If you read last week’s recipe column, the picture above is familiar to you. Please forgive me for breaking a cardinal rule of blogging – repeating a picture. But until my new camera arrives, repeats are all that’s available.
But, enough with the apologies. It’s time for this week’s recipe column. As promised, it gives two more variations for last week’s basic sweet roll recipe. That post included the variation for orange rolls. Today, you get the variations for cinnamon rolls and caramel rolls. The cinnamon roll recipe starts with a disclaimer: Mom made up the frosting recipe, so it’s of the “about this much” and “a little bit of” variety. But it is scrumptous and so easy I’m surprised more cooks don’t use it.
Cinnamon Rolls
Roll the Basic Sweet Roll Dough into a 12 x 16 rectangle. Butter with 1/4 – 1/2 cup soft butter. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Starting from one long side, roll rectangle into a snake. Seal the edge and ends, then slice into 24 rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan or two 9 inch square or round pans. Let rise until double, about 35 minutes. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Remove from oven and cool.
To make frosting, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and milk. Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is thin and spreadable. Pour over rolls and spread with a spatula or knife.
Caramel Rolls
In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is blended. Pour into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan or two 9 inch round or square pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans evenly on the caramel mixture, if desired.
Prepare Basic Sweet Roll Dough for slicing as instructed for the cinnamon rolls above. After buttering the rectangle and sprinkling it with brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle rectangle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans, if desired. Place rolls in pans coated with caramel mixture. Let rise 35 minutes or until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes.
Immediately after removing rolls from oven, run a knife around the outside edges of pan. Using hot pads, flip the pan over onto a cookie sheet. Use a rubber scraper to quickly scrape out any caramel mixture remaining in the pan onto the rolls.
