Holidays were made for indulgences.  Let’s face it, I ate a significant portion of the 65 lbs of ham and turkey I made for Thanksgiving a few days ago.  So why not go the extra mile for my family in town this morning by making some homemade cinnamon rolls?!  Calorie counting will commence promptly on Monday, but I will continue to enjoy the rest of this weekend.  You’ll love the recipe below because it’s easy and also offers a twist with the addition of apricot honey butter (from my home town) and chopped pecans.  Go ahead, make some for yourself and make any weekend morning special.

STICKY CINNAMON ROLLS

Ingredients

• 1 Tube Pillsbury Pizza Dough (or 14-16 oz. of fresh pizza or white bread dough)
• 1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 1 6 Oz. Jar Apricot Pecan Honey Butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Warm jar of honey butter in microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove and pour contents into bottom of a 9″ round non-stick pan.  For this recipe I used apricot pecan honey butter from a candle and honey company in Medina, OH called A.I. Root.  However, you an also find the same flavor combination here or at your local retailer.
• Roll out pizza or bread dough to a 12-inch x 12-inch square.
• In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon.  Spread in a thin even layer over the pizza dough going completely to the edges.
• Roll dough from one side tightly until you have a long tube.
• Cut rolled dough into six pieces and then place sideways into pan of honey butter.  Arrange five on the outside and one in the middle.  Press down slightly so that all edges are touching.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes until top is golden brown and middles are no longer gooey.
• Remove from oven and top with a heat-safe platter.  Turn baking pan upside down to turn out finished rolls.  Scrape any excess honey butter and pecans onto the top of the cinnamon rolls.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve immediately.

This super-sweet decadent treat is perfect for weekend company or for a brunch event.  It would be easy to triple this recipe and make them in a 13×9 pan as well.  You can also substitute any kind of honey butter here, but I’ll tell you that the apricot gives a wonderful fruity hint to any otherwise really sweet dish.  Either way, I think you’ll make these again and again when you feel the need to indulge.  Dig in and enjoy!