Grandma Brown's Cinnamon Rolls

After eating the most amazing cinnamon roll the other night, it got me thinking about my favorite cinnamon rolls. Growing up, I don't think I ever ate another cinnamon roll other than the ones made by my Grandma. I remember her making them on the island in our kitchen after riding 24 hours on the Greyhound bus from Michigan (because she is afraid to fly) just because I wanted her to make them. It seemed like magic how she could take the simplest things and turn them into something that nobody else could make.



For Christmas, I made my mom a hardback cookbook filled with our family's recipes and I made sure that this recipe from Grandma Brown was in there. In fact, I think it's on the first page of the book. It's that important...and that incredible. People may make some pretty good cinnamon rolls but no one ever makes anything quite as special as Grandma. Yeah, you can go to a restaurant and order the same things that she makes but I think it's the memories of watching her make them and remembering how they made the house smell that makes them taste that much better.

(all the ingredients are estimated...grandmas never measure)



Ingredients
-1/2 box Jiffy biscuit mix (we're partial to Jiffy because it's made in my mom's hometown...and my Uncle Duke works for Jiffy)
-enough water to make it stiff (like a biscuit dough)
-1 stick butter
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup cinnamon
-flour for countertop

ICING INGREDIENTS
-1 box powdered sugar
-enough water for desired icing consistincy

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Mix jiffy and water until it makes a stiff dough
3) Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop
4) Roll out the dough into a large rectangle
5) Melt butter
6) Pour over the dough
7) Make sure butter is evenly spread over the dough
8) Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the dough
9) Sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar
10) Roll the dough from end to end like a jelly roll
11) Cut the roll into 1 inch slices
12) Place the slices onto a greased baking pan
13) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
14) Mix icing ingredients
15) Drizzle icing over cooled cinnamon rolls

ThE bEsT tHiNg I hAvE eVeR eAtEn...Macado's Cinnamon Sensation

So, up until this point my blog has been all about stuff I have actually made. Well today, is different. This is about something I had the PRIVILEGE of tasting...well...more like "devouring". Only because I think this deserves all recognition it can get. Holy guacamole, people.

Today, Allison and I went with a few of our friends to Macado's tonight. I had only been to the one in Lynchburg once before (I am sure there are gasps from the LU kids).

But our friends Courtney and Angela said that we HAD to try a "Cinnamon Sensation", which on Fridays is only $3. Allison and I decided to split one after seeing how BIG they were from another table. Angela helped us out and told us to order it with EXTRA frosting because we wouldn't be sorry!

When it came, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. This thing was HUGE. But I couldn't see it because of all the FROSTING. And on top of all that sugar were 2 scoops of French Vanilla ice cream that was melting fast sitting on the HOT roll. So, look at the picture I posted...then imagine it bigger, with more frosting, plus ice cream.

To make a long story short, we ended up splitting the one and helping another girl finish hers...we were HELPING!!! :) There are hungry kids around the world and it would be a shame to let it go to waste!!! I had to call my mom right afterward to tell her that I just had literally the BEST thing I have ever put in my mouth. I have seen the light.