Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls for Valentine's Day

We've been getting excited for Valentine's Day around my house.  And since we've been eating mostly really healthy since the New Year, my family was extra thrilled when they came home to heart shaped orange rolls one afternoon.  I cheated and used a can of pillsbury orange rolls from the store, but I think I might make the real thing Valentine's morning or for Family Home Evening next week.  Some of the rolls end up looking just like hearts and others end up more rounded on the bottom than pointed, but they still look enough like hearts that I think they are adorable!

Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

Prepare Cinnamon Rolls as directed or use prepackaged can of cinnamon rolls.

When it is time to roll out the cinnamon rolls, roll the dough from each side toward the middle.  Then slice with dental floss, as usual.  Unroll the dough slightly  from the middle and pinch the bottom to form the point of the heart.  Arrange in the pan as shown.  Bake as directed.  Enjoy!

 

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

I love Mom's cinnamon rolls. Just LOVE them! I had forgotten how much until she came to visit me after I had my baby in March and made me lots of rolls for the freezer. How fun it was to pull out a pan of my mama's homemade cinnamon rolls... what a delicious kind of comfort. This dough recipe actually came from her mother (the same Grandma we feature often on the this blog!) but the way it's all put to together and baked is all Mom. She doesn't do very much butter or sugar - the emphasis is on the cinnamon. Often there were nuts and raisins rolled up inside but I'll be honest... my favorite has always been plain cinnamon rolls! (Grandma has her own way of making "sticky buns" which are delicious too.) Mom always used a powdered sugar glaze on top. I tried cream cheese frosting this last time and it was super good but a little too sweet. I'll stick with a light glaze from now on. Mom always placed the rolls close together in a 9x13 so they would all squish together and rise upward... I don't know why but that will always be my favorite way of baking them!
Mom's Cinnamon Rolls
submitted by Brittany at www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe here

One recipe of Sweet Roll Dough
1/2 cup softened butter, divided
granulated sugar
cinnamon

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tb soft butter (not melted)
1/4 tsp vanilla (this will make the icing a creamy color)
2 T. hot water
Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Drizzle onto the buns with a spoon. The icing will thicken as it cools so ice the buns immediately.

Grandma's Sweet Roll Dough
2 rounded Tb yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup warm milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Beat all ingredients except flour until smooth. (I use a Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment.) Add flour until it cleans off edge of bowl. (Switch to a dough hook for this part.) Knead for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let it rise until double (about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Punch dough down and allow to rise again. This time it will rise much faster so keep an eye on it! Punch dough down again and divide into 2 parts.

Roll one part into a rectangle. Spread half of butter (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) on dough. Sprinkle with white sugar then cinnamon - making sure you go all the way to the edges. Mom never measured the sugar or cinnamon - I sprinkle on enough sugar to leave a light coat on dough - maybe about 1/2 cup? Here is a picture of how much cinnamon I like to use:

Roll up rectangle lengthwise and pinch edge to seal. Use a knife to gently mark the top how thick you want each cinnamon roll, that way they end up being more consistently sized and you can plan how many you want for your pan. (I will usually do 16 for each roll) Using plain dental floss, slip the floss under the roll, cross over and pull each end to slice off each piece: Repeat entire process with second half of dough.

Place rolls flat side down into two greased 9x13 inch pans; 3 across and 4 down (12 total for each). With the extra rolls you can either fill a 9x9 or a round pie pan.

Cover rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rise briefly - about 30 minutes or less - while oven is heating to 350. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon glaze over cinnamon rolls after they have cooled.

Perfectly wonderful Cinnamon Rolls

This is the best cinnamon roll recipe!! I just love it and have been using it for years. It makes lots, so it has been perfect for bridal and baby shower brunches, family gatherings or anytime you need a lot!! Whenever I make these we give plates away to our friends and neighbors and always have plenty for our family too. I usually make them in the morning and they are warm out of the oven by afternoon for an after school snack or dinner time (they are really yummy for dinner with a hearty stew or chili in the winter or a salad in the summer). I have also made them before I go to bed and then set them on top my freezer in the garage to rise all night. Then I just pop them in the oven in the morning. Do not overbake them! They are just barely golden when they are done--so don't expect them to be too browned. Also, I place mine on a cookie sheet spaced apart, not touchig. These really are amazingly delicious! Mmmmm--soooo good!!

