Post by: Jen

Ingredients:

 Let it boil for about 5-10 minutes.  Make sure that you are using a pan big enough to allow for the boiling sugar water.  I actually had to pour my sauce into a bigger pan when it started boiling.  (note the change of pans in the pictures!)  The longer your boil, it may actually reduce a bit to be thicker.

 After chopping your apples toss them with lemon juice so as to prevent a lot of browning. I actually used 3 big apples and I think I may have actually had too many making it hard to roll up the dough.  (then again, can you ever have too many apples when it comes to baking?)
 For the dough, mix your dry ingredients in a bowl.  Measure out your shortening and then add small pieces of shortening to the bowl, tossing it around periodically to cover them all with flour.
 Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender, or two knives, or even just with your fingers (which is what I did).  You want it to be like pie crust and be little pieces of covered shortening.
 Make a well in the center of your bowl, and pour in the milk.
 Stir just until all the flour is moistened.
 Flour a surface to roll the dough and dump out your dough.  You will have to press it all together and knead it a few times to get it all into a nice smooth ball.
 Roll out into a 12 x 10(ish) rectangle.  I am so horrible at rolling out rectangles.  Maybe the next time I will make these as crescents.  That's so much easier to roll out.  Make sure to flour underneath from time to time and move it around so that it isn't sticking to your counter.
 Spread the chopped apples all over but leave a 1/2 inch or so border on the bottom clear of apples.  Mix your remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.  NOTE:  If you want it less sweet, leave this part out.  I think I will next time.  The sauce is plenty sugary.  (not that my family would complain)
Carefully roll the dough in a spiral until you have rolled up all the apples.  Remember that this is a pie-like consistency and the dough can easily tear.
  Pinch the edges so as to seal it up.  Moisten your fingers with water if necessary.
 Slice into 12  1-inch thick slices.
 Spray the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan and evenly arrange your apple rolls.
 Pour the cinnamon sugar syrup over your apples.
 Bake in oven for about 45 minutes or until the tops are golden and the bottoms are looking cooked.  It's hard to tell if the bottoms are all  the way cooked because they are sitting in syrupy liquid.  I was concerned that they would be squishy (and I don't like squishy baked food).  But perhaps that's why Better Homes and Gardens called them "Apple Dumplings"

If you can't help it and you have to eat one right away, then yes, the bottom of these will seem a little less cooked than the golden tops.  But I promise you that if you wait until it is cooled down the the sauce thickens up, then it tastes like a single serve apple pie.   (I admit, that I ate 2 of them for breakfast today.  But I seem to have read recently that it's OK to eat sweets for breakfast  because then you have the whole day to burn calories.  Unlike when you sit down in front of  the TV at 10:30 at night after kids are finally quiet and then you have to eat your sweets.  Um, maybe that's just me.)  
 Speaking of which, I think I still have a couple in the pan...

2 Tbsp yeast (or 2 packages of yeast)

1/2 c warm water

1 tsp sugar

1/2 c milk

1/4 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

4 1/2 c flour + little more for rolling out dough

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c Nutella, warmed

2 Tbsp milk

1 c powdered sugar

OR warmed Nutella to drizzle

IF using a bread machine to make your dough, then add all the liquid ingredients first. (or according to the directions of your machine). I heat the 1/2 c milk and the 1/4 c butter together until the butter is mostly melted. Add to machine. Add warm water. (How warm? It depends in how warm your butter/milk combination got. You may need to cool it off by adding not so warm water. Then add the 2 beaten eggs. Then add all the dry ingredients. Choose 'dough' cycle and turn on machine.

IF doing it by hand, then place your warm water in a large bowl along with the yeast and teaspoon of sugar to proof. Wait 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan (or in the microwave) mix together the milk, remaining sugar, salt, and butter and heat till butter is mostly melted. Then cool to lukewarm. Add the beaten eggs to the milk mixture. Add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Mix in the 4 1/2 c flour and then turn out on counter and knead until you have a smooth and nonsticky dough. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

When risen to twice its size, (or when the dough cycle on the machine is finished) punch the dough down in the middle and let rest a few minutes. Divide dough into two balls. This recipe usually makes 2 9x13 pans of sweet rolls.

Prepare your baking pans by greasing them with either butter or non stick spray.

Roll one ball out to a 13 x 9 (approximate) rectangle.

Sprinkle 1/2 c brown sugar to form a thin layer all over. The butter and the brown sugar is what it going to form the caramel goo that is so classic with a sweet roll. (although we're using Nutella as well, I just have to have that caramely goo on the bottom of my sweetroll!). Sprinkle with cinnamon (more or less for taste). Skip the cinnamon if you want to have more chocolate flavor and replace it with cocoa powder. (about 1-2 Tbsp for the whole rectangle. Attention: this will make it extra chocolaty!

Heat Nutella so that it's easier to drizzle, (about 30 sec-1 minute in microwave) and drizzle 1/2 cup all over the sugar. Try not to drizzle over the bottom inch of your rectangle or else it will squish out as you roll it up.

Roll it up jelly roll style.

Slice into 1 inch slices and place in your prepared, greased 9x13 pan. Leave some space in between so they will have space to rise. Cover the pans and let rise again until double in size, about 1 hour (or less depending on how warm your kitchen is)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook sweet rolls in oven for 15-18 minutes or until the top is nicely golden, but the middle is still cooked.

For the sugar glaze add powdered sugar in a small bowl and gradually add milk by mixing with a fork. Don't add all the milk at once, because you might need less. If your glaze gets too runny, just add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a little milk. You want it to be a drizzle consistency.

Drizzle over your warm sweet rolls.

Serve as soon as you want. These are fine the next day heated up in the microwave as well. (at least my boys don't complain). IF you prefer MORE chocolate, heat up some Nutella until it ressembles a glaze and drizzle it over your sweet rolls. Yum