Granini's Cheesecake Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

Granini's Cheesecake Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

For a decadent breakfast treat!

Ingredients:

Bread Dough:

1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup scalded milk

2 Tablespoons shortening

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3 1/4 cups flour

Cinnamon Roll filling

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

¼ cup brown sugar

then

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 cup toasted pecans

Cheesecake:

1 cube of cream cheese (8 oz), softened

2 Tablespoons butter

1 egg

2 cups powdered sugar (less if you prefer it slightly less sweet), sifted

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash of cinnamon

Glaze:

 ¼ cup of the mixture above

3 Tablespoons half & half or heavy cream

Directions:

1. Soften the yeast in the warm water.
2. To scald the milk: place milk in a reactive saucepan on medium high.  Allow the milk to come to a full simmer.  When the milk starts to climb the sides of the pan, pull it off the heat.
3. Add shortening to the very hot milk.  Allow milk to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. (I generally put mine in the fridge to cool.)
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat an egg.  
5. Slowly add in the sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour.  Slowly pour in the cooled milk, and mix in the remaining flour.
6. Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes.
7. Lightly spray a clean, large mixing bowl with cooking spray.  Plunk your bread dough into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to double.  
8. Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour 2 Tablespoons of melted butter onto the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup of brown sugar over the entire bottom, creating a delicious base for your cinnamon rolls.
9. Lightly flour your counter.  Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Smear the entire surface with softened butter. Sprinkle brown sugar and white sugar over the entire surface. Sprinkle raisins and nuts over the top.
10. Cut the dough into 9 even (approximately) squares.
11. Carefully fold each section like an envelope so that each section has the sugar stuffing goodness tucked neatly inside. (See pictures below). I take two of the corners and pinch them together. Then I pinch the connecting sides together. Then I take the next corner, pinch it to the middle, and then pinch that side together. Then lastly I fold the top of the 'envelop' down, and pinch the last two sides together.
12. Once your pocket is fully formed, plump it slightly into a ball, and place it seam side down onto your prepared 9x13 pan.
13. Repeat with the remaining 8 pieces of dough, spacing the balls relatively evenly inside your dish.
14. Allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare your cheesecake batter.
15. In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.
16. Add in the egg, and mix thoroughly.
17. Sift your powdered sugar with the salt and cinnamon and add it in slowly to your mixer.
18. Add in the vanilla. If the mixture is extremely thick, add in 1 teaspoon of half & half, milk, or cream and blend until smooth.
19. Take out ¼ cup of the mixture and set aside.
20. Once your dough has risen for 1/2 an hour, with a clean, dry spoon, carefully make a divot into each of the cinnamon roll balls.
21. With a large spoon, plop a nice sized blop of cheesecake filling into each divot.
22. Bake at 375˚ for 20-25 minutes or so, or until lightly golden brown.
23. Prepare your glaze.
24. In a small mixing bowl, take ¼ cup of the cheesecake batter, add a dash of cinnamon, and 3 Tablespoons of half & half. Stir until the mixture is very smooth and light. It should cover the back of a spoon. Add more half & half as needed to make it not too thick.
25. When the buns come out of the oven, take a pastry brush and paint the tops of all the rolls with the glaze.
26. Serve while warm. 
27. Try not to eat all of them, all by yourself, in one setting. If you do ever happen to have any leftover, which has happened, I think, maybe, just once, they are quite tasty and delicious the next morning for breakfast. Serve them either room temperature or warmed slightly in the microwave with a little bowl of fresh berries.  Or just by themselves. Naked. The rolls, not you.  Just sayin'.

For those of you who like pictures with your instructions, here you go!

Cut your dough into 9 pieces and then fold like envelopes, so that all the goodness is on the inside.

Take the two bottom corners, bring them up, and pinch together. 

Then pinch together the seam.

Pull down the next corner and pinch it into the first two corners.

Pinch the seam together.

Make sure everything is pinched together nicely.

It's ready for the last corner to come down like an envelope lid.

Flip the last corner down to the center. Pinch it in with the other three corners.

Then pinch together the two sides.

Everything is pinched together now!

 So then flip the whole thing upside down (seam side down), and kind of shape the whole thing into a ball.

The stuffed ball.

Place the ball into the pan with the rest of the stuffed balls. Don't worry if some are slightly smaller than others. Put the smaller ones in toward the center of the pan. 

Let them rise for about ½ an hour.

They have risen a wee bit, and are ready to put a divot into the top.

Fill each of the divots with the cheesecake filling.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. (These are a wee bit more done than I normally like them, but the glaze will prevent them from being too crunchy.)

Cover with the glaze, and serve while hot.

Oh my goodness, just look at all that tasty stuff oozing out from inside!

Ooooooooh.

Yummmmmmmm!

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)