ooey gooey cinnamon rolls

i love me a good cinnamon roll. seriously. what's not to love about a soft, sweet, cinnamony piece of heaven?! but if you're like me, i've had a hard time finding the right recipe to get the rich flavor and melt in your mouth texture. so i ended up tweaking a good Butter Roll recipe i got from my mom to get the perfect combination. trust me, these are divine!!

BUT i'm not going to lie, i cheat. i use a bread machine for my dough. gasp. i know. but i've never been good at working with yeast. and spending hours in the kitchen is just not my thing. i heart my bread machine. a lot. anyways, so this recipe is for a bread machine. but all you talented cooks, i'm sure you could easily convert it to eliminate the machine. but for me, i'm all about the convenience!

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese glaze (using a bread machine)

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (i recommend butter for best taste)
Put all ingredients in your bread machine. Select dough cycle and put your feet up :)

When your dough is done, roll it out into a rectangle about 1" thick. (you may need to add more flour) Then melt an additional 1/4 cup butter and spread over dough. Then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar over the dough. (sorry no measurements. just eye ball it so that the dough is nicely covered.) Then roll your dough up and then using thick sewing thread, slice into 2" sections. Place on a greased pan. Cover and let rise for about 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Be sure not to over cook! Makes about 12 rolls.

For the cream cheese glaze, i blend together 2 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and about 2-3 cups powdered sugar. Adjust powdered sugar/milk as necessary to reach consistency you like. I like it thicker than a traditional glaze, but not too frosting-ish. I put the glaze on right after I pull them out of the oven so that it melts into all the little nooks and cracks and traps in the moisture to keep them ooey gooey. Enjoy immediately!

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