first time - cinnamon buns

Dan's first day back to work was Monday. He asked me to bake a thank-you cake for his co-workers, since they had sent him a nice plant when he was stuck at home recovering. I figured that as long as the oven would be heating up the kitchen anyway, I might as well bake something for us, too. I decided to try cinnamon buns.

I absolutely love to bake, but I usually avoid things that require yeast. Patience is not one of my stronger traits. I found this recipe and while it did take me a bit more than ninety minutes start to finish, overall it really wasn't that hard and I was quite satisfied with it. I baked some buns in the muffin tin and some in a regular pan; the muffin ones came out perfect, while the others had to be tossed because the filling had leaked out the bottom and turned into a horrible, sticky, black, burnt tar. The one change I would make to the recipe would be to add a lot more cinnamon - at least double. I would have done it this time but we had exactly a tablespoon left and not a speck more. Also, cream cheese icing would be best - isn't it always? - but I didn't have neufchatel on hand. Instead I made a basic glaze and added a bit of almond flavoring.

The empty spot on the plate above came about because Dan couldn't wait for me take photos before grabbing one. I certainly can't blame him. Let's go in for a close-up:
Mmmmmmm, yummy! Definitely worth the effort.