warning - irresistible cinnamon rolls below

i have had a life long love affair with cinnamon rolls.  i mean, who could really resist?! they're warm, gooey, delish and make the entire house smell like cinnamon-spice goodness.  i have probably baked somewhere in the neighborhood of 308457 rolls while testing 34273 recipes (that's 9 rolls on average per roll.  check the math!) every time i come across a particularly excellent recipe i make a mental note to jot it down on a recipe card or flag the web page.  i somehow become so distracted while consuming those golden twisted rolls of deliciousness that i always (and i mean ALWAYS) forget. welll folks, not this time! this recipe from epicurious produced some pretty phenomenal cinnamon rolls.

prior to baking

post baking

i'm not particularly fond of extras on my cinnamon rolls (this recipe has a cream cheese icing and some add dried fruits/nuts to either the filling or the top).  i am, however, a huge fan of vanilla extract and add it to just about everything - including the dough for these rolls.  one of the best pieces of advice i have ever received (thanks mom!) regarding cinnamon rolls, is not to roll them too tightly when you are forming them.  this leaves little to no room for the rolls to expand, forcing the center of the spiral to explode from the top of the rolls.  i mean, sure, this isn't aesthetically pleasing... but more importantly it dries out the center of the spiral (which let's be honest, is the best part).

delicious roll, french press & rediscovering an old friend.