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes and spread delicious icing on top – don’t forget about the corners!