Saturday, May 22, 2010

Taste of Home's Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls and Cream Cheese Frosting



This is currently my favorite cinnamon roll recipe. They are nice and moist because of the cake mix, and if you know me, anything with a pre-made ingredient (like cake mix) is a winner. My family requests these cinnamon rolls often at family gatherings. *It makes two large pans, so you need a crowd to finish them off, unless you aren't worries about your waist size!  I originally got this recipe from a friend of mine whom, I believe, got it out of a cookbook that is all about using cake mixes. However, I have also found an almost duplicate recipe on the Taste of Home website, so I will give credit for the recipe and photo there. Light and fluffy (cake-like) these are NOT. Think dense, heavy, and so, so filling!!!!

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls (Single Cookie Sheet)
4-5 cups flour, divided
1 box (9 oz.) one-layer white cake mix***
2 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) quick-rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 cups warm/hot water (120 degrees)
2 Tbl. melted butter
½ cup sugar
1 Tbl. cinnamon
Combine 3 cups flour, cake mix, yeast, salt and warm water. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth (about 6-8 minutes). Roll dough into a 9x18 rectangle. Spread with butter. 
In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle mixture over buttered dough. Roll jelly roll style and slice into rolls (about 12). Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let raise in a warm place until double in size, about 15-30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until they start to turn lightly brown. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

*Because most cake mixes are 18 oz., I usually make a double recipe which ends up being two cookie sheets full of cinnamon rolls (about 24 rolls) (See doubled ingredient recipe below). I have also found it is easiest to cut the dough with a piece of dental floss. All you do is put the floss under the dough where you want to cut it. Then, bring the foss up the sides, and, as if you were going to tie a bow around the dough, you pull the strings opposite each other to slice through. (Hope that makes sense...). I have also found that it works best to help the dough rise if you turn your oven on to the lowest setting to preheat while you are mixing the dough (usually 170 degrees), then turn the oven off. Add a pan (9x13) of boiling water to the bottom shelf of the oven, allowing the dough to raise in a nice warm/moist environment.
Cream Cheese Frosting (Single Batch)
1 (3-4 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, half of a standard 8 oz. brick
¼ cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating until smooth.

*If you are making the double batch of rolls, then make a double batch of frosting too, using an 8 oz. block of cream cheese instead. I used to be able to find smaller 3 oz blocks of cream cheese in my local grocery store for the single batches, but anymore I just cut an 8 oz in half and use that instead because it appears the 3 oz size was discontinued.

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls (Double Cookie Sheet)
8-10 cups flour, divided
1 box (18-20 oz. ish) standard white/yellow cake mix (makes a 9x13 or two 9 inch rounds)
4 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) quick-rise yeast
2 tsp. salt
4 cups warm/hot water (120 degrees)
4 Tbl. melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 Tbl. cinnamon
Combine 6 cups flour, cake mix, yeast, salt and warm water. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth (about 6-8 minutes). Roll dough into two 9x18 rectangles. Spread with butter. 
In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle mixture over buttered dough. Roll jelly roll style and slice into rolls (about 12 per rectangle). Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let raise in a warm place until double in size, about 15-30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until they start to turn lightly brown. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting (Double Batch)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, one full standard brick
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating until smooth.

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