Our holiday menu was inflexible: on Christmas Eve, beef vegetable soup to give us some protection against the effects of the next day’s sugary treats. Then, on Christmas morning, before we were allowed to set foot in the room with the tree and the presents and the stockings, we had to finish our breakfast of orange juice, scrambled eggs, tiny smoked sausages called “little smokies,” and these soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls.

Mom made these the day before, then on Christmas morning took them out of the fridge and popped them into the oven while she and Dad got the rest of the breakfast ready. Carla has cheated a bit in recent years, and has been known to substitute King Arthur Baking’s “Baker’s Cinnamon Filling Mix” for the butter and spice mix. She does this because (a) it’s so spicy and fragrant that you nearly get dizzy from pleasure when you use it, and (b) the first year she did it, one of the nephews said, “These are the BEST cinnamon rolls we have ever had.” Mom would have loved the mix, too.

• 3 ½ to 4 cups flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 cup warm (120 to 130 degrees) milk
• ⅓ cup butter, softened
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, softened
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 2-4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk or half and half
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix 2 cups flour, ⅓ cup sugar, salt, and yeast. Add milk, ⅓ cup softened butter, and egg. Beat in electric mixer for 1 minute at low speed, frequently scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 1 additional minute, scraping sides of bowl. Add just enough more flour to make dough ready to knead, and turn onto lightly floured surface (or knead using dough hook). Knead dough for 5 minutes by hand, or with dough hook until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Butter a ceramic or stoneware bowl with 2-3 tablespoons softened butter, and place dough in bowl; flip dough over so buttered side is on top. Cover with towel and let rise in warm area for one hour.

Punch dough down. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15 x 10 rectangle. Spread with additional 2-3 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with pecans. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over butter/pecan mixture. (If you opt for the King Arthur mix, don’t use the butter. Spread the filling mix over the dough and sprinkle with the pecans.) Roll rectangle lengthwise and pinch the edge to seal. Cut into 15 1-inch slices. Place slices apart in ungreased 9×13 baking pan.* Wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. When rolls are slightly cooled, mix enough powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to make a medium-thin glaze, and drizzle over the tops of the rolls.

*If you don’t need to postpone baking, cover the slices with a towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake as directed.

from our mom, Susan Marshall Labunski