Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Warning: These are seriously addictive. I highly suggest bringing them to a party or something, because if they are sitting around your house, you will eat all of them. And that's a lot of cinnamon rolls. Today's recipe is brought to us by Melissa of No. 2 Pencil, and it could not be more delicious. So without further ado, here it is: 

Ingredients:

Dough

1 box of Duncan Hines Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 envelopes (1/4 oz each) of Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2 cups of warm water
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
5 cups of all-purpose flour

Filling 

1 stick of softened butter – you can add another stick of butter if you want them really gooey
1 cup of packed dark brown sugar
1 cup of granulated white sugar
Cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 sticks of softened butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
2 packages of softened cream cheese – 8 ounces

1.Combine two packages of active dry yeast with warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until dissolved. 

2. Add cake mix, flour, vanilla and salt. Use dough hook attachment to knead dough together, just for a minute or two. 

3. Move to larger bowl, cover, and let rise for about an hour. Punch dough down after an hour, and let rise again for another hour.

4. Use plenty of flour on a clean surface and turn dough out.  Shape into a ball, then roll into a rectangle shape.

5. Spread softened butter over dough. 

6. Sprinkle with brown sugar, white granulated sugar and cinnamon. 

7. Start from farthest edge and roll dough tightly into a long skinny log shape. Slice into 24 rolls.

8. Place rolls in two 9×13 pans that have been greased with butter, or sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Let rise a final time in pan for about 30 minutes.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

10. Now you can make the frosting. With paddle attachment on the stand mixer, combine room temperature butter with powdered sugar.

11. Beat until well combined, then add vanilla and pinch of salt. 

12. Mix again, then while mixer is going, drop cubes of softened cream cheese in the bowl one at a time until frosting is well mixed.

My Notes and Tips: 

- I don't have a stand mixer, so I just kind of stirred things normally with a fork, which is what I usually use, and everything turned out  fine. 

- I don't have any kosher salt either, so I used regular salt for the cream cheese frosting. I also only used one 8 oz package of cream cheese, it was still delish!

- I did use two sticks of butter for the for the filling. So worth it. 

- These are tasty at room temperature, as well as warmed up.