Cinnamon, Sugar and Butter

Come up with a better combination, I dare you! Ok, wait, I'm already thinking of a few...cheese and crackers, peanut butter and chocolate, rum and coke. Ok, so there are A LOT of amazing combinations in my life but seriously, how could cinnamon, sugar and butter NOT make food taste better?? On cinnamon rolls, smeared on toast, on pretzels at the mall. And speaking of those pretzels at the mall...my kiddos had a taste at the mall that left them (and me..) begging for more. Of course, I got to thinking how I could whip up something as equally delicious at home. Already planning to make cinnamon rolls because really, what tops a drive-through dinner of Carl's Jr. (but only because In N Out's line was so long...) aside from warm cinnamon rolls?? Exactly. So dough (which is a Paula Deen recipe, need I say more??) was already rising nicely on the counter when my gracious daughter announced she doesn't like cinnamon rolls. And because the world revolves around her, apparently, I asked "What if I made something like that pretzel you tried at the mall? The one with the cinnamon and sugar??", seeing if she would take the bait. She wasn't able to argue with that logic. She was all mine...
So I made the cinnamon rolls, saving about a quarter of the dough for some pretzel bites and can I just say, they blew the main event, the cinnamon rolls, out of the fricking water. I only wished I had used ALL the dough for them. Yes, I was willing to sacrifice the cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting and all, for those darned little pillows of heaven. Simple. Eaten straight from the oven, dipped in butter then dredged in cinnamon and sugar. My hubby and I tried in vain not to sneak bite after bite as we prepared little bowls for the kids but who could resist something like that? A crazy person, that's who! So we enjoyed the bites, savoring them and enjoying the cinnamon rolls later, when the kids had gone to bed. Yes, two desserts in one night. Don't judge. The rolls were great too so make one or both and enjoy. And try not to gobble up this entire batch of dough. Unless you are a family of four (or a single person. or a couple.) with a sweet tooth. Who feels it's best to experiment with dough. And has zero shame.

I suggest doubling the batch of dough. It says it yields 12-15 servings but it's more like nine. Also, if you want to make rolls AND the pretzel bites, you really need a batch for each. For the bites, simply allow to rise for an hour then roll out to about a 1-inch thickness and cut small bite-sized pieces of dough, baking for around seven minutes, just before they turn golden brown on the edges. Then melt a stick of butter and have a dish of cinnamon/sugar ready. Dunk the bites in butter then dredge immediately in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Work quickly so the bites don't dry before the cinnamon/sugar sticks to them. Try not to eat as you work, I dare you. I don't believe it is humanely possible. And for the icing on the cinnamon rolls, I added about two tablespoons cream cheese to the mix because I'm crazy like that. Enjoy!
                              
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html