Cinnamon Rolls

 These cinnamon rolls are to die for! We always make them for conference, Christmas Eve, or just because. The original recipe comes from Over The Big Moon but I made a few changes. 

Submitted by: Jessica 

Ingredients

-1/2 cup warm water 

- 1 1/2 Tbsp active yeast or 2 packages active yeast 

-2 Tbsp Sugar

-3.5oz instant vanilla pudding (prepared according to package) 

-(2 cups of milk for the pudding) 

-1/2 cup softened butter 

-2 eggs 

- 1tsp salt

-6 cups flour

Filling

-1/2 cup melted butter 

-2 cups brown sugar 

-4 tsp cinnamon 

Frosting 

-8 oz cream cheese, softened 

-1/2 cup butter

-1 Tbsp milk 

-1 tsp vanilla 

-2 cups powdered sugar 

Instructions 

1. Mix the water, yeast, and sugar together. Allow it to proof for 5 minutes. 

2. Mix the vanilla pudding according to the directions on the box (no need to let set up), add the softened butter, eggs, and salt. Mix well. 

3. Add the pudding mixture into the yeast mixture and combine. 

4. Slowly add the flour to the dough mixture. Adding about a cup at a time. Knead until combined. The dough will be sticky, add a little bit of flour as needed to make it more manageable. Place dough into a large greased bowl and allow it to rise for an hour. 

5. After an hour punch dough down and roll it out thin onto a well-floured surface  

6. For the filling, melt the butter and spread it over the top of the rolled out dough. 

7. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and spread over the top of the butter evenly. 

8. Cut the dough down the middle to make it more manageable and easier to roll up. 

9. Slowly and tightly roll up the cinnamon roll. Then cut into about 1.5 inch sections. 

10. Place on a grease 9x13inch pan and allow them to rise again until doubled in size. You can also put them into the refrigerator overnight. 

11. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

12. While the cinnamon rolls cook, mix the softened cream cheese and softened butter together. Then add the milk, vanilla extract, then powdered sugar. Mix thoroughly. 

13. Frost your cinnamon rolls generously and while they’re still hot. 

Usually, I get about 26 rolls out of this recipe. I split it into two pans and make one and freeze one. If you choose to freeze some, it is best to freeze prior to the 2nd rise.