WOW.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.

She warns on her website that these things may happen if you make them:

A warning. If you follow these instructions and wind up delivering these cinnamon rolls to your friends, be prepared for any of the following to occur:

1. They’ll call you after they’ve taken the first bite and profess their eternal love for every ounce of your body, even your toe jam and love handles.
2. They’ll pass out after the first bite, hit their head on the kitchen counter, sustain a concussion, and sue you for damages, despite the fact that the one bite they tasted of your cinnamon roll was the single most profound culinary experience in their miserable little life.
3. They’ll call you and ask for the recipe, saying, "HOW did you make those?"
4. They’ll call you and propose marriage.
5. They’ll hug the cinnamon roll pan, get maple frosting all over their clothes, and send you the bill for the dry cleaning.

This may very well be true!! These Cinnamon Rolls are amazing. They are a 'little' bit of trouble, and a MESS, but honestly worth it. On a rainy day when you have nothing else to do, it is so fun to make these!!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
*the way I did it with the ingredients I had, not exactly as it appears on her website* (but I did use her picture below!)

1 quart of whole milk (I didn't have that so I used 2 c. skim + 2 c. fat free half & half)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast (I used rapid rise)
8 + 1 c. all-purpose flour
1 heaping t. baking powder
1 scant t. baking soda
1 heaping T. salt
2 c. melted butter
2 c. sugar
Generous sprinkling Cinnamon

Maple Frosting:
1 big bag powdered sugar
2 t. maple flavoring
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. brewed coffee
pinch of salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a large pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool for 45 minutes - 1 hour. When mixture is lukewarm to warm (not hot!) sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it; overnight or even a day or two if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and punch it down if it starts to rise out of the pan.

Sprinkle surface VERY generously with flour. And make sure your surface are is big! . Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangle shape. Drizzle 1 c. melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 c. sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seams to seal it. Spray seven round pans with Pam or another baking spray (I actually only needed 5 pans). Begin cutting rolls approximately 1 inch thick and lay them in prepared pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 20-30 minutes and then bake at 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes, or until light golden brown.

For the frosting, mix all ingredients together and stir well until smooth. It should be thick, but somewhat pourable. If it is too thick, a little more milk will thin it a little bit. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and make sure and use all of it!

***This seems like a lot of trouble, and it IS more trouble than buying them and baking them at home....but it is DEFINITELY worth it! Give it a try...you won't be sorry!