Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:

½ cup warm water

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding

½ cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

6+ cups flour

Filling:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Let set in fridge for 5 minutes.

To the pudding, add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. (I think I ended up having to use 6 1/2 c. flour. Otherwise it's too hard to roll out.) Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down dough gently and split into 2 sections. Roll out one section at a time on floured board. Make a rectangle that is 18 X 21 inches in size. Take 1/2 cup soft butter and spread over surface. (I didn't say this was healthy!) In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture over the top. Roll up the short side very tightly (this way you'll get bigger rolls with LOTS of swirly-ness on the inside). With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with a serrated knife (dental floss works best!). Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart (12 on a sheet). Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover rolls and let rise until double again (probably 20-30 minutes in the oven).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 13-15 minutes. Remove before they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with the following cream cheese frosting. Makes about 28 very large rolls.


Frosting:
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter or margarine
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla mix until smooth. Spread on top of warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy! If you don't want to use cream cheese, use a butter cream frosting. My family prefers that!