Cinnamon Rolls and Cat Love

The recipe turned out GREAT - they were so delish. This is my love gift to all - sharing the magic! :)

Ingredients
Dough:
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Cooking Spray

Filling:
8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:
2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons milk
5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions
For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (B: I placed in warm oven to encourage dough to rise! It worked beautifully!)
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven. (B: Again, do the pan with boiling water thing, but if you put oven on warm or turn it to 200 degrees, then turn off and close the door, it really helps the rising process! Also, it took mine more like 45 min to look extra puffy)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately. (B: I took 'immediately' as a direct order. So should you! Trust me on that one...)

Hmm....look at that gooey goodness! Hey, where did that missing cinnamon roll go? *Lick, smack, gulp*

Moving on, I have some adorable pics I caught as my little rescue kitten was giving my own baby some love. Here they are, like twins, just watching the world go by...

(sorry about the dark lighting. I didn't have time to set it up b/c Marzell is pretty self-conscious about appearing to enjoy her company...) They were just chilling, checking out the birds and anything else that moves outside. Don't they look like little twins? She's the kid sister who holds her own around my boys. I love it. Have I already mentioned how desperately I want to keep this one??

Now if this next picture doesn't make your heart melt, I'm surprised we made it as friends!

After a long day's work of baking and being the cat photographer (not a very good one, at that!), my kitchen was as pooped as I was.

Just keeping it real.

Trivia - any one want to venture a guess at what the TV screen has playing on it? I know, it's blurry - I'm sorry! Sigh, I do love my "Friends" ;) (I do the quotes, so you don't think I'm a crazy person).