I Have This Thing for Cinnamon Rolls

We're going camping with my family this weekend. In preparation, I'm thinking of what I will eat. Studmuffin? He's thinking of what he needs to have to catch the most fish. I really don't care to fish at all.

Oh, I love to be out on the water, however, I just want to lay back and read a book. Sadly, my husband is completely unsupportive of this. I'm constantly having to help bait a kids hook. Or steer the boat...Or some other tedious task that completely interferes with my desire to just sit and read or stare into space.

But, this is not a post about fishing...

It's a post about cinnamon rolls. Hence the title!

We had this lovely little lady in the town I was raised near (read here 26 miles away from) who was renowned for her cinnamon rolls. I actually have her recipe, since she came to our home economics class and taught us how to make them!

However, her recipe involves patience. You make your own dough...

Then you have to let it rise....

And like most doughs, you knead it and roll it out...

I'm already impatient for that cinnamon roll, and I'm just typing about it! So, if you live in my hometown that I actually never lived in I recommend you just take your little self over and pay Ginger a visit, and I'm quite sure she will have a cinnamon roll to offer you. Then you will only eat one, instead of the whole pan that will be at your house should you get a hankering for rolls, and so decide to make them.

Was just the longest, most confusing sentence ever, or what?

Did I mention I love cinnamon rolls? I think I've done at least 2 other posts involving variations of cinnamon rolls. But they are just so darn good!

I want to take cinnamon rolls camping. However, as we are the poor relation who will be staying in our 1969 Apache pop up tent camper, I will not have an oven. I am supposed to work this week, so that leaves little time for baking days upon end in preparation as I am wont to do.

As I was thinking about my desire for cinnamon rolls, and homemade ones at that, I considered monkey bread. However, I know that I know that I know it won't last a whole day from the minute it's made, since we will all just keep snitching a little ball of deliciousness as we walk by...

I considered my super easy crescent roll cinnamon rolls, but I was really wanting that yeasty bread taste...

So, here's what I came up with:


Ingredients:
1 can of refrigerated french bread
butter
1/2 c sugar (or more, these measurements are not very concrete)
1 T cinnamon (note here: Studmuffin said they needed more cinnamon, but the last batch of rolls I made he claimed had too much...You just can't please some people!)

Icing:
1 pkg neufchatel cheese
powdered sugar (not sure how much...I just dumped, blended, and dumped until I had the right consistency)
1 tsp pure vanilla (No extract in this house)
a pinch of salt (no idea why. I just did it, then asked myself why...I sometimes act and then think. I know, this shocks you)

Unroll the french bread. Slather generously with softened butter. Do yourself a favor and throw that margarine in the garbage. Embrace the butter! Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, then sprinkle over butter. Roll french loaf up. Slice into desired thickness and place in greased (with butter of course) pan. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if you haven't just used the last bit you have...If you are out of cinnamon, stop and ask yourself how you could possibly be out of something you use every single day, and you just went to the store.

Once you are through asking yourself things there are just no good answers to, throw those babies in the oven. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until done.

While rolls are baking, combine the neufchatel (You can use cream cheese, but why when it's more calories and fat?) with powdered sugar. Splash in about a teaspoon of vanilla and the pinch of salt that you are completely unsure why you just threw in...I guess it just feels like the thing to do in the moment. Mix well...Continue to add sugar until your frosting is desired consistency. If you get it too thick, never fear! Just splash in a bit of milk until it's thinned out!

Now, when you pull those rolls out of the oven, spread that creamy delicious frosting all over it.

Go ahead, use the whole thing when maybe half the batch will do. This is all about cinnamon rolls, and self control has no place here...


Now pour yourself a big mug of hot coffee, grab yourself a good book, and dig in!