Cinnamon Rolls
submitted by Melanie Christensen

2 c. milk
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
2 pkg yeast (4 ½ tsp)
1/3 c. warm water
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
4 beaten eggs
8-9 c. flourFilling: 1 square softened butter & cinnamon(lots) & sugar

Heat milk and 2 squares of butter together until butter is melted. Cool and set aside. (Or, melt butter separately and add to warmed milk so the mixture is not so hot and doesn't have to cool so long.) Mix yeast and warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Add cooled milk, 1 1/3 c. sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 beaten eggs. Add 4 c. flour and mix and gradually add 4 additional cups flour. You may have to add extra flour after 8 cups - just add a little at a time if needed to get the right consistency so the dough can be handled.  However, you may be fine with 8 cups.  Dough should be firm but sticky. Cover with cloth and put in a warm place, and raise 1 ½ to 2 hours. Dough should nearly be doubled in size. Divide dough in half and empty onto floured surface and knead a little. Roll dough into rectangle, about ½ inch thick. (Do not roll it out too thin.) To this half of dough, spread on ½ square of softened butter, completely covering dough. Then sprinkle a coating of sugar over entire piece of dough. Then a layer of cinnamon. Be generous with the cinnamon; this is what makes it tasty. Roll into long roll, pinch edges together and slice with dental floss. Place on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper. Do same thing to second half of dough. Cover with a clean dishtowel (or saran wrap sprayed with cooking spray) and put in warm place, free of drafts, for 2 to 5 hours to raise--just depends-but the should be double in size. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until barely browned. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Drizzle with glaze while still warm. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Butter Cream Glaze: 

1 cube softened butter (1/2 cup)

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

dash of cream of tarter

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

scalded milk or cream

Add all together...adding milk a little at a time, alternately with the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. For cinnamon rolls, it needs to be a little thinner than regular icing.

Orange Rolls

These are delicious, and a refreshing change from regular cinnamon rolls. I got the recipe from Mel's blog, My Kitchen Cafe. It makes a lot; I usually get more than 45 rolls from one batch. And I double the glaze and add more powdered sugar to make it thicker. (That's just a matter of personal preference. )

Orange Rolls
Submitted by Erin

1 recipe dinner rolls (below)
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind from two large oranges

Orange Glaze:
Mix together 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 T. freshly squeezed orange juice and ½ tsp. grated orange rind.

Follow directions below for dinner rolls. Combine butter, sugar, orange juice and orange rind in a small bowl and mix well.
When dough is ready to shape into rolls, punch down and divide in thirds. Roll each portion into large rectangle about 9x13 inches, ¼ inch thick. Spread each rectangle with one-third of the butter/orange/sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly roll style. Seal edges well, then cut with dental floss into 1-inch slices.
Place on a greased baking sheet (I fit 15 on a sheet - three rows of five). Let rise away from draft until dough doubles. (Today that took about 1 hour.) Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. (Mine were done at about 16 minutes, so check early.) Remove rolls from pans and cool on wire rack. When rolls are cool, drizzle with orange glaze.

Lion House Dinner Rolls:

2 T. dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 1/2 tsp. Salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
5-6 cups flour
1 egg

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 more cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time until well mixed. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny (I knead it in my Bosch mixer). Return dough to an oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap; let rise until about triple in size. (Today this took 1 1/2 hours, in a warm place.) Use last of the flour as needed on the board for rolling and shaping the dough. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easier to manage if you roll it. Separate dough into three portions. To make plain rolls, roll out each portion into a circle and cut into 8 pie-shaped pieces. Roll up crescent-style and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Makes between 3-4 dozen rolls.