The Best Cinnamon Rolls

Jones kiddo #3 had his 15th birthday this week and while I desperately love that boy, he took a knife to my culinary heart when he chose Hot Pockets for his birthday dinner. Hot Pockets?!?!  Come on son!  Your amazing mother offers to make you anything you want for your birthday dinner and you pick something guaranteed to give you intestinal problems for days?!?

The only thing that saved him from being banned from my presence was his request for a batch of my best cinnamon rolls for his birthday breakfast.  I guess I will find some way for my offended heart to forgive him.

This killer recipe is my version of the recipe over at Epicurious.  The main two changes I made was to reduce the amount of cinnamon in the actual dough, plus I didn’t add the pecans this time around.  I know I would have loved these rock star rolls with a ton of pecans, but not all my kiddos would agree with that statement.

A couple recipe notes:  don’t skimp out on the whole milk for the dough.  That extra fat really adds to the richness and texture of the dough.  Also, the filling uses dark brown sugar and it really does make a difference in the end result of the filling.  You can use light brown sugar but the flavor won’t be quite as rich and deep.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

• Yield: 16 rolls 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dough

• 3 1/2 C flour
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 C whole milk (yes, use whole milk!)
• 4 Tb butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 1 1/4 C dark brown sugar
• 2 Tb ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6 Tb butter, soft

Glaze

• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 Tb + 2 tsp whole milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

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Instructions

1. In your stand mixer with your paddle attachment, mix together the flour, yeast and sugar. In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat the milk and butter for 1 1/2 minutes on high so the butter melts. Turn the mixer on and slowly add the milk to the bowl, then the eggs, cinnamon and salt. Beat for 2 minutes, then stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat again for another 3 minutes then transfer the very soft and very sticky dough into a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm, draft free place for 2 hours. I stick mine inside the microwave 🙂
2. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Once the dough has risen, roll it out onto a floured counter top to a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Spread the soft butter over the dough then sprinkle the filling evenly over the butter. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the seam closed with your fingers. With the seam side down, cut dough into 16 equal pieces with a very sharp, thin knife.
3. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans and evenly place the rolls in the pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes until almost doubled in volume. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the rolls until golden brown on top, about 18 minutes. Mix together the glaze. Remove from the oven and invert immediately onto a cooling rack. Cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto a plate so the right side is up. Drizzle the rolls with the glaze and serve immediately.

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