To Pecan Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

2012 was a great year and I have much to be thankful for. It was a year of family, friends, challenges, life adventures and travels –> my kind of year. Best way to wrap up the last year, with homemade dough filled with cinnamon, pecans, and cream cheese.

Waking up to cinnamon rolls that I could just pop in the oven and then ice and indulge over is exact perfection. And while you can achieve that with a can of Pillsbury rolls, it’s just not the same. For one thing its short of your mom running into the kitchen thinking you are using the wrong mixer attachment because the knead process is so loud. It lacks the arm work-out you get from rolling out the dough. There is no anticipation – none.nada.zippo.  You can’t bake in an oversized homemade (thanks mom) wool infinity scarf and be judged by your parents while you describe the process as “wild” and “crazy”. Ohh and when they are homemade you don’t have to worry about accidentally baking the rolls with the the metal lid from the frosting container… the pan is forever marked (sorry mom). We will chalk it up to delusion after running a half marathon.

So if you are feeling up to the challenge then show some love and make these for those near and dear to you.

Recipe: (from Joy the Baker)

Three  adjustments were made:

1. Instead of Joy’s Buttermilk Icing I improved with a maple syrup/coffee icing (1 Tbsp. coffee, 1 Tbsp. maple syrup + about 3/4-1 cup confectioner’s sugar)
2. I didn’t brush the rolls with butter post coming out of the oven. They were still scrumptious and still buttery.
3. I made nine rolls instead of 8 – better fit for my pan

Be sure to check out Joy’s page for full directions – she makes the process easy (:

To rolling in the New Year

Cheers

n