Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls (Flashback Friday...Caramel Pecanabon Option)

The past week has been CRAZY! My 2-year old son had/has a sinus infection. My 7 month old daughter had a fever of 102.7 for 2.5 days and we had to get all this testing done to try to figure out what was going on. Turns out it was just a nasty virus, and of course her fever broke within 8 hours of having all this testing done. My kids aren't in daycare, they aren't exposed to much, but somehow find ways to get sick on a regular basis. Or maybe it just seems that way.

In other news, did you guys watch the premiere of Scandal? Seriously, one of my favorite shows! The premiere started out somewhat slow but by the time it ended, I was on the edge of my seat! I won't talk too much about it in case some of you haven't seen it yet but lets just say, next Thursday cant come soon enough.

Also, we are having our first visitor next week! YAY! We live in this SUPER small town. And by super small town, I mean we do not have one red light in the town. We have one gas pump, not gas station, gas pump. There is ONE restaurant. ONE! Well, you get the idea. There is not a whole lot to do here, well not much of anything actually, so you can only imagine how excited I am to have a visitor come! A visitor coming also means that I will be getting a real camera! So hopefully by mid November (I need lots of practice), the pictures will be much improved!

The first practice for my husband's basketball team started on Monday. Basketball season is officially underway, and I could not be more excited about it! Let the games begin!!!!

Onto the most delicious cinnamon rolls that you have ever eaten...

I have never really been much of a fan of homemade cinnamon rolls. The doughs are usually dry, the filling almost tasteless, etc... I would much rather just get the 1,000 calorie cinnabon at the airport or in the mall. I mean seriously, how can you resist that smell?! Those feelings are OVER! I now prefer and will only eat homemade cinnamon rolls. These really do taste so much like the famous Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, except better (if you can even fathom that!). Not to mention that this is seriously the EASIEST recipe EVER! The dough is SO easy to work with and not sticky at all. It makes this recipe a breeze.

If you want to do the caramel pecanabon option, I made this Homemade Caramel Sauce from The Sisters Cafe. It is my favorite fool proof recipe that I will blog about later. After making the caramel sauce, I allowed it to cool slightly and poured a liberal amount over the cinnamon roll and topped them with pecans. And ice cream. And more caramel sauce. Not in the picture though because that is kind of embarrassing.

But seriously, make the caramel (it takes less than 10 minutes and you do not need a candy thermometer). You think cinnamon rolls are good by themselves? A cinnamon roll with this caramel sauce is something you dream about. Putting homemade caramel sauce and pecans on a cinnamon roll is definitely a game changer.

Ingredients for the Dough
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Ingredients for the Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Ingredients for the Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Place ingredients for the dough in the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press start.
2. After the dough cycle is finished, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
4. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/2 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up down the long way and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls on a lightly greased and parchment paper lined 9x13 inch baking pan (3 rolls x 4 rolls, evenly spaced out).
5. Cover and let rise until they rolls nearly double in size and the entire pan is covered with the rolls (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, 12- 15 minutes (I usually do them for 10 minutes and then cover them in foil for the last 2-3).
7. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt until creamy. Spread frosting on warm rolls before frosting.

My Tips and Tricks for these Cinnamon Rolls
1. For some reason my bread machine won't mix all the flour together with the wet ingredients in this recipe (not any other bread recipe except this one). I usually help mix everything together about 5 minutes in to the dough cycle.
2. I rarely actually measure out my filling ingredients. I just make sure there is a good even layer of each ingredient. I probably use a little more than what is called for.
3. Check the middle of the cinnamon rolls by using a toothpick to slightly lift out the center. If it looks like dough, it is not quite done.
4. I usually make 14 or 15 cinnamon rolls rather than 12. I also use a slightly larger pan so they are not too jam packed in. If you do not have a bigger pan, I recommend using 2 different pans if needed.
5. Really let them rise. Do not jump the gun on this process. It makes a big difference in the world of bread. If you need to speed up the process, you can always place the cinnamon rolls in the oven with a pot of boiling water. This will make the cinnamon rolls double in size much quicker.
6. Do not frost the cinnamon rolls when they are blazing hot. You will lose most of you frosting in the bottom of your pan and everything will turn into a big soupy mess. Even waiting 10 minutes helps keep that delicious frosting right where it should be.