Cinnamon Buns with Vanilla Bean Frosting

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Seriously, you can make these warm, gooey treats in your kitchen!

photos: krista for we heart this

I love cinnamon buns. I love them so much that I’m constantly going through Philosophy’s Cinnamon Buns 3-in-1 shower gel, just so I can get my fix. There is nothing better on a cold day than cinnamon buns baking in the oven.

I recently received some fabulous spices from the Spice Station to play with and I knew exactly what I was going to make with the cinnamon and vanilla beans I received: cinnamon buns!

Here is my go-to recipe, adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com

Cinnamon Buns with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Ingredients:
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• ¼ c. warm water
• ¼ c. sugar
• 1 ½ c. buttermilk
• ½ c. vegetable oil
• 5 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ c. butter (melted)
• 1 ¼ c. brown sugar
• 3 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon

Vanilla Bean Frosting
• 2 vanilla beans
• 3 c. powdered sugar
• 4 T. softened butter
• 4 T. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1) Slice open vanilla beans and scrape insides into mixing bowl, discarding shells.

2) Beat in softened butter, slowly adding powdered sugar and milk.

3) Add ½ tsp. vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for about a minute.

Note: I find that vanilla beans enhance vanilla extract, but I’ve never been able to use them on their own and get a satisfactory result. I will say that the vanilla beans with a smidge of vanilla extract are DELIGHTFUL and really punch up a recipe. They definitely make these a little more “special” and are worth a try, especially if you are making these for company or a special occasion. Or maybe you just subscribe to L’Oreal’s philosophy that you’re “worth it”.

4) Turn oven on to 350 degrees, letting it heat for 10 minutes, and then shut oven off. Grease at least two 13 X 9 pans, though you may need to grease a smaller additional pan.

5) In small bowl, empty yeast packets and add warm water, stir well, and let sit for about 10 minutes.

6) In small pot, heat buttermilk over low heat, stirring constantly, until warm to touch. DO NOT OVERHEAT or the buttermilk will curdle.

7) In large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.

8) In separate mixing bowl, add vegetable oil, vanilla, warm buttermilk, and yeast mixture and mix until combined.

Note: The following instructions are using my Kitchen Aid mixer dough hook. If you do not have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, you will use your stand mixer or hand mixer to add most of the flour mixture and then have to add the rest by hand and knead the dough about 30 times by hand.

9) Using dough hook with mixer set on 2, slowly add in the flour mixture until dough is well combined, being careful to stop mixer and use hook to scrape bottom of bowl to be sure everything in incorporated.

10) Set mixer on lowest setting with dough hook and knead for about a minute.

11) Remove bowl from mixer and place a towel dampened by very hot water overtop of bowl and let sit near warm place for 15 minutes.

12) In medium-sized pot, melt butter and add brown sugar and cinnamon until it forms a sugary paste and then remove from heat.

13) When dough is done resting, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

14) Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a slightly rectangular shape (approximately 16″X 8″) a little less than half an inch thick. Smear the sugar mixture thoroughly over top of the dough. Slowly roll dough towards you. Pull dough a little bit once rolled to eek out an extra couple of inches.

15) Using thread (not a knife–thread works best, so get out your sewing kit), pull thread under rolled dough about an inch in from the end and cross ends together over the dough and pull down until dough is severed. Immediately place sliced dough into greased pan.

16) Repeat, slicing dough about an inch thick each time, until rolled dough is completely sliced and placed in pans. Cover pans with towels dampened with extremely hot water and set in warmed oven for 30 minutes.

17) While waiting, prep the vanilla bean frosting and set aside.

18) Remove pans from oven once 30 minutes have passed and set oven to 375 degrees.

19) Once preheated, place cinnamon buns in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until slightly golden.

20) Immediately frost with vanilla bean frosting & serve, trying not to eat a whole pan yourself.

These buns are best served warm, so when eating leftovers, heat them in a microwave for about 30 seconds. You’re welcome.

Thanks again to Spice Station for providing the cinnamon and vanilla beans used in this recipe!

Krista currently lives in a semi-haunted house in New England with her hubby/best friend and obscenely big-eared dog. She thinks the world would be a better place if people smiled more and ate more dark chocolate. She is a firm believer that humor can be found in everything and that Tom Selleck’s moustache has healing properties…