Cinnamon Almond Rolls

Certain aromas, textures, and tastes trigger memories for me, childhood memories specifically. I was wiping down counters, loading the dishwasher, and was having one of those days when everything I looked at reminded me of my Grammy. As I stirred a fresh pitcher of iced tea I thought of our countless tea parties, where she let me use a REAL china tea cup, showed me how to PROPERLY sip like a lady, and elegantly cut triangles of cinnamon sugar toast for us to nibble on. Then there were early mornings in Maine, when the rest of the house was sleeping and I would hear her rummaging in the kitchen, the clatter of pans and the whistle of the tea kettle. I would throw back the covers, tiptoe past the other kids' beds, and slip down the stairs where my tousled bed head would peek around the corner and whisper "good morning grammy". She would pull me in for a hug, brush the hair back from my eyes, and ask what I wanted for breakfast. Sometimes she would let me choose from the assorted boxes of cereal, sometimes we would have scrambled eggs, and sometimes, if I was lucky, we would make "pull-aparts". And although it was certainly delicious, it was the fact that she would let me make it with her that made it my favorite breakfast item.

She would pull out the sugar canister, the cinnamon, the package of biscuits, melt the butter, and rummage through the cabinets for her "pull-apart pan". I would mix the cinnamon sugar, sprinkling the cinnamon over the pure white sugar. I would pop the sealed biscuit roll, with a jump, and break the biscuits apart with my fingers. And then the assembly would begin, with the butter, the sugar mixture, and then into the pan. We would pop it into the oven, set the timer, and sit and watch soap operas as the house filled with the delicious smells of cinnamon and fluffy biscuity goodness.

So, with Grammy on my mind, I decided to whip up an homage to her. I didn't have all the exact items for "pull-aparts" or "monkey bread" as we called it, but this has all the same flavors.

I decided to make cinnamon rolls, or my take on them.

I had a package of prepared pizza dough, which I rolled out on the counter, with plenty of flour to keep it from sticking. I warmed up a stick of unsalted butter in the microwave, for about 15 seconds. Just enough to soften it and make it spreadable.

I chose to use my fingers, because as they say on the food network, they are your best tools! And it makes you feel like a kid again...

I spread it out, gooey and excessive, and just waiting for some sugary sweet toppings.

Warm, velvety, ground cinnamon. Yum.

I sprinkled this all over the butter-covered dough.

This already looked delicious...and smelled like childhood.

Next, I sprinkled regular ole granulated sugar all over.

Then crumbled a good amount of moist, light brown sugar, to add depth of flavor, and because I like the feeling of brown sugar between my fingers.

Then it was ready for r-o-l-l-i-n-g. I left about a half an inch of dough with no toppings on one side so that it would seal when completely rolled up.

I rolled it up evenly, applying even pressure with my hands and not squeezing too tightly. You want room for the sugar to melt and bubble and meld with the excessive amount of butter. :)

With a serrated knife (I used my trusty bread knife), slice the giant cinnamon roll into 1"- 1.5" cinnamon rolls.

And because I had some butter left and I never promised this was healthy...I placed a pat of butter in each muffin tin. Then added a sprinkle of sliced almonds, and a sprinkle of brown sugar, just for good measure.

I placed a cinnamon roll in each muffin tin. Be sure to squish them into the topping mixture just a little. I'm pretty sure it's not necessary to "squish" but it was fun, and I like the word SQUISH.

I sprayed a baking dish with non-stick spray, and SQUISHED in the remainder of the cinnamon rolls.

I placed both the muffin tin and the baking pan on my stove, covered with a clean kitchen towel, and went to run around with Sahara for about an hour. When I came back I was met with puffy cinnamon rolls, ready to be baked at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. The baking pan stayed in for a bit longer, since they were SQUISHED and all.

This is what they looked like when I pulled them out of the oven. Bubbling around the edges, the butter and sugar almond mixture had magically turned into caramelly (is that even a word?) yumminess just waiting to be scooped out and devoured.

I restrained myself and waited about 20 minutes for them too cool off before turning them out onto a white platter. It was worth the wait. And as I took that first bite of crispy dough, with the warmth of the cinnamon, and the sweetness of the melted sugar and the crunch of the sliced almonds, I felt like that little girl again, in my PJ's, sitting at the kitchen counter with my grammy, enjoying that early morning alone time with her before all the younger grandkids came scrambling down the stairs and the adults rolled out of their beds. I cherish those early morning memories, those grown up tea parties, and the time we spent cooking in her kitchen, whether it was pull-aparts, coke cake, or turtle brownies.

Those recipes are for another day...