favorite cinnamon rolls.

My mom made homemade cinnamon rolls for us growing up and they were always delectable, but I had absolutely no interest in learning this skill for myself (you can ask my poor mother: I had almost zero desire to learn anything in the kitchen growing up). Once I moved out on my own, the Pillsbury can from the refrigerator section were good enough for me.

But in South Asia, I suddenly found myself among American girl friends who all made homemade cinnamon rolls for their families.

This was intimidating to me.  Yet, never making me feel ashamed of my lack of from-scratch baking skills, these ladies simply rolled out their cinnamon roll dough while we chatted in the kitchen, brought plates to my family on Christmas or birthdays, and told me how easy it was.

Still I was skeptical. All that dough? Anything involving a rolling pin tends to scare me. What if it doesn’t rise right?  What if we all get our hopes up only to pull flattened goopy blobs out of the oven?

But homemade cinnamon rolls kept calling to me. Finally I moved home, got healthy, and decided to try for myself.

I have to tell you, folks.  My friends and my mom are right: cinnamon rolls are so easy to make!  Embarrassingly easy, actually, when you consider how much your praises will be sung when you present these to folks (whichever country you happen to live in).

There are so many great recipes online.  My friend Alison is queen of the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls.  My friends Josh and Grace swear theirs are unsurpassable (but I have yet to get the recipe, hint, hint).

But I will present you with our families’ current personal fave.  This has become our “birthday breakfast” tradition (and Christmas. and Easter. and sometimes random Saturdays for no particular reason).

My favorite thing about this special breakfast is that you can make them up the night before and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.  All you have to do when you wake up is pop them in the oven and whip up the frosting (which takes maybe 5 minutes). I make these in my Kitchenaid with the whisk attachment, but you can totally make them by hand with a wooden spoon.

You have time to mix them up tonight for a weekend treat! Go for it!

Ninety-Minute Cinnamon Rolls (Allrecipes.com)

Makes 12 rolls

Dough:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; mix well. Add water, egg, and milk mixture; beat well. Add remaining cup flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

3. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter.

4. Roll out dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (if you don’t have a rolling pin, you can use a roll of plastic wrap as a make-shift rolling pin). Spread dough with butter/sugar mixture. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal rolls, reshape if necessary and place cut side up in a greased 12X9 baking dish. Cover and either let rise until doubled, or place in refrigerator to rise overnight.

5. Set rolls out on counter while oven preheats. Preheat to 375. Bake 20 minutes until browned. Make frosting while rolls are baking. After removing from oven, spread frosting on rolls. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting (Food.com)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients until well mixed.