Cinnamon Rolls

On Christmas morning, its tradition in our household to have the boys wake up to something freshly baked, toasty, and super sweet. Usually, it has been my mom's sticky bun recipe. Given that Alex is now eating everything we eat, I figured the rich, sticky caramel may have been a little too much for him to handle, so I browsed FoodNetwork.com until I found a suitable substitute! I found it- and by a woman after my own heart- Sandra Lee. I love the fact she is a semi-homemade type of gal, because I'm the same way. I'm not above using some store bough ingredients for the ease of putting meals on the table, especially on a morning like Christmas where my time could be better spent doing family things, instead of in the kitchen :)

And in case you're wondering... I did spend my morning preppin' Santa toys and stockings instead of completely slaving away- and watching Alex run towards his presents for the first time was well worth the sacrifice of fresh dough !!!

Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe by Sandra Lee

Ingredients:
* 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in fridge
* flour for dusting surface
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 2/3 stick butter, softened
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1/3 cup cream cheese
* 1 teasp. vanilla extract

To Make:
* Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to form a 15x7in rectangle.
* In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon
* Spread 2/3 cup softened butter over dough and evenly spread cinnamon-sugar mixture
* Roll up dough like a jelly roll
* Cut roll into 16 slices and set aside in a warm place to allow dough to rise (until doubled in size- about an hour)
* Divide rolls among 2 lightly battered round baking pans. Bake for 15 mins until golden brown.
* Combine  1 stick butter, powered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together for form icing.
* Frost the warm rolls with the icing before serving.

This recipe has been Alexander approved!