Zany’s Visions of Cinnamon Rolls

With Christmas Eve just hours away, what better way to mark the occasion than with a post on something warm, sweet and delicious?  As the big day approaches, guest blogger and birthday girl Zany shares her coveted recipe for Mini Cinnamon Rolls – perfect for a holiday breakfast – and offers some personal memories of Christmas Past:  

I love the holiday season. Maybe it's because I was born on Christmas Eve and it's second nature to me. Whatever the reason, no other time during the year makes me as happy as now, strolling down city streets lit with shimmering bulbs or turning on the TV any night of the week to find my favorite holiday flick, "The Christmas Story."

But, some of my favorite holiday memories come from the kitchen. While my older sister would snooze through the early morning hours on Christmas morning, my mom would entertain her anxious, early-riser in the kitchen, preparing a number of breakfast finger foods to sustain our gift-opening extravaganza. One recipe that particularly stuck with me is one that my mom collected from a Pampered Chef party in the 90's - mini cinnamon rolls. Easy to pull together (less than 30 minutes!), and there isn't a lot of time commitment in stealing one and popping it into your mouth, making for a smooth transition in the gift-opening process.

In fact, the cinnamon rolls became such a staple for me that I pull out the recipe any time of year now - breakfasts when we have guests, weekend brunch and even just a simple treat for my co-workers. The dish elicits at least one, "oh so cute!" from someone in the group who hasn't seen them before, and for those holiday calorie hawks, one of these bad boys doesn't make a person feel as guilty as that delicious-looking doughnut. 

I pride myself in searching for the perfect holiday gift for those on my list. So, for my Culinary Types friends, I think this recipe does the trick! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Zany

Zany’s Mini Cinnamon Rolls 

Rolls:

Two cans of crescent rolls

½ cup butter

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Icing:

1 stick butter

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 ounces cream cheese

 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Break open crescent roll containers. Pinch together the dotted seems so that two triangles make one rectangle.
• Spread butter on each of the rectangles.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon and spread equally across all rectangles.
• Rolls rectangles into a jelly roll. Pinch the seam together. Cut each roll into five equal pieces.
• Grease two 9” round pie pans. Split the number of pieces between the two pans and stagger the pieces.
•  Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove the pie pans and turn them upside down on plates. Wait 30 seconds until the cinnamon rolls “drop” from pans onto the plates, lift the pans.
• While the rolls are cooling, mix all ingredients for the icing. (Note:  A hand mixer works well, and sifting the powdered sugar will make the icing nice and smooth.   Use a tablespoon of milk if you want a more spreadable consistency.)  Coat the rolls with icing once cooled.
• Serve for a special holiday breakfast, bring into the office on birthdays, or “just because” days. Extra points if you also bring in coffee and Bailey’s.

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