Imagine this. It’s early on a holiday morning and you’re up with the sun so you decide to whip up a batch of (semi) homemade cinnamon rolls. As they bake, luscious aromas of cinnamon and sugar waft through your house awakening sleepyheads. One by one they drift into the kitchen trying to peak in the oven to discover what surprise is filling the house with warm cinnamon goodness. Pull out a pan of these perfectly golden brown Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, slather on rich cream cheese frosting and your family will be ecstatic!

These are incredibly easy to make because you’ll be using bread dough from the freezer section of the supermarket. Serve Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with hot coffee, fresh squeezed juice, eggs, crisp bacon and fresh fruit for a fabulous start to your holiday celebration!  Believe me, these are oh so much better than poppin’ fresh dough!

First, roll out your dough.  Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect rectangle. Next, slather with butter then sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. This is what makes the cinnamon rolls all ooey and gooey.

Roll the long way and slice evenly into twelve rolls. I use the disposable pans from the grocery store.

Let the rolls sit for an hour in the pan in a warm, draft free place to double in size. These babies are ready to go in the oven.

All done.  Can’t you just taste ’em?

Cinnamon Rolls

12 rolls

• 1 loaf frozen bread dough – I use Bridgeford, in the frozen aisle of your grocery store
• 1 cup packed brown sugar or Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 stick organic butter, softened

Icing

• 1 stick unsalted organic butter, softened (leave it out overnight and it will be soft in the morning)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup organic cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Sprinkle some flour on your (clean) countertop.
2. Roll out one thawed loaf into a 15 inch by 7 inch rectangle.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Spread the softened butter over the dough and then evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the butter.
5. Now, starting at the long edge, roll up the dough like you would a jelly roll, pinching the seams together as you go.
6. Cut the roll in half and then cut each half into 6 rolls.
7. Put the 12 rolls, cut side up, in a lightly buttered round baking pan and let double in size.  This will take about an hour. I use the disposable pans from the grocery store.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown in a preheated 375 oven.
9. Check after 10 minutes to make sure they’re not getting too brown.
10. Mix the icing ingredients together in a bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy.
11. Frost the rolls when you take them out of the oven.
12. Serve warm and expect lots of kudos!

Kate’s Tips

• Bridgeford dough comes in a package of 3 frozen loaves. This recipe easily doubles or triples.
• If you’re a purist, you can make your own bread dough but I’ve found the frozen dough works just fine.
• Put as many loaves as you need in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Don’t thaw too far ahead as the loaves will begin to rise in your fridge.
• You can make these ahead of time, bake and wrap in foil and freeze. Thaw them out, warm for a few minutes in your oven, frost and serve.
•  I use the square disposable pan if I’m just making 12 rolls and the rectangle one fits 24 rolls perfectly.
• Use real butter for this, not margarine.
• I know these are not the healthiest but, seriously, you’re only going to make them on special occasions so don’t worry too much about it!