Monster Cinnamon Rolls

Awhile back, we were watching Man Vs. Food on the Travel Channel and they made the cinnamon rolls that were the size of your head. Literally! My husband suggested I should make them. I laughed and said, "You would make yourself sick eating one of those!". However, the seed was planted. So, last week I set out to make some big cinnamon rolls, a.k.a - monster cinnamon rolls!

You want to make some, too? Here is how I made them (with help from my kids).

Basic Sweet Roll Recipe (From Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer Recipes)

3/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I think butter tastes better)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (105°-115°F)
3 eggs, room temperature
5 1/2 -6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture, eggs, and 5 cups of flour.  Using the dough hook on your mixer, turn on to speed 2 and mix for 2 minutes.

Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans the side of the bowl. Continue kneeding on speed 2 for about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top of the dough. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. (I covered mine with plastic wrap and set outside since it was a beautiful day out.)

Punch dough down on a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle. I like to make my dough short and really long.

Add a thick layer of margarine to your rolled dough and then sprinkle enough cinnamon to coat the margarine. Then sprinkle with sugar. You can make adjustments in the next step.

Now rub the 3 together with your hands, as my little helpers did. You can add more margarine, cinnamon, or sugar as you see fit in this step. The more margarine, the more moist your filling will be. When finished it should look about like this.

Now starting at the short end, slowly roll your dough into a log like this.

You will need a sharp knife for this next step. A sharp knife can make the cutting process a lot easier. Depending on how big you want your rolls to be, cut them into 2"-4" pieces, and place in a greased pan. You may need more than one pan. I used 2 8x8 pans.

Leave space for the dough to rise. Again, cover and place in a warm place free from draft, to rise for about 45-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350°F for 20-35 minutes. Time varies so widely because it depends on how thick you cut your rolls. I would check every 5 minutes after 20 minutes. You want your top to be golden brown. I placed foil under my pans, just incase there was any spillage.

Cover with a glaze or frosting and enjoy!! I used a cream cheese frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick of butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 -5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I like Watkins Pure Vanilla Extract)

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and cream together on low speed. If you turn the speed up too fast, it makes quite a mess. Trust me on this one! Add vanilla and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and continue to cream together. Check taste and consistency. If you want the frosting thicker or it tastes too buttery, add more powdered sugar until its to your liking.