Almost Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

There isn't anything quite as good as warm gooey cinnamon rolls, and right up there at the top are Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Here is a recipe that my wife uses to make these heavenly rolls that taste just like Cinnabon rolls just a lot less expensive. Enjoy!

Rolls:
2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter (do NOT substitute margarine!)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar (or more if you like)
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter (do NOT substitute margarine!)

Icing:
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In you kitchen-aid or mixer dissolve yeast in the warm milk. Mix in sugar, butter, salt, eggs and flour. Mix well. Make sure the dough isn't too dry. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead into a large ball. Return dough to mixer bowl, cover and let rise for one hour. While it rises go ahead and get the filling ingredients ready, and make the icing. You probably have time to clean up a little bit too!

Icing:
Cream all the icing ingredients together with an electric mixer.

Roll dough into a 21" X 16" (approx.) rectangle. Soften 1/3 cup butter and use your fingers to spread it generously over the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar generously over the dough (you can use more than called for if needed). Now sprinkle the cinnamon over the now sugary, buttery, doughy, rectangle.

Roll the rectangle from long-side, once rolled pinch the ends. Using a very sharp knife (preferably a serrated one) cut into 1 inch wide rolls, making 16. If you want bigger rolls cut them wider.

Grease (butter preferred) your baking pan, I generally use a 11" X 14" pan. Place your rolls into the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes. While rising preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for approximately 18 minutes, rolls should be just slightly brown and not doughy. Just don't over bake! When done remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cover in icing.

Molasses Spice Cookies (a.k.a. Chewy Ginger Snaps)

Since it is almost Christmas I thought I would share a recipe that has become one of our family Christmas traditions. Each Christmas Eve we make a batch of these cookies to give to Santa, we also eat a few! They are one of our family's favorites.

1/3 cup (about 2½ ounces) granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for dipping
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed (2¾ ounces) dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup light or dark molasses

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. spread 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow dish/bowl for coating and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Beat the butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar together in a a large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the molasses until incorporated about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as necessary.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flower mixture until combined, about 30 seconds (the dough will be soft). Give the dough a final stir with the rubber spatula to make sure its combined.

5. Using wet hands roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the sugar to coat and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about two inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone, 10 to 12 minutes, rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.

6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve them warm or transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.