Spring Break

It's Spring Break and Munch, AudioDad, and I are all home for the week. As we've been running around doing things with family for the last few days, I took advantage of our first quiet morning to slip out of bed while everyone was still asleep (what else is new?) to make these-

When Munch finally got up, she invited her two friends along for breakfast-

Cinnamon Rolls

Yes, I said cinnamon rolls. Warm, homemade ones. I know I've been bad and haven't posted in a long while (sorry! I went back to work last week), so I thought sharing this lovely recipe would make up for it. These are not your traditional, Cinnabon-style, achingly-sweet type of cinnamon roll. But they're delicious just the same- and we like them even better.
I came across the recipe during my recent recipe organization project. From Cook's Illustrated, they start with a cream biscuit base which you roll out and spread with cinnamon sugar. I love that I don't need to wait for them to rise- no yeast! And I've always got these ingredients on hand, so I can whip them up at any time. Munch and I had a great time making them- there was a lot I could let her do. She got to dump the ingredients in, do some of the mixing, helped with the rolling, brushed the butter onto the dough, sprinkled on the filling, and put the rolls in the pan. If the 3-year old can do it, so can you!

Dough:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. heavy cream, plus a couple tablespoons more as needed

Filling:
1 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
1 1/2 tbsp. egg white
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the 1 1/4 c. cream and stir until dough starts to form. Add additional cream, a tablespoon at a time, until no dry bits remain. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand until smooth, about a dozen turns. Roll out dough into a rectangle, approximately 9x12 inches.
Brush melted butter onto the surface of the dough rectangle. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly onto dough. Roll up dough, starting at long edge, then cut into 8 rounds. Arrange rolls in the prepared baking pan and bake about 25 minutes until golden.
While the rolls bake, prepare the icing by whisking together the egg white, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle icing over rolls once they come out of the oven. I know I don't have to tell you to enjoy these right away!


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