Happy New Year!

I hope everyone's in one piece and had an awesome New Year's!

My little besties are growing up so fast. :( 

My Top 3 Wishes for 2015:

1. World Peace

2. For RockBand to come out with an ALL TAYLOR SWIFT version... I know it probably wouldn't be considered very rock of RockBand, but figure it out. PopBand then. GreatestPersonOfAllTimeBand. I'd be happy to head the project.

3. To learn how to drive stick. I think my greatest fear is ending up as a guest on Top Gear and not being able to hold my own on that track. 

That is all.

And as promised (because I can't think of a better way to kick off the new year), a cinnamon roll recipe. Perhaps the greatest cinnamon roll recipe:

Ann Sather's Cinnamon Rolls 

You Will Need:

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)

1 cup milk, scaled and cooled

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

4 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Powdered Sugar Icing (recipe below)

In a large bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in milk, melted butter, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat with a spoon or a mixer until smooth.

Gradually store in 1 1/2 cups flour, keeping the dough smooth. If the dough is still moist, stir in 1 Tablespoon flour at a time to make a soft dough. Cover with a dry cloth and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

Heat oven to 350 and divide raised dough in half. On a lightly floured oiled board, roll out and stretch 1 piece of dough to make a 12x8" rectangle. Spread 2 Tablespoons of soft butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (if you're finding this difficult, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl until it's a workable spread). Roll up tightly and repeat with the remaining dough. 

Cut dough into 2" slices. Place on greased and floured baking sheets. Let dough rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Drizzle rolls with icing while hot, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For Icing:

Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon milk (adding additional milk to thin it out further if necessary).

I found the butter was kind of hard to spread, so I mixed some of the cinnamon brown sugar in with the butter to make a sort of paste, then topped it with the rest.

All rolled up and ready to go in the oven!

I will say flavor and texture-wise this is an Ann Sather's cinnamon bun. And while having this recipe makes me sleep easier at night, it's not exactly the same as an Ann Sather's cinnamon bun. 

I'll work on it, but methinks it has to do with just being in Chicago. I love that stinkin' city. 

Happy New Year folks!