Cinnamon Rolls on a Sunday afternoon...

Well...I finally did it!  I finally made (from scratch) Cinnamon Rolls...only one of my husband's all time favorite things to eat.  So it all worked out :o)  I found this recipe on Cooking with Libby, who by the way seems like a really nice lady and the only one who comments on this silly blog...thanks Olivia!  I was super excited to make these and a little nervous since I have never worked with yeast before.  I had heard through reading different blogs and websites that it can be tricky.  Let the adventure begin!

Libby's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp Bread Machine Yeast
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4/ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling

• 1/2 cup melted butter plus more for greasing the pan
• 3/4 cups sugar plus more for dusting the pan
• 2 Tblsp ground cinnamon

Cinnabon Cream Cheese Frosting (I used this recipe instead of the Glaze):

• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
• 1 cup margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Pour 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and 15 seconds.  Once heated, pour into the bowl of your electric mixer.  Next, take 1/4 cup of sugar and place it in the mixing bowl with the milk/water mixture.  Stir until the sugar is well combined with the liquid.  After the sugar is will mixed, add 2 1/4 tsp of yeast and mix in with the liquid.  Now, let it sit for 10 minutes.  This gives the mixture a chance to get poofy.  Once the mixture is good and poofed, mix 1 tsp salt, 1/3 cup of butter and 1 egg in.  Mix until well combined.  Next, add 3 1/2 cups of flour to the mix.  Keep mixing until it forms a ball.  I used my hook attachment on my mixer and it worked like a charm :o)  Leave the ball of dough in you mixing bowl and cover with a dish towel.  Let it sit in a warm, dark place for an hour.  While the dough is rising, grease up your baking pan with butter.  Make sure to get the sides as well as the bottom.  Then sprinkle with good amount of sugar.
To make the filling, start by combining 3/4 cups sugar and 2 Tblsp cinnamon in a bowl.  After the hour is up and your dough has risen, punch it down once.  Take the dough out of the bowl, spread it on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 9x15 inch rectangle.  Melt 1/2 cup of butter and spread it all over the rolled out dough.  Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture all over the buttered dough.  Once the dough is all sweet and spiced, take the 15 inch side and start rolling it upward.  Roll it nice and tight, making sure to pinch any open edges to seal them shut.  Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces using a serated knife.  Place each roll into the buttered baking pan, cover with a dish towel and let it rise for another 45 minutes.  Then place them in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.  While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting.
Whip together cream cheese and margarine until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each cup until smooth and creamy.  Then add the vanilla and lemon juice, blend until all combined.  Once the buns are cooled down a little, slap some of this incredible frosting on 'em and chow down!


Noshing commencing in 3...2...Yum!

These turned out awesome and I had no trouble using yeast for the first time ever!  I must be a natural ;o)  I will definitely make them again and again.  The only thing... they do take a while to make, so do these on a lazy day when you have time to spare getting cozy with your oven and making your house smell absolutely heavenly.