Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls

A Delicious Fall Treat

Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls

I love to bake something on a cool fall morning, it warms my house up with out having to turn the heat on, makes everything smell nice, and is a special treat for my family.  Cinnamon Rolls are a sweet treat that I really enjoy, so I was trying to think of a way to jazz them up a bit.  When I was pregnant I was on a hot apple cider kick and I bought a bunch of instant hot apple cider mix, more than I could drink.  With a move around the corner I thought I would try baking with it, rather than packing it - and wow did it add a kick to these cinnamon rolls.  My daughter gobbled hers up and my husband had 3, so I think they passed the quality control test in my house! 

A quick tip - when I make anything that I need yeast for I use my Kitchen Aide standing mixer, its my favorite small kitchen appliance!  The bowl is perfect for mixing and rising - and the dough hook makes it easy to create the perfect consistency when baking.  If you don't have a standing mixer, you can still make these, its just a little more work.

Here's my recipe:

Level: Medium
Prep Time: 30 min
Sitting Time: 90 min
Baking Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 min
Oven Temp: 425

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine, softened

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast or 1 T of instant yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

6 packets of instant hot apple cider mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup Caramel Bites (optional)

Frosting:

4 oz of cream cheese

¼ cup margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

To start heat your milk (I usually put mine in the microwave for 45 seconds and that heats it up perfectly) then add to your mixing bowl with your instant yeast.  Whisk quickly then allow to sit for about 10 min.  Return to your mixture and add flour, white sugar, hot apple cider mix, salt, water, egg, and ¼ cup of margarine.  Using your dough hook mix all the ingredients together, continue mixing until the dough forms and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  Take your dough out of the bowl and kneed it, only for about 2 min you don’t want to over work it.  Now wet a clean dishtowel and ring it out, place your dough back in the mixing bowl and cover it with the towel.  Let it sit for about an hour to an hour and a half.  It will rise during that time.

Preheat your oven to 425.  Take your dough out roll it over on you surface by hand, then take a rolling pin and roll the dough out just as you would a pie crust.  I get mine down to about a ¼ of an inch in thickness.  Now take your ½ cup of margarine and spread it over the rolled out dough. 

In a small bowl combine your brown sugar, cinnamon, and caramel bites.  Sprinkle this mixture over your dough.  Now roll your dough into a long roll.  Once your done cut into 1 inch slices.  Place in a glass baking dish that is sprayed with cooking spray, make sure each roll is touching.  When I make these I use a glass pie dish and it uses about ½ the log – I then freeze the other half for another day.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

My family likes to add some cream cheese frosting to these so, I quickly mix 4oz of softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of margarine, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to make a fluffy frosting.  Then I spread it over the top while they are hot, the frosting melts a bit and makes a nice glaze.  Its truly delicious.  Hope you enjoy!

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