Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Serious gooey goodness. These cinnamon buns with Paxye’s perfect cream cheese icing (recipe below) make a yummy dessert, daytime snack and, I won’t lie, I even eat them for breakfast and I don’t do overly sweet breakfasts. This is my version of the Whitewater Cooks cinnamon buns.

If you decide to make these cinnamon buns and have the ingenious idea of making them at the same time as you make supper… let’s say a Samosa Pie supper because each recipe has a dough rising element… just know that you’re in it for the long haul. There will be little time to stop and help your children or even tidy up after yourself. You will likely be surrounded by dancing naked children waving pipe cleaner butterflies like swords and be left with a sink full of dishes.

Hey, I’m not saying don’t make these- just beware if you want to make them at the same time you make Samosa Pie.

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Buns

• 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup Demerara Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 2/3 cup Milk (I use almond)
• 1 1/8 cup Warm Water
• 2 tbsp Yeast
• 5-6 cups Flour
• 4 tbsp Salted Butter, melted
• 3/4 cup Demerara Sugar
• 2 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Pecans (or walnuts or almonds or…)
• 1/2 cup Cranberries (or raisins or blueberries or…)

1. Proof yeast by heating a small bowl by running it under hot water. Add to now empty and warm bowl, yeast, a pinch of demerara sugar and warm water. Cover and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt.
3. Add eggs one at a time.
4. Mix in milk, proofed yeast mixture and flour, one cup at a time. Mix until smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto slightly floured board and knead until smooth and springy, about 10 minutes adding more flour as needed.
5. Oil the large bowl and put the dough back in, cover and let rise about 45 minutes.
6. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.
7. Carefully take dough out the bowl and back onto the board. Instead of committing dough violence by roughly punching down, redistribute the air bubbles by pushing the dough around with your knuckles.
8. Roll out into a rectangular shape about 12 inches by 18 inches.
9. Brush with melted butter and sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon, pecans and cranberries.
10. Roll length wise into a big log and slice into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place in the greased pan. Let rise 45 more minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 350′.
12. Bake about 45 minutes. Before the buns are totally cool, ice with cream cheese frosting.

As many of you know, apart from butter we don’t routinely eat dairy. We don’t sweat the small stuff and eat a little if it’s in something someone else is making and sometimes I will buy a little dairy like cream to put in a specific recipe. This icing will insure that I never go 100% vegan. It’s that good. I love how rich it is, without feeling too heavy.

Paxye first posted this recipe with her Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns and here it is again:

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/4 cup Butter, softened
• 4 ounces (half a package) Cream Cheese
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1-2 dashes Cinnamon
• 1 cup Icing Sugar

1. Combine all until smooth.