Want a fluffy homemade roll that rivals the "Mall Stand" competition? Well look no more! Here is MY version of Cinnabon Fan Art (that you can eat).

Whenever I go to the mall I am instantly socked in the face with the smell of baked goods. I personally don't know how the "Mall Walkers" do it, doing laps in the name of fitness while consistently being bombarded with one aroma after another, they are the very face of commitment. My worst guilty pleasure in the mall food court...Cinnabon. I'll admit it, I am a sugar addict, zero days sober and sometimes, just SOMETIMES I treat myself to just one. Except ONE is as big as my face, but I eat the whole thing because if a well respected establishment like Cinnabon says this is a single serving, who am I to argue or even question, right?

“Anyone who gives you a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven is a friend for life.” -Lemony Snicket

Since I am the queen of 'I wonder if I could do that,' I have been on the lookout for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe. A roll that is tall and pillowy soft with a slightly crunchy top. Alot of recipes came close, but many times the rolls would fall after removing them from the oven or worse, become dense and cakey after they had cooled. 'Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence,' and with time, some recipe tinkering and more batches of cinnamon rolls under my belt than I'd like to admit, I finally feel like I cracked the yummy code on this one.

Enthusiasm is the Yeast that Raises the Dough - Paul J. Myer

Making Fresh bread from scratch is a time consuming process but one that pays off in recipes such as these. I used to shy away from recipes that called for proofing yeast and waiting for rising times, tried all kinds of "Jiffy Cinnamon Bunz" recipes only to be left dissapointed. You just can't beat time in some cases to work out the perfect outcome in life and in food, and this is just one of those times.

Proofing your yeast a few minutes ahead of time is critical to success here. Gives those miraculous little microorganisms time to do what they do best!

Start combining all of your ingredients into your mixer (if you have one, otherwise any old bowl will do). Mix your warm milk, butter, egg and salt together until well combined. Add about half the flour and mix it well before adding your beautifully puffy yeast. Mix it all together before adding the rest of the flour in small increments. The dough will come together quickly and it will be pretty sticky. You can switch to your dough hook at this point or dump out onto a well floured surface. You need to knead this dough for 10 minutes, by hand or otherwise. I like to let the machine do half the work and then knead by hand for 5 minutes, this allows me to check the consistency of the dough.

I read in an old cookbook once that the dough should be "as soft as a horses nose." I've always wanted to use that somewhere, and this recipe is perfect for it. That is exactly how your dough should feel. Smooth and elastic-y. Roll that sucker into a smooth ball and throw it into a well greased bowl and let it rise for an hour.

Punching down dough can be so satisfying, and it allows you to see and feel first hand all the hard work your yeast has put in! A tall, soft dough is a perfect gauge of how soft your finished product will be.

You're almost there! okay, so you're about half way there. But don't lose heart, I promise the tough parts are behind us!

Time to roll out your dough. Try to aim for a 15 x 9 inch rectangle but the beauty of a homemade dessert is that is does not have to be perfect! Spread the filling out evenly to the edges and roll into a long log.

Cut the log into 12 equal portions and lay them face down in a well buttered pan sprinkled with brown sugar. I add this step because I find it gives the underside of the rolls a nice glazed, candied surface. Let them rise again in the pan until doubled, about an hour. You can speed up the process if you place the pan in a warm place to rise.

Bake them in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so keep an eye on these babies, nothing feels worse than spending 3.5 hours on dessert only to over bake or burn them!

There you have it, cinnamon rolls so good, that you may never need to visit the food court at the mall again (then again they really do make one tasty burrito)! Drizzle with icing and serve warm! Makes 12 servings.