Once you have these cinnamon rolls, you will be hooked so if you have any heart issues do not take a bite.  All the margarine mixed with cinnamon sugar turns into gooey bliss. They are simply divine and very addictive.

This recipe was given to my father by my aunt who is the master at making cinnamon rolls. Many people have tried to duplicate them and there is even a version of her recipe in the Junior League of St. Louis cookbook. I have made the Junior League version and they are very good.

You need to add a lot more butter and cinnamon if you want the gooey cinnamon rolls though. I have included the recipe for you in case you want to make a smaller batch. The one I am posting makes about 12 dozen!

I highly recommend making a very large batch. You will be amazed at how fast they are devoured and these make wonderful gifts around the holidays. Plus, your kids will love helping you roll the dough and coat their fingers in cinnamon sugar and melted butter.

You can use a high quality butter or an organic Earth Balance margarine to make these cinnamon rolls. Make sure the margarine is ORGANIC to avoid all the GMO oils in normal margarine.  My aunt thinks the cinnamon works better with the margarine so we went with her recommendation. I have used both and both worked well.  Organic Valley Pasture butter has a high butter fat and plenty of  Vitamin E and CLA to lower cholesterol. With this much butter, use the really healthy stuff!!!

Directions

1) In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blend well. Set aside.

2) In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and then add the water and milk. Heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees).

3) Add warm liquid to mixture of 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blend at low speed for 1 minute. Add one egg and blend at medium speed for 3 minutes. (If you use an egg replacer, please let me know how it turns out. My son would be so happy if I can make these eggless!!)

Add 3 to 4 cups flour and blend by hand until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If necessary, add more flour until it pulls away and then remove from bowl and place on a floured surface.

4) Knead in 1 or 2 more cups of flour until dough is smooth and elastic with blisters under the surface ? for about 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased glass/ceramic type bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and then a cloth towel. Let it rise in a warm place until light and doubled in size ? for about 1 hour. Punch down several times to remove all air bubbles. Allow dough to rest on counter, cover with an inverted bowl for about 15 minutes.

5) Divide the dough into quarters so it is easier to work with unless you have a very large surface to work on. Do not flour the surface when you are rolling out the dough. It should not stick. Roll the dough so it is VERY THIN. Your hands may hurt from putting all the pressure on the roller.

6) Use a sharp knife to cut the triangles. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Note: My aunt said to add the same amount of cinnamon and sugar. We used 2 cups of cane sugar and 2 cups of organic cinnamon. Our cinnamon was very fresh and strong so next time we will use 2.5 cups of cane sugar and 1.5 cups of organic cinnamon.

7) Coat and I mean really coat the dough with margarine/butter. You will use more butter or margarine than you ever used in a recipe. This is why these taste so amazing. Rub your fingers over the dough so it is evenly distributed. Now coat the other side with butter or margarine and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar. Start rolling the bottom of the triangle toward the pointed side and add more butter or margarine and the cinnamon sugar as you roll. Make sure you are rolling the dough very tight.

8) Now dunk the roll into more butter or margarine and roll in the cinnamon and sugar. Place on a greased glass or ceramic pan. Place them in tight rows. Now you guessed it, add more butter or margarine so they are covered. You want these to be so gooey that they melt in your mouth.

9) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees on the bottom rack. You will smell the cinnamon and sugar when they are ready. Enjoy warm.

Note: These freeze very well and only take about 10 minutes to heat up in the oven or a minute in the microwave. Wrap in wax paper and aluminum foil to freeze. Add some more butter or margarine if you want them to be extra gooey!

Why you want to eat this!

• Cinnamon

  • Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese and fiber. It also has potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Cinnamon may help the body regulate blood sugar levels and can be beneficial in high carb foods liked baked breads. The spice helps the body respond to insulin so it may be helpful for individuals with type 2 diabetes.
  • Cinnamon may be good for individuals with platelet issues or at risk for stroke or heart attacks since Cinnamaldehyde prevents platelets from clogging in the blood vessels.
  • The smell is invigorating and may help adults and children focus and improve brain activity. ?Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented April 24, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, FL, found that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants? cognitive processing. Specifically, cinnamon improved participants? scores on tasks related to attentional processes, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor speed while working on a computer-based program.? read more

 The Ultimate Cookbook

Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls
Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

6 to 7 cups of better for bread white flour
½ cup white sugar (buy the cheapest brand ? 2 bags)
Lots of ground cinnamon (try to buy in large 5 pounds)
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup water
1 cup milk
½ cup margarine (1 stick cheap margarine-not butter)
1 egg

Preheat oven at 325 degrees with rack on bottom. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blend well. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and then add the water and milk. Heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add warm liquid to mixture of 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blend at low speed for 1 minute. Add one egg and blend at medium speed for 3 minutes. Add 3 to 4 cups flour and blend by hand until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If necessary, add more flour until it pulls away and then remove from bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead in 1 or 2 more cups of flour until dough is smooth and elastic with blisters under the surface ? for about 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased glass/ceramic type bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and then a cloth towel. Let it rise in a warm place until light and doubled in size ? for about 1 hour. Punch down several times to remove all air bubbles. Allow dough to rest on counter, cover with an inverted bowl for about 15 minutes. Cut dough in half and place ½ of dough into bowl covered with plastic wrap until first ½ of dough has been rolled and placed in oven. Roll out ½ of dough until very thin. Apply a lot of melted margarine to surface of dough, then generously cover with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Be sure to blend cinnamon and sugar so that there?s an even mixture ? just run your finger through it for the proper consistency. You will use a lot of this mixture. Cut out small triangles and begin to roll tightly in the same manner as you would for crescent rolls. As you roll, add more of the cinnamon/ sugar mixture. Do not make the triangles too large as they will continue to rise before and during the baking stage. Place the formed rolls in a 9×12 cake pan that has been generously greased with melted margarine. You should get 3 rows, each row consisting of 12 rolls, to a pan. Pour more melted margarine over rolls, then spoon more of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the rolls. Place on the bottom rack of preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove and place on cooling rack. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then remove with a large pancake flipper onto pieces of wax paper ? each package to get 2 rows being 6 rolls. Fold wax paper and then wrap aluminum foil around wax paper. Seal ends and freeze. Be sure not to let rolls cool to much in pan as it will be very difficult to scoop out cinnamon/sugar mixture because it will harden quickly! Each ½ of dough should produce 6 dozen rolls with 3 dozen in each cake pan. Yield: About 12 dozen rolls.

Note: You will probably need at least 16-20 sticks in all – I use Country Crock margarine.

Brenda Kruse
St. Louis, Missouri