Recipe Review - Cinnamon Rolls

Valley Ridge Recipes

...is your mouth watering yet?


This recipe is from Valley Ridge Recipes, and if you like cinnamon rolls...these are quick and tasty. 

Or see my recipe for my latest cinnamon rolls here.

Here's what you'll need (for the rolls):
All-purpose Flour, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, Water,  Eggs, Oil, and Cinnamon and (Butter, not shown). You may add Nuts and/or Raisins.

Here's what you'll need (for the Icing):
Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Butter, Salt, and Milk (or cream).

I also used a small amount of Butter Flavor Crisco (for the icing).

Let's start making rolls... Add sugar to a mixing bowl, preferably one with a dough hook.

Add yeast.

Add oil.

Add warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F.)

Stir mixture well.

  


Let sit for 15 minutes. Should be puffy...if not, then yeast is dead (or your water was too cold or too warm).

Once 15 minutes is up, add salt.

Add eggs.

Add flour.

Mix together for 10 minutes, then let sit for 10 minutes.

Oil counter-top and dump out dough.

Divide dough in half. (I skipped this step, because I only made half of the recipe to start with).


Press mixture into rectangle (use your hands). 

Spread dough with melted butter, then with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Cover sugar mixture with nuts and/or raisins, if using.

Starting with the long side, roll up dough. (not pictured)


Divide into 12 rolls and place on greased cookie sheet.
Repeat with other half of dough, if you made the full recipe.

I was unable to roll dough as tight as I'd like, because I placed too much oil on the counter top, so my dough was slippery. Fortunately, this did not affect taste or texture!

Let dough rise for approximately 20 minutes. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes. (Mine baked for 18 minutes)
Yeasty, cinnamony, sugary, nutty, buttery bliss...and we haven't yet frosted the darlings.

To make the Icing/Frosting...
Mix together butter, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.
I also added butter-flavor Crisco. Add in small amount of milk to reach desired consistency. 
(this step not pictured)

Frost the rolls once they have cooled a bit.

Better than the cinnamon rolls at the mall!

I halved the recipe and still came out with 15 BIG rolls.

Here is an approximate breakdown of my time from start to finish:
20 minutes total to mix and let yeast mixture rise.
23 minutes total to mix and let flour/yeast mixture rest.
6 minutes total to oil counter, shape dough, top with butter & nuts.
3 minutes total to cut dough into rolls and place on cookie sheet.
20 minutes to let rolls rise on cookie sheet.
18 minutes to bake.
5 minutes to prepare frosting.
1 minute to frost rolls.
96 minutes, or 1 hour and 36 minutes.
 

*My changes and tips: 
Halved her recipe for rolls.
Halved her recipe for Icing, THEN reduced powdered sugar in frosting to 3/2 cups total.
Added pecans to rolls.
Added 2 tablespoons butter-flavor Crisco to Icing.
Divided dough into rolls by using strand of thread [or dental floss (un-waxed).] 
See this Video on how to cut rolls.
Optional: microwave rolls for approximately 20 seconds before serving

RECIPE: Cinnamon Rolls (Valley Ridge Recipes)

See the comments under her recipe. On May 5, 2012, you will see the measurements for 1/2 of the recipe.