CINNAMON ROLL CUPCAKES

Sometimes you need a good Cinnamon Roll or even an Orange roll,

but

you just don’t have the time it takes to make homemade rolls!

My favorite rolls are . . .

” ORANGE ROLLS TO DIE FOR “

but that is a long project for another day and another time.

What to do  . . . What to do.

You  can use Rhodes frozen roll dough . . . of course you can!

You should be able to find this frozen roll dough, in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Fast.  Easy.  Convenient. Good.

You can even frost them fancy schmancy if you like.

Or . . . for those who think that a teaspoon of frosting is too much . . . Do the traditional thing!

We all know who I’m talking about.

Don’t we?

I’ll show you just how easy Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes are created.

Run into that kitchen . . . I’ll wait.

You will need: Frozen Rhodes Rolls (thawed), Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Cinnamon, one stick of melted butter and cupcake liners.

Follow the directions below or on the back of the Rhodes Roll Package for thawing directions.

Take all those rolls and roll them into one big ball.

Place the ball on a floured surface, and grab your rolling pin.

Roll the dough out into about a 10×14 rectangle.

*Hint:  If the dough keeps springing back, cover it with saran wrap and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  It will make it much easier to roll out.

Brush the dough with melted butter. Be generous, but save 1/3 of the melted butter for later.

Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of that melted butter.

Add the brown Sugar and a few raisins . . . if you like.  You could even add a few chopped pecans!

It’s time to roll!  Roll the dough over itself from back to front along the long side of the rectangle to form a log.

When you are rolling and the dough ends suddenly, you must do something very important!

Look at that bad picture of the dough log.  See how I have pinched the seam together. Do that!

Grab some thread from your awesome sewing room, and cut off about 12″ in length.

*Hint: Cut the dough with the thread, by placing the thread underneath the dough and about 1″ in from the edge.  Bring the ends up, over, and cross through the dough.  It works really well!

Place each 1″ roll inside the cupcake liner.

(Note:  I used grease free cupcake liners.)

This is where you will use that extra melted butter.  You might need to melt it again, if it has thickened up.  Drizzle that butter over the tops of each roll.  Just try to divide it as equally as possible.  No big deal. Cover the rolls with sprayed saran wrap and let them sit until double in size. While the rolls are rising . . . make the Cream Cheese Frosting.

This is optional, but I took about 1 cup of that frosting, and thinned it down a bit with some milk.  I wanted this little bowl of frosting to be more like a glaze. Leave the other portion like a frosting. (When the rolls come out of the oven, you will glaze the tops of the warm rolls with that little bowl of frosting.  That way, it can ooze down inside the rolls.)

Oh . . . almost ready.

Remember that they will rise up even more in the oven.

. . . and they did!

Remember that little bowl of glaze that you set aside.  While the rolls are still warm, drizzle some of that glaze over the tops of the rolls.  It will seep down into the hot roll.  Be careful, so that you don’t cover your liners with too much glaze! Let the rolls cool before you frost the tops with the remaining cream cheese frosting.

Eat one . . . while it’s warm & gooey!

oh yes, one more thing.

Remember that giveaway from Blitz of Glitz

This one is called

“PINKALICIOUS”

You still have time to enter. Who knows . . . you just might win some beautiful bling. You get to choose your favorite bracelet if you win, but you must follow the directions from this post: My favorite Marinade.

If you leave a comment under this post as well . . . I’ll give you an extra entry!

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CINNAMON ROLL CUPCAKES

serving size:  12 rolls

Ingredients

• 12 Texas size Rhodes Rolls, thawed but still cold

Filling Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins (opt)

Directions

Place frozen rolls on a sprayed baking sheet or plate.  Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let thaw. The rolls should still be slightly cold.  Once the rolls have thawed, combine all the rolls together to form one large ball of dough.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the ball into a 10×14 inch rectangle.

*Hint:  If the dough keeps springing back, cover it with saran wrap and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  It will make it much easier to roll out.

To make the filling, in a medium-sized bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together until blended.

Melt the butter.  Spread a generous amount of butter over the dough.  (Reserve about 1/3 of the melted butter for later)

Sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture over the top of the butter.

Sprinkle raisins or even nuts on top of the sugar if desired.

Roll the dough over itself from back to front along the long side of the rectangle to form a log. When you get to the end of the roll . . . make sure you pinch the seams together. Slice the log into 12 even pieces.

*Hint:  I like to cut a piece of thread about 12″ long.  Cut the dough with the thread, by placing the thread underneath the dough and about 1″ in from the edge.  Bring the ends up, over and cross through the dough.  It works really well!

Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners and place each piece in a cupcake liner.  Don’t make your pieces larger than one inch, because they need room to rise.

Cover the cupcake tins and set in a warm place to rise for another 40 minutes or until double in size. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Evenly distribute the remaining 1/3 cup of melted butter over the tops of the cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.

• 1  8-ounce package of Cream Cheese
• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons) at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla.

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