Not your mother's cinnamon rolls....

This is for one of my favorite people who recently got a Kitchen Aid Mixer for Christmas. She hasn’t really started using it yet and I thought, why not make the first time amazing! Don’t just let those mixers sit up on the counter and collect dust people! USE THEM! You can bake cookies & cakes… make pizza dough & breads… and of course my all time favorite! And it's not all that difficult to use!

One of the best memories that I have from my childhood was Cinnamon Rolls on Saturday mornings….Soft sweet dough, encrusted with delicious layers of cinnamon, sugar & pecans, with that sweet ooey light frosting that melts all over the top of them…. OK! I'm seriously lying right now! My mom did NOT make them from scratch and they did not have layers of ooey ooey-nees oozing out of them, but a girl can dream, right?! Alright, so the one’s I had growing up were a little more simple than that… you know the one’s your mom would buy at the supermarket that came in the aluminum tube that would POP! open as soon as you peeled off the wrapper… and then at the end was this little plastic cup looking thing that had a pastey looking "i think this is supposed to be frosting?" topping inside that looked like it would be better to use for an arts and crafts project as glue than as frosting! Yes… well, I’m guilty! I loved them and ate as many as I could when my mom would make them.

Well, thank goodness I love to cook! I don't even look at those in the supermarket and I actually think I might turn a blind eye to the entire refrigerated section because of them!

Start rejoicing! Because these are not your mom’s cinnamon rolls! These rolls are serious business! Now I’m not gonna lie, they aren’t as easy as the old POP! out of the aluminum tube but the hard work will pay off and it’s so delicious, your family will thank you!

Dee, this one’s for you! Enjoy the new Kitchen Aid Mixer!

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ granulated sugar
1 tsp salt

1 tbsp active dry yeast

¼ cup warm whole milk

3 eggs

¾ cup unsalted butter, cut in 12 pieces

Cinnamon Butter


1 cup light brown sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of Salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup pecan halves, toasted and coarsely ground

Glaze

1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

3 tbsp whipping cream

Prepare Dough:

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. In mixer bowl, stir yeast and milk. Let stand about 5 mins. Add eggs. Attach flat beater, set to Stir and mix. Increase to Speed 2 and mix in flour mixture, ½ cup at a time.

Remove flat beater and attach dough hook. Set to Speed 2 and add butter one piece at a time. Continue kneading about 3 mins. Place dough in large bowl and cover with towel. Let rise about 1 ½ hours.

Prepare Cinnamon Butter:

Place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon salt and butter in clean mixer bowl. Remove dough hook and attach flat beater. Set to Speed 2 and mix until smooth.

Uncover dough and work out air bubbles. Turn dough onto a floured board and roll out into a large (approx. 18” x 11”) rectangle. Spread evenly with cinnamon butter, leaving 1” border. Then sprinkle with pecans.

Roll dough jelly-roll style and pinch ends together. Cut into 12 pieces and place on greased pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 to 60 mins.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Bake until rolls are golden brown, about 35 mins. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 mins. 6.

Prepare Glaze:

In small bowl, whisk together sugar and whipping cream. Add water as needed until glaze is reached. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls.

BEATERS YOU WILL NEED: FLAT BEATER, DOUGH HOOK, WHISK HOOK