Forget about any diet you may (or may not) be on. Just boil water for tea or perk up a steaming pot of hot coffee because you are in for a real treat…that is if you decide to give this labor-of-love a try.
These homemade cinnamon buns (Cinnabon-style) are time-consuming to make, but they are entirely worth the effort. Soft, rich, tender, and ooey gooey delicious!
Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water (105 - 110 degrees)
- 2 pkgs. active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg. instant vanilla pudding (prepared with 2 cups of milk)
- 1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 cups (approx.) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup melted butter for spreading on the rolled-out dough
- 2 cups brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon for the filling
FROSTING
- 4 ozs. cream cheese , softened
- 1/4 cup butter , softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved and set aside.
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In a large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture and blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth. Work in approx. 7 1/2 cups and sprinkle more flour as needed to control stickiness. You may not need all 8 cups of flour; once the dough is soft and silky, and no longer sticky, it is ready.
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Place the dough in a very large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in bulk (could take 1 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and let it rise again (about 1 hour).
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On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 40" long by 21" wide. Brush 1/2 cup of melted butter over the entire surface.
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In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top of dough. Beginning at the long edge, roll tightly toward the opposite long edge. Notch the dough with a knife, keeping notches approx. 2" apart. Place a length of string or thread under the roll (I use unflavored dental floss), bring ends of thread to the top and criss-cross them taughtly them over the roll. Pull the criss-crossed thread tightly and quickly to cut the roll. (here's a quick tutorial)
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Place 4 rolls into greased, 8" square, aluminum pans.
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Allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (approximately 1 hour). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and frost while warm.
FROSTING
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In mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until well-blended. Frost warm rolls.
A few hours (or more) later –
Well worth the wait!
Colossal cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert, snack, dinner…
Served warm or cold, comfort food doesn’t get any better than this.
“A”
Caution: eating two or more at one sitting will result in tight-fitting jeans.
I can almost smell them cross country! They are definitely on my to-do list. Save one to have with me while we chat on the phone.
I miss you and wish you could share one with me at my kitchen table.
Lucky me that I got to enjoy your hard work! Much love and thanks to you for such a sweet and delicious start to my day xox
The real treat was watching the looks on your boys’ faces as they munched these down…and then asked for more 😉 Glad you enjoyed them, too! It was great, as always, to see you all!
I second Deanna’s comments! PERFECT way to start the day!