Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Everybody loves the fresh hot goodness of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, but if you live an in area where they aren’t available (like we are!) you might want to make your own.

Dough Ingredients:
* 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2 eggs, room temperature
* 1/3 cup margarine, melted
* 4 1/2 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed
* 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
* 1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting/Glaze:
* 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

Place the dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

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.

Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter leaving about 1/4″ at the sides (this makes it easier to get a good seal and keeps the filling from dripping out) and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll up dough lengthwise, starting from the middle and out to the ends, then 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 350 degrees F

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert the pan of hot rolls onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with tinfoil. This gives the delicious cinnamon filling to stay in the rolls!

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread half off the frosting onto the HOT rolls, wait 5 minutes, spread the remaining frosting on the semi-hot rolls. This is what gives them that lovely frosting coating you see on top at the store, but allows the delicious frosting to melt into the roll itself.

Other Tips/ Techniques:

Some folks don’t like to flip their cinnamon buns after baking- instead of flipping you can use a rolling pin on the dough/cinnamon sugar and gently press it into the dough. I’ve found that this technique doesn’t work well for me.

Another technique you can try is to lightly sift a tiny amount of flour over the butter/cinnamon/sugar to help it “stick” better in the roll.

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / aas