Cinnamon Rolls

This one is a special request all the way from France, how could I say no?? :) I made this for a girl I stayed with and her flatmate. Cinnamon, though so commonly used here, really isn't popular everywhere. Amazing, isn't it?? They were a bit skeptical, I think, but no one can complain about a Cinnabon-style cinnamon roll. And I mean cinnabon-style because it can be so sticky and delicious, if you put in all the butter and sugar. They bake up very large and pretty, too, and who doesn't like that? Nobody, that's who!

This recipe is actually from one of those random sharing sites, back in the day before recipe blogs were everywhere. I have made a few changes, though. As a nice benefit, it works perfectly well if you use (unsweetened) applesauce and cinnamon. It's a more healthy, less gooey version. No pics this time, I guess that just means I'll have to make them again soon, how sad! I prefer my own icing because it's all cream cheese and no butter. I find butter in icing offensive. Yes, that's the traditional thing to have in icing. So sue me. I'd rather take the long, difficult route of boiled icing (without a candy thermometer even) than eat buttercream.

This dough is very good on its own, too. I once made it as sweet rolls and enjoyed them. Another time, I tried to make them as sweet rolls.... and forgot to add the yeast. HA! That was pretty funny, but they still had a good flavor so they all were eaten before getting anywhere near stale or moldy. If you don't have a bread machine, you can find the directions here. As a note to those I made it for before, who are baking in a small oven: I halved the recipe and only made six rolls.

Cinnabon-style Cinnamon Rolls [1/2 recipe in brackets]
Serves: 12 [6] Time: Hmmm.... with rising and all, long. Maybe 2 hours? That's why we like bread machines

For the dough:
1 cup warm milk [1/2 cup]
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) yeast [1/2 package or 1 1/8 tsp]
2 eggs, room temperature [1 egg]
1/3 cup butter, melted [2 1/2 tablespoons]
4 1/2 cups flour [2 1/4 cups]
1 teaspoon salt [1 tsp]
1/2 cup white sugar [1/4 cup sucre en poudre]

For the filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened [4 tablespoons] *
1 cup brown sugar [1/2 cup cassonade] *
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon [1 1/2 tablespoons]
*For a lower-fat version, use about 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce instead.

For the icing*:
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese [100g kiri - not really sure how much I used, though!]
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar [3/4 cup sucre glacé]
[for French bakers: Add about one tablespoon of lemon juice, because American cream cheese has a bit of a tang that kiri doesn't have. This means you'll need more powdered sugar, too.]
*Lower-fat version should really skip this.

For the rolls:
- Place ingredients into bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer and press start.
- When dough cycle is finished, the dough will be VERY sticky. Knead dough on a floured surface, adding flour until the dough does not stay stuck to your hands.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out into a 16"x21" [25x40cm] rectangle. Spread softened butter onto dough, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, leaving about 1/2 inch of space on one long side [leave 1 cm space on the shorter side for a half recipe]. (Or spread applesauce and sprinkle with cinnamon.)
- Starting with edge OPPOSITE empty edge (the edge across from the one you didn't put filling on), roll dough evenly, and pinch closed when completely rolled.
- Place in/on baking sheet, cover and let rise 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. When almost finished, preheat oven to 400 F [200 C.]
- Bake rolls in oven about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

For icing:
- When rolls are done, mix all icing ingredients in a bowl. If the mixture is too thin for your taste, add more powdered sugar. If it is too stiff, add more cream cheese or a TINY bit of water at a time.
- Cover your cinnamon rolls with a thick layer of frosting and enjoy!

Nutrition info for 1/12th full [1/6 half] recipe, using applesauce filling, no frosting: Calories: 281 Fat: 6.7g Carbs: 48.5g Protein: 6.6g