Truth be told, I had a hankering for cinnamon buns before Hurricane Ian hove into view, but it was way too hot to even contemplate running my oven. Well, H Ian is past, the weather cooled a bit, and I still had a hankering.

So, allons-y!


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THIS RECIPE CAN CONTAIN ALCOHOL. WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE BASIC RECIPE.


Tipsy Cinnamon-Raisin Buns
From The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, © 1980, pp. 442 and 444.

For the Dough (half what the recipe demanded):
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1.5 packages active dry yeast (yeah, I eyeballed it a bit)
4 or so cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
½ cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1. Combine the sugar, salt, 2 cups of the flour and yeast in a large bowl.
2. Heat the milk and butter / margarine in a saucepan until very warm (120-130F); butter doesn’t need to melt.
3. With mixer on low, gradually beat the wet into the dry ingredients, scraping bowl occasionally.
4. Beat the egg in, then start adding the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
5. Turn out onto floured surface and knead 10 minutes; shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Let it rise, covered, for an hour.
For the Filling:
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter / margarine
1. Mix it all together in a bowl. Try not to eat it.
For the Horde! er, Icing:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 or so tablespoons water
1. Mix it all together, and stop eating it! You’ll ruin your appetite!

Let’s Get to Steppin’!
1. Punch the risen dough down. On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out and roll it out to a 18” x 12” rectangle. Brush the surface with melted butter/margarine.
2. Cover the surface with the filling mixture.
3. Roll it up jelly-roll style; pinch the seam closed. Seam side down, cut into 12-15 slices.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F; arrange the slices cut sides down in an oiled baking dish or pan. Brush the tops with the melted butter you have left.
5. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Let it cool – and I mean it! – before you ice it, or the icing will melt and run off.

But wait!

You called these “Tipsy” – whar alcohol, henngh?
I steeped the raisins in 2 tablespoons of dark rum and drained them well before adding them to the sugar mixture, and used 3 tablespoons of Muddy River basil-infused rum in the icing.

Verdict: Delicious, although I may dial back the rum in the icing just a bit next time.