NuM NuM

These cinnamon rolls are INSANELY DELICIOUS!!!! All those hours of searching for the best recipes on the Internet surely does pay off when you get to put yummy goodness in your belly. These are finger-lickin', mouth watering, lip smackin' GOOOOOOD!!! These are better then the cinnabons you eat at the malls b/c you get to enjoy these fresh out of the oven. They are so yummy and warm and the glaze you pour over the top is just heavenly.


These cinnamon rolls will now become a tradition in our home. These are sooooo good and rich that they can only be consumed once a year. Therefore, we will be enjoying them every Christmas and savoring every bite...guilt free!

While making this recipe I am still having difficulty learning how to roll out my dough. I follow the recipe exactly but for some reason I cannot get the dough to roll out to the correct size. So frustrating!! Therefore I was only able to make 8 rolls instead of 12. Well, it was really more like 6 because the two on the end had less of a dough to cinnamon sugar ratio so I doubt they will get eaten. Anyway, I hope you try this recipe and enjoy them as much as we did. (Haha, update: I was rolling the cinnamon rolls from the short side of the dough rather than the long side. Therefore I was unable to get the proper amount :)


Fastest Cinnamon Buns
by Kathy Kingsley
Yields: 12 buns

For an extra-sweet touch, reserve some of the glaze to pass at the table, so people can drizzle a little more on top

For the dough:
3/4 cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat) or 1% fat or part skim ricotta
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For the filling:
3/4 oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup (4 oz.) chopped pecans

For the glaze:
2-1/2 oz. (scant 2/3 cup) confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. cold whole or low-fat milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the dough:
In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (I pulsed mine about 6 times - don’t overprocess) The dough will be soft and moist.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15-inch rectangle.

Make the filling:
Brush the dough with some melted butter, (I just used butter spray) leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.
Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. (Mine only took 20 minutes) Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze:
In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

**Here is another version to the recipe, although I haven't tried it yet.

Apple-Butter Cinnamon Buns: Instead of using the cinnamon-pecan filling in the main recipe, mix 3/4 cup apple butter, 1-1/2 Tbs. melted butter, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Omit the melted butter from the main recipe and spread the dough rectangle with the apple mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup (3 oz.) finely chopped walnuts, if desired. Roll, cut, bake, and ice as directed. Because this filling is wetter, the buns may need to bake for 30 minutes.