When I was growing up, we would be allowed to open one Christmas present on Christmas Eve (before we went to church), then we had to wait until Christmas morning to open our presents. But once we got a little older we started opening all our presents after church (and after midnight, so it is technically Christmas). Of course, Santa still puts presents in our stockings while we sleep, and we still like to have an indulgent Christmas breakfast, but we get to sleep in a little later.

This year, since my family and Toby’s family was in town, we decided to wait until the morning to open presents, like good boys and girls. So, we definitely needed a special breakfast.

 

My first thought was cinnamon rolls. I tried some pumpkin cinnamon rolls ahead of time, but I was lukewarm about them. It was time to call in the Pioneer Woman.

You should know a few things about Ree’s recipe: It makes approximately 9 million cinnamon rolls, it makes a huge mess, and the rolls are insanely soft, cinnamony and delicious. I halved the recipe (because I thought 4.5 million cinnamon rolls would be sufficient) and made a few other tweaks, like browning the butter and using a cream cheese icing instead of maple.

I forgot to take photos of the rolling and cutting stage. I’m sorry. I think you can do it without a photo though — just start with the long side away from you, and roll it up pretty tightly. Then, the best way to cut them is to use a serrated knife and saw back and forth, while trying not to press down or use any pressure at all. Basically you just set the knife gently on the dough and using a saw motion. It’s kind of awkward at first, but it works.

I made the dough and assembled the rolls the day before, then baked them on Christmas morning, which I think is the easiest way. Otherwise you need to wake up REALLY early, which is definitely not my jam.

My mom had said she didn’t understand why I didn’t just buy cinnamon rolls, but she changed her mind once she tasted these. They are heavenly — light and soft, with plenty of fragrant cinnamon and sugar and just a bit of brown butter. Perfect for a special occasion breakfast (say, New Year’s Day?).

Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing (Makes about 20-25 rolls. Adapted from The Pioneer Woman, with icing from Smitten Kitchen)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for dough)
1 package active dry yeast (make sure you check the expiration date)
4 cups (plus another 1/2 cup later, and some for rolling) all-purpose flour
1/2 heaping teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar (for filling)
Lots of ground cinnamon
Frosting (recipe below)

Heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a medium or large saucepan over medium heat (don’t boil), then take it off the heat and let it cool to lukewarm – between 110 and 115 F is ideal. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for at least 1 minute (a few more minutes is OK).

Add 4 cups of flour and stir just until it’s combined. Cover the pot with a clean tea towel and place in a warm-ish place for an hour. My kitchen is kinda cold (which is nice for me but bad for dough), so I usually heat the oven to 200, then stick the bowl in the oven, close it and turn the oven off.

About 15 minutes before the dough is ready, melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat, then keep cooking for a few minutes (it will pop and sizzle and get foamy), until it starts to turn golden brown. Turn off the heat when it’s nice and brown (don’t let it burn) and set it somewhere to cool a bit.

After an hour, the dough should have risen significantly. Remove the towel from the bowl and add 1/2 cup more flour, along with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine, then turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface.

Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Mine was about 25×15 inches, but Ree recommends 30×10. Whatever works, as long as it’s a long rectangle and the dough is pretty thin.

Spread the brown butter evenly all over the dough rectangle, then sprinkle 1 cup sugar and a few tablespoons of cinnamon all over it. I used the back of a spoon to sort of spread the sugar and cinnamon a bit more, after sprinkling.
Carefully (and tightly) roll the dough, starting with the long end away from you and rolling toward you, until have a long tube of dough. Smoosh the ends into the log so it doesn’t unroll.

Slide a cutting board under the dough if you can, then use a serrated knife to slice 1 ½-inch rolls. Try not to press down with the knife (it will smoosh the rolls), just sort of rest it on the dough and saw back and forth.

Spray or butter the bottom of 3 cake pans or pie plates, then place the rolls in the pans. Don’t overcrowd them – they will get bigger later.

At this point, you can cover the rolls and put them in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes or an hour, until they puff up a bit. You should also set out the cream cheese for the icing when you set out the rolls. (If you’re not putting them in the fridge, just let them sit for 20 minutes or so to puff. If you froze them after cutting and putting them in the pans, thaw them overnight in the fridge and then allow to sit at room temperature like the refrigerated ones).

While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes, until starting to brown around the edges (don’t let them get dark brown).

While the rolls are baking, make the icing.

Cream cheese icing
8 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is fine), softened by letting sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk or buttermilk

Beat the cream cheese using a hand-held electric mixer, then add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract and a tablespoon or two of milk, then add more milk until the icing is the consistency you like. Pour or drizzle the icing over the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, reserving a bit for those of us who are icing fanatics.

Serve the cinnamon rolls warm, with the additional icing.