Father's Day Cinnamon Rolls

These are amazing. Definitely the best cinnamon rolls we've ever had. We only make them once a year (on Father's Day) because there are absurd amounts of butter and sugar in these babies... but resist the temptation to cut back because they are incredible!  

Father's Day Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2/3 cup plus 1 tsp sugar, divided
1 cup warmed milk
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7-9 cups flour, more if needed

 Filling: 1 cup melted butter, divided
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp cinnamon, heaping

Frosting:
1 cup butter, room temp
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, room temp
1/2 bag powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a measuring cup, mix warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar; set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix milk, remaining sugar, melted butter (slightly cooled), salt, and eggs; mix well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (it will still be a tiny bit sticky). Mix with dough hook for about 3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Roll dough onto well floured surface. Combine sugar and cinnamon for filling. Pour 1/2 cup of the melted butter onto dough and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the cinnamon sugar.
 Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edges to seal. Cut into about 15 slices. Coat bottom of a 9x13 and an 8x8 pan with the remaining 1/2 cup melted butter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise about 1 more hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool slightly.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter. Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for about 8 minutes. Top cinnamon rolls with frosting.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

These are slightly more time consuming that your regular pancake, but they are yuuuummy!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Cinnamon Filling:
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 C. + 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pancakes:
1 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C. milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Prepare the cinnamon filling:
In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Scoop the filling into a quart sized heavy duty ziploc bag and set it aside.

Prepare the glaze:
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Add softened cream cheese to bowl and whisk until it is almost smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, stir and add in the vanilla extract.  Set aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancakes:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened.  (A few small lumps are fine.)
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and spray with nonstick spray.  Use an ice cream scoop or 1/3 C. measuring cup to add the batter to the pan.  Snip a small corner off of the bag of filling.  Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake in a swirl.  Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.  Slide a thin, wide spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over.  Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well.  When you flip the pancake onto a place, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon.  Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling.  Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.
Yield: Eight 4-inch pancakes

Tips:
*The cinnamon filling should be about the consistency of toothpaste when you swirl it on, or else it'll run all over the place.  I had to put mine into the freezer for a few seconds to thicken it.
*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly and the sugar in the filling will burn.

Recipe from RecipeGirl.com