Perfect Holiday Cinnamon Rolls

December 20, 2011 22 Comments

christmas rolls

 

My husband asks for cinnamon rolls all the time.  Homemade cinnamon rolls.  The ones I made him our first year of marriage to show off my baking skills….my Mama’s recipe.

Her recipe really is amazing — light, soft and that amazing roll texture.  Cinnamon.  Butter.  Oh, holy yum.

And, they are REALLY good with homemade caramel sauce instead of the traditional powdered sugar glaze.  Just in case you were wondering.

But … I haven’t made THOSE cinnamon rolls in a couple of years.  Some little things called “Kidlets” have gotten in the way of time-intensive baking.  Poor Hubby feels so unloved because of this.  The poor man just wants some cinnamon rolls.

As I prepared for our Holiday Breakfast earlier this month, I took pity on the guy …. and told him I would include cinnamon rolls on our menu.  If he made them while I did everything else.

He went for it — the draw of his favorite breakfast treat was too strong.

All of this “story?”  Just trying to explain the pictures … so no one thinks I have “man-hands.”  ‘Cause I don’t.  Promise.

Orange-Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

This year, I made a small change to my mom’s standard recipe by adding fresh cranberries and orange zest.  I love the brightness of those flavors and, as I had hoped, they work beautifully with the cinnamon.

Really, you can’t go wrong with cranberries at Christmas … at least not in my world.

Orange-Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

 Ingredients

Dough:

  1. 2 packages of yeast
  2. 1/2 cup warm milk
  3. 1/2 cup sugar
  4. 1/4 teaspoon of ginger
  5. 1 cup mashed potatoes
  6. 1 cup potato water
  7. 3/4 cup sugar
  8. 2 teaspoons salt
  9. 3 eggs, beaten
  10. 3 cups of flour
  11. 1/2 cup of shortening
  12. 5 cups of flour

Filling:

  1. 1 stick of butter, room temperature
  2. 1/2 cup of cinnamon
  3. 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  4. Zest of one large orange
  5. 1 cup of fresh, whole cranberries, roughly chopped

 Directions

  1. Dissolve yeast, 1/2 cup of sugar and ginger in the warm milk. Let it set for about 15 minutes.
  2. Then, beat in the mashed potatoes, potato water, 3/4 cup of sugar, salt, eggs, and the 3 cups of flour. Let it stand till light and full of bubbles, 15-20 minutes.
  3. Next, mix in the shortening and then the remaining flour, working it in to make a soft dough.
  4. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch it down and roll the dough out to 1/4″ – 1/2″ thickness.
  5. Spread the warm, softened butter over the dough and then sprinkle the cinnamon/brown sugar/orange zest/cranberries.
  6. Roll the dough up and then cut the individual roll servings (using a sharp knife or the string method).
  7. Place rolls in a baking dish and let rise.
  8. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minute, until lightly browned.
  9. May be topped with powder sugar glaze if desired.
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About Rachel Lacy

Rachel Lacy is the author of Following In My Shoes, where she blogs about Mommyhood, Family-Friendly Recipes and Bento Lunches, and Life in Texas. She is a lover of all things Coffee and Nutella. Connect with Rachel Lacy on Google+ and stop by the Following In My Shoes Facebook page.

Comments

  1. Cat Davis - Food Family Finds says:
    December 20, 2011 at 11:01 am

    mmmm Mmmmm mmmm those look so darn good!

    Reply
  2. Stefani says:
    December 20, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Those look really yummy!

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says:
    December 20, 2011 at 11:28 am

    all I can provide is O.M.G. *drool*
    I have been craving Orange Rolls and this does not help me.

    Reply
  4. Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy says:
    December 20, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    I’m not sure if my family would like ‘em, but I’m pretty sure I would ;)

    Reply
  5. Susan (5 Minutes for Mom) says:
    December 20, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    Cinnamon rolls are my favorite… those look amazing!

    Reply
  6. Anne - Mommy Has to Work says:
    December 20, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    Oh yumm! I only make the pre- packaged rolls. :(

    Reply
  7. Lindsey@Kindred Spirit Mommy says:
    December 20, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Oh my WORD these look so yummy! I love cinnamon rolls. :) Your photos are TERRIFIC, too. Thanks for sharing, what a cool holiday twist on a favorite!

    Reply
  8. Tricia nightowlmama says:
    December 20, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    WOw those look fabulous and you did a wonderful job. Now I’m hungry

    Reply
  9. judith says:
    December 20, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe..I like cinnamon bread.. I love the brightness of those flavors and, as I had hoped, they work beautifully with the cinnamon.

    Reply
  10. Ching says:
    December 21, 2011 at 11:00 am

    Perfect for this coming Christmas. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  11. MelindaK says:
    December 21, 2011 at 11:00 am

    I so have to try this recipe out this weekend. I mean who does not love a good cinnamon roll :) Those pictures have me drooling right now..lol Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  12. Theresa says:
    December 21, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Oh, wow! Those look SO yummy!

    Reply
  13. Barbara Platt says:
    December 21, 2011 at 9:55 pm

    we love cinnamon rolls and these look fab

    Reply
  14. Shannon says:
    December 21, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Drool! YUMMO! Those look beyond good. I want. I will never have though since I don’t make the time to do fun stuff like that. Your family is blessed to have you!!

    Reply
  15. April Decheine says:
    December 22, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Those look like something that would be a perfect Christmas morning treat!

    Reply
  16. HilLesha says:
    December 22, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    I love cinnamon rolls!

    Reply
  17. Courtney says:
    December 22, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    Oooh yummy!

    Reply
  18. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says:
    December 22, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Those look delectable. I love the orange and cranberry!

    Reply
  19. Donna says:
    December 23, 2011 at 10:49 am

    O.M.Goodness, how delicious those look! Yummy!

    Reply
  20. Karen says:
    December 23, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    I make Cinnamon rolls every Christmas day morning! These look delicious!

    Reply
  21. Marcie W. says:
    December 24, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    They look so fresh and amazing! I love this flavor combo

    Reply
  22. JulieD says:
    January 3, 2012 at 7:40 am

    These look so good! I hope you had a nice holiday!! Happy New Year!

    Reply

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