My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe & Tradition!

With Thanksgiving coming up, not only am I feeling incredibly grateful for the incredible abundance my family and loved ones have been blessed with, but I am also looking forward to spending time with them all this week, having a day off, and eating! One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is making my mother-in-law’s cinnamon roll recipe with my kids (who aren’t really “kids” anymore). These cinnamon rolls are ooey-gooey and to-die for! And I would like to share her recipe with you.

Nancy’s Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1: Prepare two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans. Place pans on the stove over a low flame and add these ingredients, one at a time, stirring as you go. Heat until bubbling for a few minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from stovetop and allow to cool. If you like nuts on your cinnamon rolls, you can add salted pecans or walnuts to this mixture after removing from the stove.

Step 1 ingredients – per pan:

• 5 Tbs. butter (you KNOW it’s going to be good with this much butter!)
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 3 Tbs. light Karo corn syrup

Step 2: Follow the instructions on the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix for sweet roll dough. Roll dough into a 19″ x 13″ rectangle, and liberally butter the entire area with softened butter, excluding approximately 1/2″ on one of the 19″ edges. Mix as much cinnamon as you like into 1 c. sugar. I like lots of cinnamon, so I keep adding until the cinnamon-sugar mixture is dark. Cover the entire buttered area of the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Now, starting on the 19″ buttered side, roll the dough into a log. Seal the log with the unbuttered edge. You can moisten the unbuttered edge with a dampened fingertip, if it helps. Slice the log into 3/4″ thick slices. I use dental floss to slice the dough by wrapping it around the log and pulling the two ends together until the floss has sliced it. Place the rolls close together in the prepared pans and cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove and let the pans sit for a few minutes before turning the pan upside down on a plate, removing the cinnamon rolls from the cake pan. I do not frost mine, because these are sweet enough as is! But if you prefer frosting, here is that recipe.

Frosting:

• 2 c. confectioner’s sugar
• 3 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp. softened butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 Tbsp. milk

Blend well, and enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!