SINFUL CINNAMON ROLLS
NOT for everyday consumption...

Unless you are trying to bulk up!

One guilty pleasure I have missed since moving abroad is the rare treat of a Cinnabon at the local shopping mall. As far as I know thus far, there is no comparable offering anywhere here that I have found.

Yes, some good Kiwi bakeries and/or cafes do have a cinnamon "pinwheel" that is more bread-like, but none of them even come close to the good old American cinnamon roll. Not only are my cinnamon rolls "to-die-for", the icing is darn near the same as Cinnabon's version. I think my family, friends and neighbours who have sampled them would tend to agree that I am not being overly boastful here! ;o)

One caution to all who attempt this recipe though...they are not a healthy treat to enjoy daily for log periods of time and are likely to contribute to weight gain, increased cholesterol, and heartburn if overindulgence occurs. This recipe makes a relatively large batch too, so be prepared to share with your favourite people!!!

I will list ingredients and directions for the rolls, filling and icing in separate sections below to make it easier to follow...for those brave enough to try!

Rolls first...

DOUGH - INGREDIENTS:

2 Packets Dry Yeast (approx 4 Tsp)

1 Cup Warm Water (not hot - warm when dripped inside your wrist like testing baby bottles)

2/3 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Warm Milk

2/3 Cup Butter, melted

2 Tsp Salt

2 Eggs, slightly beaten

5-7 Cups Flour (more or less)

DIRECTIONS:

Activate the yeast in a small bowl by adding the water, sugar, warm milk, melted butter, salt & eggs. Set this aside whilst you go to the next step.

In a larger bowl, sift about 3 Cups of the flour and add 1 cup of it to the yeast mixture. Ideally, this should be covered and set aside in a warm place to foam up for up to an hour or so.

Once your foam has frothed up a bit, begin to slowly pour it into the larger bowl with the sifted flour.

Mix this together well and continue adding flour a bit at a time until the dough can be turned out onto a floured work surface.

Knead the dough about 10 minutes to activate the gluten in the flour then place it into a well oiled bowl big enough to hold twice the mass, and flip it over to oil both top & bottom of the dough ball.

Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size.

When ready, punch down the dough and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before proceeding to roll it out flat on a floured surface to about a 1 cm (or 1/2 inch) thickness. I only use half at a time because each half makes about 12 LARGE rolls which can be stacked and frozen for baking later if tightly sealed in plastic wrap first. This 5-10 minute rest is a good time to make the filling...

FILLING - INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Butter, melted

2 Cups Brown Sugar

4 Tbsp Cinnamon

2 Cups Walnuts or Pecans, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together butter & sugar then slowly add in the cinnamon & chopped nuts. You may also opt to add raisins at this stage, but I don't like mine cooked, so I leave 'em out!

Once dough has been rolled out flat, sprinkle filling over entire surface evenly. You may opt to save a little for topping if you have enough at th end.

Now carefully log-roll the dough in a jellyroll or sponge log fashion then pinch the edges together to seal it.

The roll is rather "smushy" and soft, so my trick for cutting the rolls is to get a length of dental floss and slide it under the log, then cross end over end and pull tight to cut a slice without squishing the whole log with a knife. Pretty clever, eh?...

Now, butter a baking dish or just arrange the slices on a silicone baking mat. Put them close together so they don't lose their shape in the oven and, they should puff up nicely.

Cover and set the rolls aside once more in a warm area to rise for about 1 hour.

Once the rolls have risen and just about doubled in size again, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until they brown nicely.

FROSTING/ICING - INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup Butter, melted

200 Gm (8 Oz) Mascarpone Cheese

3 Cups Icing Sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla

1/8 Tsp Lemon Flavouring (just a few drops, really)

DIRECTIONS:

Blend cheese and butter with electric mixer on low to cream. Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time and combine well.

Add vanilla and lemon flavour and mix approximately 1 minute then refrigerate.

Be sure to ice the rolls while they are still warm. There's no comfort food much better than a gooey, warm, cinnamon roll on a cold day! Save any extra icing for reheating with the leftover rolls...10-20 seconds in the microwave softens them right up to perfection again.

Enjoy!