Recipe - Cinnamon Rolls

About 12 years ago, before Mr. C and I were married, we decided with his sister to make cinnamon rolls for his dad one Christmas morning. We had always heard how he loved waking up to the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning, so we thought it would be a nice surprise. This very first year we did it, we were all in Mammoth, after Mr. C's parents went to bed, the 3 of us stayed up and started the recipe. Non of us had made bread before. We didn't even think about how long it would take us. Little did we know we would be slaving away for hours kneading, rising, kneading, rising... It was horrible trying to get the bread to rise correctly because it was so cold in that darn cabin. We put it by the little wood burning stove to finally get a little rise out of it.

Well, that night we went to bed with flour all over us and exhausted well after midnight. I am so sad right now because I looked everywhere and I can't find that old picture.

The next morning, early we got up before Mr. C's parents and put the rolls in the oven. They turned out ok, but I was envisioning cinnabon. Boy, oh boy was I disappointed. From then on, it has been our goal to perfect these cinnamon rolls. Each year they get a little better.

Making them gets a little more fun too. Little C's first Christmas...

I have to slip in a little memory of Grandpa all satisfied after eating his roll Christmas morning.

I think little C had the most fun his second Christmas...

Last year, they were near perfect when I made 2 major changes to the recipe. But the dough wasn't quite right, we wanted it a little thicker.

Finally, this year they were wonderful. In-fact, they were the best cinnamon rolls I think I have ever tasted. I made 2 batches for Christmas and one New Year's Eve at almost midnight. They had the perfect amount of fluffiness, sticky gewiness and surgary sweet frosting. 

Now that the recipe is perfected, should I keep it a family secret or post it for the world to copy?