I must apologize. I have not been a very good blogger these past 3 weeks.

A good baker, yes. A good blogger, no.

But I have an amazing excuse…a wedding!

My big bro got married on September 18th and I was upstate planning. And stressing. And flower arranging. And family reunion-ing. And celebrating!

And of course, baking.

Baking for the wedding breakfast. Baking for the Bachelorette party. Baking for the 15+ friends and relatives staying at my parent’s house. Baking with baby cousins I had never met before. Baking with some of my best friend’s from high school. Baking for the three most amazing roommates who traveled all the way up to the tree farm to lend a hand and many a sassy dance move. Baking recipes never tried before. Baking with an inspiration and vigor only fired up when I am free to take over my childhood kitchen. Baking with the freshest, most delicious ingredients from the Finger Lakes.

Yes, sir. I certainly do love weddings.

I have several recipes that still need to be shared, but I thought I would jump right into the day-of wedding treat:

Cinnamon rolls!

And not just any cinnamon rolls, but Pioneer Woman maple-glazed cinnamon rolls!

I planned these for all of our guests to eat the morning of the wedding. To start the day off with something sweet and with a smile. To act as sustenance for the rest of the day. To inspire love and adoration.

Sounds like a perfect marriage (see what I did there, eh?) of celebration and baked good.

Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Note: I made these rolls on Thursday afternoon. The wedding was on Saturday. I may or may not have hid the pans of rolls in my room for two days, fearing that the masses would come down upon them before the big day.

Note to cranky-baby-cinnamon-roll-deprived family: This was not done out of spite. It was a decision made out of excellant time management skills and an urge to make the wedding that much more magical. Yes, these cinnamon rolls are magical. And yes, as predicted, the masses did come down upon these little babies once they were heated up and drowning in their gooey glaze. So much so that I ended up making ANOTHER batch later that week. TWO batches of CINNAMON ROLLS in ONE WEEK after a DECADE LONG CINNAMON ROLL DRAUGHT?

You better just do yourself a favor and go make these right now.

For the rolls:

1 quart of whole milk

1 cup of vegetable oil (I used olive oil and it worked great)

1 cup of sugar

2 packages Active Dry Yeast

9 cups flour

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 scant teaspoon baking soda

1 heaping tablespoon salt

3-4 cups melted butter

2 cup sugar

Lots of cinnamon

Mix together milk, oil and sugar in a large pot. Scald over medium heat, making sure it does not boil. Let cool for about an hour. This may seem like a long time when all you want is lovely cinnamon rolls, but I found that hemming tux pants or finishing the bridal veil ate up that hour very quickly…

When your milk mixture is luke warm, add the yeast. Make sure it is not hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir it into the milk and let it sit for a few minutes.

Add eight cups of flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. Cover and let sit for another hour. Again, you will get through this. Just go round up some extra blankets for the unlucky groomsmen camping out in the 40 degree weather or take in the MOG dress or something. Trust me, it will be worth it. Your dough should rise and get light and fluffy during this hour.

Soon enough it will be time to mix in one more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Sprinkle your counter generously with flour. Take half your dough (or the whole shabang if you fail to read the directions thoroughly like someone I know and your dough completely consumes the surface of your counter…) and form it in a long rectangle. Roll out with a rolling pin, maintaining the rectangle shape. Drizzle half the melted butter onto the dough and even it out with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle one cup of sugar over the butter, and douse everything in lots of cinnamon. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.

Starting on the opposite side of the dough, roll it toward you. Keep the roll tight and try not to let the dough stick to your counter, as it will rip. Pinch the seam to seal everything up.

Cut individual rolls about an inch thick and lay in the bottom of your greased pie or cake pans. I made enough for six 8-inch pie tins, but your tins may differ based on the size of your rolls. Let them sit for 30 minutes and then bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until the rolls in the center are no longer mushy and the outside rolls are golden brown. 

For the glaze:

1 bag confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons maple flavoring

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup brewed coffee

Generous pinch of salt

In a large bowl, mix together the confectioner’s sugar, maple flavoring, milk, butter, coffee and salt into a thick mixture. It should be pourable.

After your rolls come out of the oven, you should let them cool for about ten minutes, pour the glaze on top and serve immediately (after removing yourself from the line of fire, of course). You can also let them cool completely, place them in gallon zip lock bags and freeze them or store them for a few days until you are ready to use them. They can be reheated in the oven for about 30 minutes while you make the glaze and then served. Take a minute to enjoy with your coffee, family and friends before your own whirlwind wedding casts its spell on you.

And congratulations George and April! XO