By Michaela Kirkpatrick

Fall weather is coming and with it a good time to bake with friends and family. During Covid I started to bake with my mother and sister, just trying out different recipes that we thought would be good. Once things had begun getting back to normal and we started to go back to school, I started to experiment with recipes that I found on my own. All different types of baking and cooking ranging from Mac N’ Cheese to Chocolate Cake. Coming to HB I’m so glad that there is an outlet for students to share their ideas and interests through Retrospect. And I can’t wait to share my favorite recipes with you!

The first recipe to kick off the new school year will be something simple and a household delight, Cinnamon Rolls! But these are no ordinary cinnamon rolls, they’re cinnamon roll roses! 

These are the ingredients you will need:

  • 2 cups of warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast 
  • 1/2 cup of sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons of dried milk (optional but recommended)
  • 5 cups of AP flour 
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon of salt 
  • 1 ½ cups of packed brown sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons of cinnamon 
  • 1 melted stick of butter 
  • 2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 3 or 4 tablespoons of half-and-half milk

First, start by adding the following ingredients to a large bowl:

  • 2 cups of warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast 
  • 1/2 cup of sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons of dried milk
  • 2 cups of AP flour 

Mix, cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes 

After 10 minutes add the following ingredients to the same bowl:

  • 3 cups of AP flour 
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon of salt 

Knead dough for 10 minutes in a stand mixer, or mix manually until dough is formed.

In a separate bowl add:

  • 1 ½  cups of packed brown sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons of cinnamon 
  • 1 melted stick of butter 

Add the dough to an oiled surface and make 8-10 dough balls.

Roll each ball out into a wider strip and add a little bit of the butter mixture down the middle.

Cut the strip into 3 even strips all the way through, gather the three strips at the top and braid them.

Once braided, roll the braid from the bottom up and you should get the rose shape.

Combine ⅓ cup of water and one large egg in a bowl and mix.

Add six cinnamon rolls to a prepared circular baking pan, with five around the edge and one in the center, and lightly brush with egg wash.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then take them out, cover them with foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

While the roses are baking, let’s make the glaze (The best part of a cinnamon roll).

In a medium-sized bowl, add:

  • 2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 3 or 4 tablespoons of half-and-half milk (depending on how thick you’d like your glaze to be)

Mix and add on top of the cinnamon rolls once they’re done baking. 

After that, your cinnamon roll roses should be done! 

Review: This is my favorite way to make cinnamon rolls now! It’s so fun to do it with friends just to fool around. Or with family to bake and show off. The braiding was a bit hard to get the hang of at first but it got easier the more times I made this recipe. 

Baking was a very important part of my childhood and still is even as a high schooler. Sharing recipes and baking with friends and family is a great way to celebrate holidays, create traditions, or just to spend time with loved ones. Even just baking something small for a person you care about can make their day a little bit brighter.

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