An Apple Parade

I feel like maybe I should create a link on my blog for "apples". I have quite the abundance, but they did freeze well. I needed to make some kind of breakfast food for the hubs & I for the week & cinnamon rolls sounded awesome. I thought I'd add some apples and make it a little more healthy for us. So I defrosted a bag & realized I had way too many apples for the amount of cinnamon rolls I planned to make. So I made 2 apple treats, one to keep at home, one for the guys on my husband's team.

First we will start with the cinnamon rolls. I used a recipe I had used long ago. In fact, its the same one I used to use when I would bake rolls with my mom. I distinctly remember using a really thick thread to cut the rolls up. Well, now I have a really sharp knife, so much easier!

The recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens CookBook.
4 to 4 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Powdered Sugar Icing (recipe follows)

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour and the yeast. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat & stir milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of butter and salt until warm and butter just melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with the eggs. Beat on low for 30 seconds, change to high for 3 minutes. (On my kitchenaid I did the stir setting for 30 secs & 2 or 3 for the 3 minutes, I also using the paddle) Stir in remaining flour until it becomes elastic.
2) Turn dough on floured surface and knead until it is smooth & elastic. (At this time I changed to the hook and let it knead the dough for me) Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3) Punch dough down. Turn onto lightly floured surface & divide dough in half. Cover & let rest about 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9" round pans.
4) roll each portion of the dough into a rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine the cinnamon & sugar & sprinkle over the butter (this is where I added the diced apples) Roll up, jelly style, starting from the long side. Slice each roll into about 12 pieces. Place in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
5) Bake in a 375F oven for about 20-25 minutes or until browned. Cool slightly. Drizzle with the powdered sugar icing.

Powdered Sugar Icing
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 tsp of vanilla
1) Mix in a bowl, once blended, add additional milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you have the consistency you like.