Cinnabon Copy Cat

Confession time:  I've never had a Cinnabon!  Have you?  I've heard incredible things about them, but I have to confess, I'm too cheap to buy one.  Plus, I honestly don't know where the nearest Cinnabon is...I'd probably have to drive to the airport.  After making this recipe, I don't need to try a Cinnabon, because these are are so delicious!

Anyway, cinnamon rolls are one of my absolute favorite things to make.  I love rolling up the dough and cutting pretty rolls out.  And yes, these rolls are pretty!  Seriously, I think this dough held up the best of any I've ever made (and I've made a lot!  See here.  And here.  And here.)  The result was a perfectly formed cinnamon roll.

I found this fabulous recipe at Jamie's blog, Our Eating Habits.  I was assigned to her blog for the Secret Recipe Club, and as usual, I had a hard time deciding what recipe to make.  Quite a few of them caught my eye, so I narrowed the list down to 7 or 8 and had Mike choose.  I was thrilled that he choose the Cinnabons! 

This recipe surely did not disappoint.  I did modify it slightly, because the original recipe was made for a bread machine.  I have a bread machine, but I really enjoy making the dough myself, so I re-wrote the instructions to use a stand mixer.  I also did not have cream cheese in the house when I made these, so rather than a cream cheese frosting, I made a basic powdered sugar icing.  I like to pour a thin layer over my rolls hot out of the oven so it soaks in and makes them gooey.  Then after they've cooled, I add another layer of icing.  I hope you'll make these, and if you've ever had a Cinnabon, you'll have to tell me if they're close!

Cinnabon Copy Cat Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 20 rolls

You will need:
Dough:
1 cup warm milk, 110 degrees
2-1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Icing:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1.  Pour warm milk and 1 Tablespoon sugar into the bowl of your mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top of it.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until frothy. 

2.  Stir in eggs and margarine until well mixed.

3.  Add in the flour, salt, and remaining sugar and knead for 5 minutes.

4.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour, or until double. 

5.  When the dough has risen, punch it down and let it sit on a floured surface for 10 minutes.

6.  Roll dough out into a 16x21" rectangle and spread softened margarine on top of it.

7.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over dough.

8.  Roll the dough up length-wise and cut rolls into approximately 1" slices.

9.  Place rolls in a greased 9x13" pan.  Cover and let them rise for 30 minutes. 

10.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes--be careful not to over-bake!

11.  While rolls are baking, combine icing ingredients.  Spread over warm rolls.

Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container.

Adapted from:  Our Eating Habits, who found it on Allrecipes