Today I’m going to talk about one of my favorite foods no matter what time of year it is: cinnamon rolls. To be more specific, cinnamon rolls made by my Grandma, or as we call her, Grandma Nana. She seriously makes the best cinnamon rolls ever. My personal favorite are her caramel rolls, but I couldn’t turn down a frosted one, either. My Grandma makes her rolls all year round, but that doesn’t make them any less special. I tried the recipe on my own once, and they didn’t turn out anywhere near as good as hers. Every time we visit, Grandma sends us home with a package of cinnamon rolls. They are a staple at any Decker breakfast.
This semester has been the busiest one yet (yay for my last final being today!), and I have found that cooking and baking has been the best way for me to de-stress. Almost weekly I am asking Grandma for her recipe for some kind of baked good that I want to try myself. My lemon pie has come a long way, and the pumpkin bread I made for Emily’s friendsgiving was pretty good, but Grandma’s cinnamon roll recipe is one that I should just watch her bake while I provide taste testing. I was home over Thanksgiving break when Grandma was whipping up rolls for our family Thanksgiving/Christmas that we celebrate before they head to Arizona for the winter. I decided since I’m not much help when it comes to making the rolls, I could bring my camera and capture her in her element, making something special for our family.
While the dough is rising, Grandma prepares the caramel for the caramel rolls.
Then she takes that big 'ol ball of dough that has been rising and cuts it in two. Using a rolling pin, she carefully rolls the dough into an oblong shape, making sure to not let it get too wide, otherwise the rolls will be too big.
Next up the dough gets lathered with butter. Then a generous amount of cinnamon, brown sugar and love are sprinkled over the top.
With precision and accuracy, Grandma cuts out each roll. The caramel rolls are placed in the caramel dishes. We always used to fight for the roll in the center because everyone thought it was the tastiest one. I’ve since discovered that the edge rolls end up with more caramel, but I’m keeping that to myself. Since some of this batch is headed to our family Christmas, the frosted rolls will be placed in a tree shape on baking sheets today.
The caramel rolls head into the oven first. When they are done, Grandma immediately pops them out onto a cooling rack and scrapes out the remaining caramel.
Grandpa smells something yummy and waits patiently for his sample of the masterpiece. Meanwhile, Grandma prepares frosting for the Christmas tree rolls.
The hardest part of making these is waiting for them to cool enough to snag a taste. Luckily, Grandma keeps herself busy by frosting the tree shaped rolls.
Grandma finally gives the okay for each of us to try one. There is nothing better than a caramel roll straight out of the oven!
I love every chance I get to learn about my Grandma’s baking tips and tricks. I think she could have her own Food Network show for the tasty treats she cranks out of her kitchen. No matter whether she’s at home, in the little trailer in Arizona, or at the remote Lake of the Woods cabin in Canada, she is always baking something sweet for the people she loves. I hope someday I can perfect this cinnamon roll recipe just like she has.
