Sweetheart Cinna-Buns

It's Valentine's Day!♥

...A whole day filled with hearts and flowers and smiles and candy and kisses.  A day for writing love letters.  A day for romance.  A day when it's okay to make pink frosting for your husband.

And a whole day off from "no sugar" resolutions!
(But not from working out!)

I love Valentine's Day.

Usually, in our home, it is a day set aside to eat some special form of chocolate for breakfast.  Chocolate waffles, chocolate scones, chocolate-filled crepes...you get the idea. 

But for some reason this year I veered away from the traditional chocolate breakfast and went with cinnamon instead.

I tried this recipe on Christmas morning (minus the pink in the frosting).  On Christmas they were a little undercooked (due to me rushing back to the tree so I wouldn't miss any present-opening action), and today they were a little overcooked (due to this little Valentine, who was begging to have his picture taken):

But even undercooked and overcooked, these cinnamon rolls are worth making.  And someday I'll get them just right. 

Have you ever searched for cinnamon roll recipes on the internet?  There are millions.  Seriously millions.  We have tried several good ones...it's hard to pick a favorite.  This one we happened to find on the best baking blog ever, here.  And it's a keeper.  I've only made a couple of minor changes.

These cinna-buns are gooey, rich, and they have cream cheese icing.  They're everything cinnamon rolls ought to be. 

 Sweetheart Cinna-Buns

Dough
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, cut up
4 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Filling
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
 2-3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing 

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

OR Non-Cream Cheese Icing
4 cups confectioner's sugar
4-5 Tbl. milk  

 

Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring till the mixture becomes cohesive. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes, till it’s smooth. Or knead it in an electric mixer, using the dough hook, for 4 to 7 minutes at medium speed. Don't be tempted to add extra flour; the dough will be very soft.  Flour your hands to make handling it easier.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to grease all sides, cover the bowl with a proof cover or plastic wrap, and let it rise for 60 minutes, till it’s nearly doubled in bulk.

 
Assembly: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and roll it into a 16 x 21-inch rectangle.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and butter; sprinkle mixture evenly over dough. 

Starting with a short end, roll the dough into a log, and cut it into 12 slices. Place the buns in a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Cover the pan with a proof cover or plastic wrap,* and let the buns rise until they’re nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake the buns in a preheated 400°F oven until they’re golden brown, about 15 minutes. While the buns are baking, make the icing.

Icing: In a medium bowl, beat together icing ingredients (and two drops red food coloring if you want to make it pink). Spread the icing on the buns while they’re warm. 

Makes 12 big buns.

Note: If buns begin to brown too much before centers are cooked, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until centers are firm.

*At this point you can refrigerate overnight.  The next morning just pop them in a cold oven set at 350 and bake for about 30 minutes.

I♥Josh