I have never made cinnamon rolls before now because I truly have never liked them. My mom always made them when we were kids and I only ate hers but never wanted to bake them myself as the time consumption wasn’t worth it to me. Something about her ooey gooey rolls made them desirable. Most cinnamon rolls I’ve had are dry not worth the calorie intake but my moms were different. There was a gooeyness that would ooze out whenever you would take a bite. The perfect amount of cinnamon, sugar and butter would fill my mouth with pure joy. The glaze atop the bun would make complete this masterpiece.

I remember hovering over the countertop when I was little when she would make them. I would lick up the gooey goodness that would ooze out as she cut the long loaf and placed them into the pan. For some reason I have wanted to become that little girl again and sit at the counter while my mom made her delicious cinnamon rolls and relive those precious moments.

Since I couldn’t relive those moments I decided to make my first set of cinnamon rolls and they turned out fabulously. I just wish my mom lived closer so I could take her one to eat with her coffee.

Dough:

• 2 cup whole milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• 4 ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tbsp salt

Filling:

• 1 ½ cup melted butter, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup ground cinnamon for sprinkling
• 1 ½ cup sugar, plus more as needed

Frosting:

• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix milk, vegetable oil, and ½ cup of sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Remove from heat and let it cool 45 minutes.

When the mixture is lukewarm but NOT hot, add yeast and stir. Let this sit for a minute and then add 4 cups of flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. I keep it on the stovetop with a tea towel atop and let it rest in the same saucepan.

Next, add remaining ½ cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. From here, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to rise out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls.

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangular shape. Brush melted butter on top, then sprinkle sugar over the butter, and finish with cinnamon.

Starting with the wide end, roll the dough tightly towards you in a neat line. Spread 1 tbsp of melted butter in 9×13 baking dish. With a sharp knife, begin cutting the dough into 1 inch slices, and laying them in the pans. Let rest for 20-30 minutes covered with tea towel. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-17 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. I prefer frosting to a glaze. I think the frosting makes the cinnamon roll complete. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until there are no chunks. Spread atop cinnamon rolls AFTER they have cooled to prevent melted frosting.