Copycat Cinnabon® Cinnamon Rolls

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We certainly did and I ate entirely too much food and cookies over this past week. I usually don't have many sweets in the house and I found myself picking on them more than I normally would, but today is the day to get back on track. And thank goodness the kids FINALLY go back to school today (YEAH!). Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my children. But there is something to be said about routine and when my kids don't have one, let's just say they become a little unruly.

I did a little cooking over this past week but mostly food for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. I also didn't take many pictures of what I made because I was a little preoccupied and forgot until after it was all over. I did manage to make a few new recipes. One of the items I made were these cinnamon rolls. I had never made them before so when the kids requested these for Christmas morning, I had to find a recipe online. These were VERY good and very similar to those at the Cinnabon ® restaurant chain. The directions were a little intimidating. So many steps! But it really wasn't that hard to follow. Most of the time was just spent waiting for the dough to rise. I prepared these the afternoon before and par cooked them so that all I had to do Christmas morning was to reheat and ice them. 

Copycat Cinnabon® Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Adapted from Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes

Cinnamon Rolls

1/4 c. Warm Water

1 Package Dry Yeast

1 tbsp. Granulated Sugar

1/2 Package 3 1/2 oz. Vanilla Pudding Mix

1/4 c. Butter, melted

1 Egg

4 c. All-Purpose Flour

1/2 c. Butter, softened

1 c. Brown Sugar

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Stir until dissolved then set aside. 
2. In a separate, large bowl, prepare the pudding mix according to package directions (remember you're only using half of the package so cut the milk in half also); then mix in the melted butter and egg. 
3. Next, add the yeast mixture and blend together. Add the flour and knead until smooth. 
4. Place dough in a greased bowl (I just used cooking spray). Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 1 hour. Punch the dough down, cover again and let it rise for another hour. 
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a large rectangle shape about 1/2" thick. Spread the softened butter over the surface. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle over the top of the butter. 
6. Roll the dough towards you very tightly, forming a log. Slice the dough with a sharp knife every 2" and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet approximately 2" apart. 
7. Using your hand, lightly press down on each roll. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until they double again. 
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden brown. Frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Icing. Makes 12. 

Cream Cheese Icing

8oz. Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 c. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 c. Confectioner's Sugar

1 tbsp. Milk

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients with a mixer until smooth. 

Enjoy!

Just linked this up to Chef in Training Tuesday's Talent Show