CINNAMON ROLLS WITH TOPPING

I love this recipe because they are so easy to make (seriously....if you have a stand mixer with dough hook) and I can bake fresh ANY morning . You can prepare ahead and refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to a month. I make up a batch (15 rolls) and freeze them in batches of 3 or 4, pull a batch out before going to bed and bake in the morning!

If you don't have time to bake in the morning, pull out of the freezer the day before, let thaw and bake in the evening. Once baked, they will stay fresh for about 3 days. Just pop in the mocrowave for 25 seconds before topping and enjoy!

DOUGH:
1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

BUTTER FROSTING:
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given. Using a dough hook, mix everything together until a soft dough forms then 10 minutes more. Cover the bowl let rest for 10 minutes.

After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15x24-inch rectangle. Brush the softened butter over the top of the dough.

Mix other filling ingredients and sprinkle over the butter.

Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal. Cut roll into 1 1/2" wide slices and place cut side up in prepared pan, flattening slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 and bake until light golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Topping: Combine cream cheese and butter and beat until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

Remove rolls from oven and let cool slightly. Spread Butter Frosting over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Don't want to bake yet? Read on to find out about refrigerating or freezing.

Refrigerator:
After cutting and placing in pan, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The rolls will do a "slow rise" in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove from refrigerator and place in pre-heated oven. Bake and top as directed above.

Freezer:
After cutting and placing in pan, cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. Rolls can be frozen up to one month. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, remove foil but leave plastic wrap in place (you may need to loosen the wrap to allow room for rise). Set on counter and allow rolls to thaw completely and rise. This will take 8-10 hours so if you want to bake fresh for breakfast, remove before going to bed. Bake and top as directed above.