Gooey and Delicious Cinnamon Rolls

I never considered myself one who was big on hoarding recipes. I fancied myself quite generous actually, but suddenly I find I am reluctant to divulge my secrets...mostly just because they aren't really secrets at all and I will now be exposed as a person who can simply follow a recipe. But, that is the price we pay for having fantastic recipes around, and this is one of them. It comes from the "A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes" by Todd Wilbur, it is his recreation of the Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll. Here is what you do:

For the Rolls:

1 1/4 oz package active dry yeast (since I'm not sure exactly what that is I throw in about 2 TBS)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine (I like butter better) melted
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Throw in everything else but the flour and mix it well. Then slowly add the flour and start getting your elbows good and dirty kneading it (this is the best part, get out all those frustrations grrr)

Put the dough into a bowl, cover and let it rise for about an hour or until it is doubled in size. Once it is you can take it out, plop it on a floured surface and roll it out to about a quarter of an inch thick. Melt or soften some butter and spread it all over then sprinkle on some brown sugar (the recipe says about a cup), and some cinnamon (about 2 1/2 TBS). I like to throw in a hint of nutmeg too.




Roll it up and using some handy dandy floss cut it into about 1-2 inch chunks. place them on a pan and let them raise another 1/2 hour or so. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Just until thy are beautifully golden brown. mmmm, making myself hungry!




Now for the BEST part. The icing.

8 TBSP margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Throw them all together and mix it good. When the cinnamon rolls come out let them cool slightly and then slather this rich goodness all over the top. You won't regret it. I promise.



Cayenne