maple cinnamon rolls

ingredients:

dough: 

1 cup of warm milk 

1-1/2 tbsp of active dry yeast

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of butter, softened 

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp of maple extract 

1/2 tsp of salt 

4-1/2 cups of flour

filling: 

1 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup

1 cup of brown sugar 

3 tbsps of ground cinnamon 

maple cream cheese frosting: 

4 oz of cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup of butter, softened 

2 cups of powdered sugar 

1 tsp of maple extract or pure maple syrup

2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk, more if needed

supplies:

mixing bowls

stand mixer

non-stick spray

plastic wrap

kitchen towel

whisk

dental floss or sharp knife

parchment paper

large baking dish

directions:

add the warm milk, yeast, and sugar to a bowl. mix and let sit until the yeast foams - about 5-10 mins.

in separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, eggs, maple extract, and eggs. then add in the warm milk and yeast mixture, and combine well. 

using the dough hook on a stand mixer or a wooden spoon (dusted with flour), slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients and combine. if the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour. if using a spoon: once the dough is too tough to mix with a spoon, knead it with your hands for about 3 minutes on a lightly floured surface. if using a stand mixer, knead with the dough hook for 3 minutes. after kneading, grease a large bowl with non-stick spray, and put the dough inside. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place.

after the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, until it is in the shape of a large rectangle. 

in a bowl, mix butter and maple syrup together well with a whisk or with a mixer. add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until combines. 

spread the filling onto the dough evenly. with the longest side of the dough facing you, begin to roll up the dough, making sure it is a tight roll (so when you cut the rolls, they don’t fall apart). when you get to the end, pinch the end of the dough into itself slightly. using dental floss or a sharp knife, cut the rolls. do not roll your dough too thin. you should be able to get about 10-12 large cinnamon rolls from this recipe.

grease your baking dish with non-stick spray and line with parchment. put the cinnamon rolls in, with a little space between them. cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and put in a warm place to rise for another hour. once they have risen, bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown on 375 degrees. 

while the cinnamon rolls bake, make the icing: mix all the ingredients well until smooth. for thicker icing, use less milk. for thinner icing, use more milk. use a spatula or knife to spread the icing over warm cinnamon rolls and serve.

note: for regular cinnamon rolls, remove the maple syrup and maple extract from the recipe and replace with vanilla extract.