Easy-Peasy Cinnamon Rolls

The last time I made these easy-peasy cinnamon rolls I sent 4 home with my brother, Alan. I said, "two for dessert and two for breakfast tomorrow," and he headed home. About 20 minutes later he sent a message that said, "cinnamon rolls all gone." He ate all 4 rolls before he even made it home! Well, he is coming over again. I made cinnamon rolls and I hope I made enough so at least one makes it to breakfast! Enjoy!

Easy-Peasy Cinnamon Rolls

1- 1 lb loaf of frozen white bread dough

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup brown sugar (loosely filled, not packed)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

1 tablepoon buttermilk

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Spray the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray. Place the frozen loaf in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft-free area for 6 hours: until the loaf is defrosted and has doubled in size. Most of the time I leave it overnight.

Brush melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish. Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (roll dough from the center to the edges) to a rectangle roughly 9x12. Brush the remaining melted butter over the dough- to the edges. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along one of the longer edges. Sprinkle the nuts and raisins over the sugar mixture. Start with the edge opposite the butter-only edge and begin rolling like a jelly-roll. Brush excess flour from the underside as you roll. Cut the roll into 9 equal pieces and and arrange evenly in the buttered baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and place the baking dish in the oven until the tops of the rolls are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese, buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Remove rolls from the oven and spread the mascarpone mixture over the top. Eat!

Ways to Think Outside the Usual:

• Switch out the raisins with dried cranberries, dried fruit mixture, or omit them altogether.
• Experiment with different nuts: pecan, walnuts, hazelnuts.
• Switch out the ground clove for ground nutmeg, or omit it altogether.
• Add 2 tablespoons orange zest to the cinnamon mixture and omit the raisins for great orange rolls.
• Switch out the lemon juice and zest, for the juice and zest of an orange or lime. Or omit the juice and zest altogether.
• No buttermilk? Use whipping cream or whole milk instead.