Salivating Saturday

Early this week I made the best chocolate chip cinnamon sticky bun that you will ever put in your mouth. I am not kidding. This sweet concoction made the angels wept. I could hear trumpets of joy around me when they came out of the oven. Unfortunately I can't come to everyone's house and deliver them to you, so I decided to share the recipe. How I wish this was my own doing but it is actually from the Pioneer Woman. Have you ever seen her blog? How in the world does she do it all? I want to hate her but I admire her too much-plus, she's so damn nice! Anyhoo.....here's the recipe. Enjoy!

This is a basic cinnamon roll recipe. You can add all sorts of flavors to it. Fruit, chocolate, nuts, less cinnamon, more sugar for stickier buns.

Rolls
4 cups milk (you can use whole but we used non fat-gotta watch that waist!)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil
9 cups All-purpose Flour
2 packages (4 1/2 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
1 Tablespoon  Salt
1 teaspoon  Baking Soda
1 teaspoon  Baking Powder
1 stick Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 cup Brown Sugar
½ cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1-½ cup Chocolate Chips
A light dusting of cinnamon

Icing
1 package 8 Ounce Cream Cheese
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 stick Butter, Softened
1 cup  Milk
2-½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
¾ teaspoons Salt

Directions

Mix milk, 1 cup sugar, and canola oil in a pot. Heat until very warm but not boiling. Allow to cool until slightly warmer than lukewarm.

Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the liquid, then add in 8 cups flour. Stir gently until totally combined. Mixture will be very wet and sticky. Cover with a tea towel, keep in a draft-free place, and allow to sit for 1 hour. I used the big pot I mixed the milk in and covered it with the lid but you can also use the tea towel method.

After 1 hour, add in an additional cup of flour, as well as the salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough, covered, until you need it. (Refrigerating the dough helps make it easier to handle.) I didn't refrigerate, but I kind of wish I did, it was very sticky to work with. I would just refrigerate it for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter in the bottom of pie pans or 9 x 13-inch baking dishes.This is not the same butter you will use in the actual recipe.

Divide dough in half. The other half of the dough, you can put in the fridge or the freezer to make another batch some other day. Turn the other half of the dough onto a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, about 24 inches wide by 10 to 12 inches deep. Add vanilla to melted butter, then drizzle mixture all over the surface of the dough. Use fingers to spread evenly. Mix sugar and salt and sprinkle it evenly over the butter. Follow with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and  chocolate chips. This was the hardest part! The butter wanted to spread everywhere! If you have two people, that's better, one person can spread the butter, the other can pour the sugar mixtures. The sugar will soak up the butter.

Beginning at the side furthest from you, roll dough toward you until it’s in the shape of a tight log. Pinch the edges to seal. Slice into 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick rolls and lay, cut side down, in buttered baking dishes. Allow to rise for 20 minutes, then place in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown on top.

Make the icing: Mix 1 stick butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer or until smooth and pourable.

Remove rolls from oven and allow to sit five minutes before drizzle icing all over the rolls. Be sure to get the icing all around the edges and covering the surface so they’ll be nice and moist!

* I did not make the icing. The rolls were just fine and just sweet enough on their own. Maybe the next batch I make I will whip up the icing. 

These cinnamon rolls are seriously the absolute BEST ever! Even half of the dough made quite a bit so we ended up wrapping the individually and freezing them, then when we want a quick treat, we can just pop one in the toaster oven. Oh yeah, don't even get me started on the sugary goo at the bottom of the pan. Seriously, when you bite into these...you will think you died and went to heaven! Now if you will excuse me, my mouth is watering just writing this! I need a bun fix!