Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup milk
• 4 Tbs butter, cut into chunks
• 3 1/4-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant or 'rapid rise' yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon

Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs melted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 Tbs milk

Directions

Dough:

1. Place milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.
3. When milk mixture has cooled to a warm temperature, add it to the four mixture along with the egg while the beater is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. 
4. Switch to a dough hook if using a stand mixer. Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. If you are doing it by hand lay on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand.
5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: 

1. Make sure butter is softened. Once softened, mix with brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Assembly:

1. Roll dough into a rectangle. 
2. Spread brown sugar mixture over the surface and use the back of a spoon to spread around.
3. Roll up the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed.
4. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces using floss as shown above (this is the coolest trick for cutting dough).
5. Place in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. 
6. Cover pan with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while the rolls are rising.
7. When the rolls are done rising, bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.
8. As soon as you take the rolls out of the oven, spread with the prepared frosting.
9. Enjoy!

Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I'm convinced there is nothing better than a steaming cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven. This recipe is my favorite recipe I have found so far. It's basically heaven in a bite, and guaranteed to make everyone happy on Christmas morning (just in case your presents fall short;)) This recipe has minimal rising time so its a relatively easy make for a morning when you don't have hours to let your dough rise. I found this recipe from Our Best Bites which happens to be my favorite place to get bread type recipes! After years of trying out their recipes, and every single recipe turning out perfect, I'm convinced they know their stuff! This is sure to be a hit come Thursday morning! Enjoy!

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XOXO,