Cream Cheese Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

​The Davis family headed up to the Appalachian Trail  a few weeks ago for a day hike.  It was a great day.  This was the only picture that we have of the 4 of us from that day.  It was our attempt at a selfie.  (he, he, he)

​These are some better pictures of our day on the trail.

What do I need before I head out for a hike on the Appalachian Trail?  A backpack?  A great pair of hiking boots?  A water bottle?  No. No. No.  This girl needs a great - energy boosting - breakfast of course and a camera.   

Cream Cheese Frosted Cinnamon Rolls
1 (7 g) package dry yeast 
1 cup (237 ml) whole milk, warm 
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar 
1/3 cup (75 g) margarine (or 80% margarine 20% butter spread) 
1 teaspoon (8 g) salt 
2 large eggs 
3-1/4 cups (410 g) all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup (105 g) bread flour 
For the Filling: 

1 cup (220 g) packed light brown sugar 
3 tablespoons (36 g) ground cinnamon 
1/3 cup (75 g) butter, melted
For the Frosting: 

1/2 cup (114 g) cream cheese, softened 30 mins 
1/2 cup (114 g) margarine, softened 30 mins 
1-3/4 cups (220 g) powdered sugar, sifted 
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla flavor

​In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.

Add sugar, margarine, eggs salt then flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.

​Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

​
​Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 thick.

​For the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. 

​Spread the butter over the surface of the dough.

Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface, leaving about 1-inch untouched around edges.

Gently roll into a fairly tight roll, trying to keep the filling inside. 

With a sharp knife, slice into 12 pieces. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2" apart. Cover with lint-free cloth, and let rise for another hour. (Or, cover and refrigerate overnight.)

​If refrigerated, remove form frig and let rise 1 hour before baking.

Bake in 400°F on rack just above center, for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Cool on cooling rack and gently place into airtight container when cool.

For the Frosting:  In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese and butter for 6 minutes on low speed.

Switch from the paddle to the whisk attachment and whip for 10 more minutes at medium-high.

Add 1 cup (125 g) of the icing sugar and mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add the remaining 3/4 (95 g) cup of icing sugar and mix for an additional minute. Add the flavors and mix for 1 minute on medium-high speed.

Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Top warm, fresh-baked rolls generously with frosting.

These rolls didn't last long in this house.

​So after we fueled our bodies with cinnamon rolls, we headed out for our hike.  Not your average pre-hike meal but I think the extra sugar helped carry me through the last few miles.

Ciao!

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