Family Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

When 'family recipe' precedes a dish name you know it must be good.  Good as in everyone who has tried a bite over the years wants the recipe.  So good that one of my friends whose family is in the restaurant business wants the recipe and is willing to share their family's famous recipe in exchange.  So here it is, the Scovell/Mueller family recipe for our special occasion breakfast favorite: Cinnamon Rolls.  Thank you, Aunt Mindy, for introducing us to this delicious-ness!

These sweet rolls should be featured on Sandra Lee semi-homemade if that show still exists - that's how easy this recipe is to complete.  Warning though, if you are the type of cook that can't stomach seeing large amounts of butter or sugar added to a dish, than just forward the recipe onto someone else so they can make them and you can blissfully eat these without knowing the details.  I too am the same way but refuse to let it ruin this sweet treat.  Must also explain my lack, and as a result, poor baking skills.  I'm always trying to substitute non-fat greek yogurt for butter, oil, cream, etc.  Never turns out well for baked goods.

Ahem, getting back to the recipe - here is the key to putting loved ones into sugar and food coma:

Ingredients:

• 2 tubes Pillsbury crescent roll dough
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 6 T. unsalted butter, softened (use Shatto butter if you're in KC)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Milk

Directions:

Pop those tubes open and unroll the sheets of dough.  Gently spread each sheet out so you end up with eight rectangles total.  

Mix the sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg up in a KitchenAid mixer until it is creamy.  Spread each rectangle with the mix and roll the dough up lengthwise starting with the shorter side (if they are pretty even, you can roll from either end).

Take some cling wrap and roll each up like the above picture.  Chill these in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or better yet, make these the night before you are going to have these for breakfast.  That way they get hard in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cut each roll into six equal slices - start by cutting in the middle then out.  Place the slices close together in a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan.  If they don't fill the pan you can always fold a piece of foil and tuck it against the last row of rolls to keep them from spreading.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until the rolls are lightly toasted on top.

When the rolls are almost done, mix up the icing by combining the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Then slowly add a few splashes of milk until the icing has a spreadable consistency.  Pour over the warm rolls.

Yum!  Thanks again to Aunt Mindy!  Life would be a lot less sweet without these rolls.  The pictures I took for this post are just over a month old - last time I made these was the Saturday before my brother Jakey went to college.  Definitely a special occasion.  Miss him so much and can't wait to see him in a few weeks!