Recipe shared by Mary Janet MacDonald (Port Hood, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia)
These cinnamon rolls have been a favourite in our house for so many years. They started way back when our 7 children were young. We didn’t have a lot of money so I would bake everything for their lunches. These iced cinnamon rolls came from a time when I brought home Pillsbury iced cinnamon buns to bake – they loved them so much – but I knew I just couldn’t afford to buy the Pillsbury buns as much as we’d like to. So I decided to use my biscuit recipe and try to make something similar – and thus – the recipe was born and became a family favourite. It just tickles me to know that people are making them and loving them – and I’m so darn proud that Gluggable likes them too.
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
6 tsp. baking powder
2 heaping Tablespoons white sugar
½ cup shortening or butter (your choice)
2 cups milk (2%)
For cinnamon filling:
⅓ cup butter, softened
1 cup (or a little more) brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and have your cookie sheet ready with some parchment paper lining your pan. Mix the above together (with your hands).
Add ½ cup shortening (or butter – your choice) (make sure it’s at room temperature) and blend it into the flour with your hands until crumbly (mealy). Make a well in centre and add 2 cups of milk. With a fork – scrape all the flour into the milk and combine until all the flour is absorbed and you have the dough nicely combined.
Sprinkle a little flour onto your counter and form the dough into a ball and place on the floured surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough and on your rolling pin and roll out til about ½ inch thickness. You can use butter (or I use Becel because it’s nice and soft) and spread some all over the surface of the rolled out dough – just like you were spreading peanut butter on the surface of a slice of bread. Now add some brown sugar – sprinkle enough on – probably more than a cup – maybe a cup and a half until all spread out all over the surface and right to the edges. Now sprinkle cinnamon over the complete surface – don’t be shy.
Roll up the dough like a jelly roll. With a serrated bread knife cut off both ends of the roll (these pieces you can cook on your second pan) but for now – cut your slices about ¾ inch thick and place on the cookie sheet. (I use a stoneware 9×13” pan). (I find they scorch easily in a metal pan – or perhaps you might want to try a lower temperature if you are using a metal pan. You’ll make about 15 cinnamon rolls.
Bake for 18 minutes on middle rack (18 minutes in my oven – yours might be done at 14 minutes – check often).
While they’re baking – make the frosting/glaze: 3 tablespoons butter or Becel; 2 tsp. vanilla, about 2 cups icing sugar, and a little bit of milk – stir and if too thick add a bit more milk until you have a nice consistency – similar to peanut butter. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls. Delicious!
