Homemade Cinnamon Rolls As A Christmas Gift?!?

Yes, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are exactly what our neighbors and my husband’s co-workers got for Christmas!  I made a quadruple batch, which made 12 pans of 6 rolls. With rising time it took most of the day, but I was able to get a lot done around the house in between batches.  I only had one mis-hap, but despite that, I had a blast!  I cranked the Christmas music and kept thinking about how great it was to have energy and feel good!!

I got the idea when I was at our local Dollar Tree and I spotted foil pans with lids. They came in packs of 3 for $1.00!  I knew they would look pretty tied with ribbon or even with a sticky bow slapped on the top.  They carry 2 sizes, the smaller size is 4 for $1.00.  They would be a great size for fudge or small cookies.

I found the Cinnamon Roll recipe at AllRecipes.com.  They are called “Clone Of A Cinnabon” and were rated 5 stars and had 3, 943 reviews!  They were the highest rated cinnamon roll on the site, and they were full of sugar and butter, so I knew they would be good!  They also use a bread maker, which I liked, but in the reviews, there are alternative directions if you do not have a bread maker.

Speaking of a bread maker, this is where my mishap came in.  Cinnamon roll dough is a bit thick, which made my bread machine complain a little bit.  It rattled and shook itself right off my counter, and took my eggs with it!  I love how the dough stayed in the machine, safe and sound.  This is one tough machine, I’ve had it for 12 years and it survived the fall.

Finished pan.  Ugh, lighting.  I hate taking pictures at night in artificial light!  Not my cup of tea..

Tied with wire ribbon, also from the dollar store.  The star tags are from Micheals.

I was really pleased with how the rolls tasted.  This recipe is for sure a keeper for when I want a sugar splurge!

“Clone Of A Cinnabon”

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.